Time to Reboot America  —  I had a bad day last Friday, but it was an all-too-typical day for America.  —  It actually started well, on Kau Sai Chau, an island off Hong Kong, where I stood on a rocky hilltop overlooking the South China Sea and talked to my wife back in Maryland, static-free, using a friend's Chinese cellphone.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to give alternative Christmas Day message  —  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran will give a message of seasonal goodwill on Christmas Day as an alternative to the Queen's traditional broadcast, it has been announced.

Minnesota Supremes Shoot Down Crucial Coleman Lawsuit, Making A Franken Win Nearly Certain  —  Norm Coleman just got a Christmas present from the Minnesota Supreme Court: A giant lump of coal.  —  In a unanimous decision handed down just now, the state Supremes denied Coleman any relief …

Pastor says ‘God will punish Rick Warren’  —  Wiley Drake criticizes Warren, calls Obama ‘evil illegal alien.’  —  Recommend  —  BUENA PARK — Southern Baptist Pastor Wiley Drake bashed Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren this week, saying “God will punish” Warren for agreeing to give …

Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats  —  ALBANY — Resistance is emerging among Democratic officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat in the United States Senate, with Gov. David A. Paterson bristling over suggestions that her selection is inevitable …

President Bush pardons Brooklyn home scammer  —  BY JOHN MARZULLI IN NEW YORK AND JAMES GORDON MEEK IN WASHINGTON  —  President Bush pardoned a Brooklyn real estate developer accused of scamming hundreds of poor, minority homebuyers - and whose father donated $28,500 to the Republican Party this year.

As Christmas Approaches, Muslims Erect ‘Allah Has No Son’ Banner in Nazareth  —  Nazareth, Israel (CNSNews.com) - As Nazareth's Christians prepare to celebrate Christmas, they are playing down the appearance of a confrontational Islamic banner that challenges an elemental Christian belief.

CNN Poll: Obama transition draws approval of 4 in 5 Americans  —  (CNN) - Hawaii's always been a great spot for honeymoons — and Barack Obama, who's spending the holiday season there on the beach at Kailua, is unquestionably having one of the best in modern presidential history.

Defense Spending Would Be Great Stimulus  —  All three service branches are in need of upgrade and repair.  —  The Department of Defense is preparing budget cuts in response to the decline in national income.  The DOD budgeteers and their counterparts in the White House Office of Management …

Obama's Afghan Troop-Surge Plan May Prove Too Much, Too Late  —  Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — Sending more U.S. forces to Afghanistan is an idea whose time has come.  The question is whether the time when it could work has already gone.  —  President-elect Barack Obama, departing President George W. Bush …

For Stimulus Plan, Obama Team Weighing ‘Green’ Jobs vs. Traditional Projects  —  Obama Weighs Them Vs. Traditional Projects  —  In one of the first internal struggles of the incoming Obama administration, environmentalists and smart-growth advocates are trying to shift the priorities …

RAID ON PLAX HOME  —  WEAPONS FOUND IN LATEST WOE FOR FALLEN STAR  —  Police yesterday seized a small cache of weapons and ammo from the Totowa, NJ, home of troubled Giants star Plaxico Burress, possibly setting up the suspended grid star for more legal trouble, law-enforcement sources said.

The Only Facts So Far: 10 Balls, 5 Locations  —  News flash!  Rumors are true!  —  The Presidential Inaugural Committee — trumpets, please! — is hosting 10 official balls on the night of Jan. 20.  —  These, ladies and gentlemen, are the only parties where Barack Obama …

Obama's five rules of scandal response  —  Tuesday's report from the transition, detailing contacts between members of Obama's inner circle and embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and concluding that “nothing at all inappropriate” was discussed, won't be the final word on the subject …

Emanuel wanted to keep his seat ‘warm’  —  In addition to talking with Gov. Blagojevich about who would fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat, Obama's newly minted chief of staff had something else on his mind: his own congressional seat.  —  Just after accepting the top post with Obama …

Scientists warn Christmas lights harm the planet  —  SCIENTISTS have warned that Christmas lights are bad for the planet due to huge electricity waste and urged people to get energy efficient festive bulbs.  —  CSIRO researchers said householders should know that each bulb turned on in the name …

Military center tracking Santa's sleigh ride  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Who says Santa Claus doesn't exist?  —  The military personnel charged with being the eyes in the sky are certainly acting like he does — and they've been joined on the Internet by millions of believers.

Livni boy!  —  Bibi Netanyahu isn't the only one knocking off elements of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in the hard-fought Israeli election.  —  With apologies to Obama Girl, here's Livni Boy, delivering his own soulful, semi-nude ode to the other leading candidate for prime minister, Tzipi Livni.