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.

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 …

RNC candidate distributes controversial Obama song  —  RNC candidate Chip Saltsman's Christmas greeting to committee members includes a music CD with lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro,” first played on Rush Limbaugh's popular radio show.  —  Saltsman, a personal friend …

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 …

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.”

Pakistan Moves Forces as Tensions With India Rise  —  ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is moving some troops away from its western border with Afghanistan, where the United States has pressed it to combat Taliban militants, and stopping many soldiers from going on leave amid rising tensions with India, senior Pakistani officials said Friday.

Blagojevich Attorney Asks Illinois Panel to Subpoena Emanuel and Others  —  An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including President-elect Barack Obama's incoming chief of staff.

Bush Is a Book Lover  —  A glimpse of what the president has been reading.  —  With only five days left, my lead is insurmountable.  The competition can't catch up.  And for the third year in a row, I'll triumph.  In second place will be the president of the United States.

Calendar offers chance to spend 2009 with Sarah Palin  —  We're NOT “your friends”!!!  —  This is just wrong, so wrong.  I do hope she runs again.  She's one of the best things the Dems have going for them, except GWB!  —  Carol  —  December 26th, 2008 11:13 am ET  —  I got one for Christmas and I LOVE IT!

Trooper Says Election Delayed Alaska Drug Case  —  WASILLA, Alaska — The mother of Bristol Palin's boyfriend sent text messages discussing drug transactions less than a month after the young woman's mother, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, was nominated as the Republican vice presidential candidate …

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 …

Kennedy Tells AP She'll Have to Work Twice as Hard  —  Kennedy tells AP she'll have to work harder than anyone else if she's picked as NY senator  —  Caroline Kennedy told The Associated Press in an interview Friday that she knows she will have to work twice as hard as others if she is picked for the U.S. Senate.

Jeb Bush poised for Florida Senate run  —  As Caroline Kennedy pursues her bright-lights, big-city bid for the U.S. Senate, another child of dynasty is quietly testing the waters for his own Senate run.  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - the son of one president and the brother of another …

California Crisis May Crunch $3.8 Billion of Jobs in Slowdown  —  A A A  —  Dec. 24 (Bloomberg) — Just $5 million of work is needed to complete a new California Court of Appeals building in Santa Ana.  The state may not have the money, and come July judges may be writing opinions in their living rooms.

Naked man fights Harris deputies; dies after Taser shocks  —  A naked man who was banging on doors and windows at a northside apartment complex died Wednesday after being shocked by Tasers at least three times during a confrontation with Harris County sheriff's deputies, authorities said.

Chinese Savings Helped Inflate American Bubble  —  “Usually it's the rich country lending to the poor.  This time, it's the poor country lending to the rich.”  —  WASHINGTON — In March 2005, a low-key Princeton economist who had become a Federal Reserve governor coined a novel theory …

Agencies' report warns of faster climate change  —  Reporting from Washington — The United States faces the possibility of much more rapid climate change by the end of the century than previous studies have suggested, according to a report led by the U.S. Geological Survey.