Kennedy comes out for gay marriage  —  Caroline Kennedy is finally sharing some of her political opinions with the people she's campaigning to represent — casting herself in the liberal tradition of uncle Ted Kennedy, bucking Barack Obama by supporting same-sex marriage and disavowing Hillary Clinton's 2002 vote for the Iraq invasion.

“The search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us”  —  In the latest weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama took a bold stand for making decisions based on science and facts rather than ideology as he introduced leading members of his science and technology team.

'Karl Rove's IT guru' Mike Connell dies in plane crash  —  A top level Republican IT consultant who was set to testify in a case alleging GOP election tampering in Ohio died in a plane crash late Friday night.  —  Michael Connell — founder of Ohio-based New Media Communications …

If criminal penalties are removed, what will deter lawbreaking by political officials?  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus today perfectly expresses the consensus view of establishment Washington regarding the exemption which political elites should and do enjoy …

Jerry Brown asks California Supreme Court to void gay-marriage ban  —  The state attorney general, who had earlier vowed to defend Prop. 8, offers a novel legal theory for why it should be overturned.  The action surprises some legal experts.  —  Reporting from San Francisco and Los Angeles …

Document drop: The story behind Change.gov  —  I've obtained documents sent to a reader in response to his FOIA request regarding the creation of Barack Obama's Change.gov website.  It gives you the rest of the story.  You'll recall last month that I blogged several questions about the propriety …

A Chance for Consensus on Iraq  —  After our visit to Iraq this month, it is clear that what was once unthinkable there is now taking place: A stable, safe and free Iraq is emerging.  Violence has fallen to the lowest level since the first months of the war.

The Cost of Conservatism, in Trillions  —  Let's engage in a back of the envelope exercise for a moment: the cost of conservatism to America.  Right wingers want to de-emphasize the costs, and pump up the virtues.  They want to account for every penny of liberal projects but declare that conservative projects have no price.

Court Overturns Air Pollution Exemption for Industrial Plants  —  Court Strikes Rule That Let Plants Sometimes Exceed Limits  —  In a 2 to 1 decision yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down an exemption that for nearly 15 years has allowed refineries …

Franken expects to defeat Coleman by 35-50 votes  —  Al Franken's campaign is as close to declaring victory as it has throughout the weeks-long recount in the Minnesota Senate race.  —  Franken's campaign attorney Marc Elias said he expects Franken to be leading Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) …

We're in the fast lane to Bailoutistan  —  Recommend  —  “See the USA in your Chevrolet!” trilled Dinah Shore week after week on TV.  —  Can you still see the USA in your Chevrolet?  Through a windscreen darkly.  —  General Motors now has a market valuation about a third of Bed …

The Saturday Cartoons  —  Here's Mark Fiore with a timely version of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas — “Corruption Christmas.”  —  Click on the screenshot above or go here to see it.  —  Our friends at Headzup show us Dick Cheney admitting to war crimes on national television: