Exclusive: Obama's Blago Report: Only One Rahm Call to Governor  —  Sources tell me that the Obama team's review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will show that Rahm Emanuel had only one phone conversation with Blagojevich.  —  The contact, described as a “pro-forma” …

Cheney Mocks Biden, Defends Rumsfeld in ‘FOX News Sunday’ Interview  —  In one of his last interviews before leaving Washington, D.C., Vice President Cheney, a 40-year veteran of Washington politics, tried to straighten out a few misconceptions about his tenure and the way the executive and legislative branches are supposed to work.

Bush poured fuel on housing fire: NYT  —  The Bush Administration once again comes off looking poorly in the latest installment of the New York Times series called “The Reckoning” for pouring fuel on the raging fire that was the housing bubble, then waiting to long to mount a serious and effective effort to put the fire out.

Birth Of The Professional Obama Haters  —  Every President has had his contingent of seemingly professional haters, sometimes stemming from policy but sometimes stemming from the need to market an opposition persona, increase readership or an audience, or rally partisan followers to do battle to halt specific polices.

Biden to oversee efforts aimed at middle class  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - As vice president, Joe Biden will oversee an Obama administration effort to find ways of building up the ranks of the middle class, that ambiguously defined segment of society most Americans identify with.

Merry Christmas from Wayne LaPierre  —  So my phone rings today; and after that 1.5-second delay that tells you it"s not a beloved friend, a guy comes on the line and says his name is Chris White from the NRA.  Do I want to listen to a message from Wayne LaPierre about “Obama's scheme to ban guns?

30 days to Inauguration — Obama report absolves Emanuel on Illinois gov contacts  —  Breaking: BIDEN'S FIRST TASK: WILL CHAIR TASK FORCE ON THE MIDDLE CLASS.  —  Exclusive: Backus, Palmieri, Wolfson being considered for top administration jobs.  —  Exclusive: The White House responds …

AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs  —  Banks that are getting taxpayer bailouts awarded their top executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses, and other benefits last year, an Associated Press analysis reveals.  —  The rewards came even at banks where poor results …

Bush attacker ‘incensed by bullet-riddled Koran’  —  THE young Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President George W Bush had been incensed by a story he covered about an American soldier who used a copy of the Koran for target practice, according to his family.