Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan  —  The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women.  His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity …

Poll: Obama is man Americans admire most  —  WASHINGTON — A month before his inauguration, Americans choose Barack Obama as the man they admire most in the world, according to a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.  It's the first time a president-elect has topped the annual survey in more than a half-century.

Retail Sales Plummet  —  Price-slashing failed to rescue a bleak holiday season for beleaguered retailers, as sales plunged across most categories on shrinking consumer spending, according to new data released Thursday.  —  Despite a flurry of last-minute shoppers lured by the deep discounts …

Blagojevich's lawyer asks House for subpoenas  —  Gov. Blagojevich's lead lawyer has asked the Illinois House panel weighing whether to impeach the governor to subpoena three high-profile witnesses.  —  The lawyer, Ed Genson, said Wednesday that testimony by Valerie Jarrett …

Barack Be Good  —  Times have changed.  In 1996, President Bill Clinton, under siege from the right, declared that “the era of big government is over.”  But President-elect Barack Obama, riding a wave of revulsion over what conservatism has wrought, has said that he wants to “make government cool again.”

White House Press Corps Faces Unique Challenges in Hawaii  —  It's prime time and CNN's Ed Henry is standing on the white sand of Waikiki Beach, reporting live on President-elect Barack Obama's holiday vacation in Hawaii.  With the volcanic mountain Diamond Head in the distance …

Study Criticizes Bush Approach to War Funding, Calls for Changes  —  President-elect Barack Obama's administration needs to monitor war spending much more closely than the current White House has, according to a new study that criticizes President Bush's approach to funding the Iraq and Afghanistan wars …

New Board Named at Fannie Mae  —  Regulator Picks Members; No Stock Awards for New Directors  —  Fannie Mae, the District mortgage-finance giant taken over by the government in early September, yesterday announced the members of its newly constituted board of directors.

The Reckoning: Chinese Savings Helped Inflate American Bubble  —  China, some economists say, lulled U.S. consumers and leaders into complacency about their spendthrift ways.

Peace for the Mideast  —  How Our Plan Could Aid Barack Obama's Efforts  —  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President-elect Barack Obama is about to inherit not just a nation entrenched in two wars but a world of instability and an entire Middle East that is sick with discord.

Caroline has stiffed N.Y. Dems for years  —  Caroline Kennedy's supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she's been largely AWOL.  —  This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn …