Bush Refuses To Interrupt His Final Vacation As Middle East Crisis Escalates  —  In an effort to “prevent Palestinians from attacking towns in southern Israel” with rockets, Israel today undertook its third day of offensive military airstrikes in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, raising the death toll to more than 300.

Bristol Palin Welcomes a Son  —  Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin  —  Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Sunday to a healthy 7 lb., 4 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska.  —  “We think it's wonderful,” …

McConnell Puts the Brakes on Stimulus Plan  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voiced skepticism today about the emerging economic stimulus plan, applying a brake to Democratic plans to quickly pass up to $850 billion in spending and tax cuts soon after President-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration.

Gag-worthy: Bipartisan indignance over “Barack the Magic Negro” parody  —  Oh, give me a super-sized break.  —  Leftie '60s leftover/songwriter Peter Yarrow at the Huffington Post fumes over the “Barack the Magic Negro” parody that has RNC candidate Chip Saltsman in hot water.

CAROLINE'S CRIB  —  SEN. HOPEFUL'S $50M SPREAD  —  Forget Chappaqua.  —  This amazing Martha's Vineyard spread will be the next home-away-from-the-Beltway for New York's junior senator if Caroline Kennedy is tapped to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton.  —  The 366-acre estate …

Coleman, Franken differ on rejected ballots  —  The U.S. Senate recount stalled today as campaign lawyers publicly bickered over the disputed absentee ballots.  —  With a Minnesota Supreme Court-imposed deadline approaching and the sniping among lawyers increasing, the U.S. Senate recount stalled today …

For Kurdish Girls, a Painful Ancient Ritual  —  The Widespread Practice of Female Circumcision in Iraq's North Highlights The Plight of Women in a Region Often Seen as More Socially Progressive  —  Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile …

Bush Apologetics 09-11-01  —  A bit about my history with the outgoing Bush Administration: I volunteered, worked as a paid advance staffer, and served in two transition teams for President George W. Bush from June of 1999 through the summer of 2002.  I worked for him because I believed in his message of …

STATEMENT FROM MIKE HUCKABEE  —  Hello Team Huck PAC-  —  Chip should have been more careful in his selection of Christmas gifts, but no one who knows him would ever suggest that he in any way would purposely disparage other people.  Chip knows how sensitive such issues are.

As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.  —  In Moscow, Igor Panarin's Forecasts Are All the Rage; America ‘Disintegrates’ in 2010  —  MOSCOW — For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010.