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.

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 …

GOP reaction divided over ‘Magic Negro’ song  —  (CNN) — Republican Party reaction is divided over the decision of a candidate for party chairman to distribute a CD that features the parody tune “Barack the Magic Negro,” with the majority of Chip Saltsman's political rivals criticizing the move.

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.

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 …

‘Death to All Juice’  —  A classic picture of numb-skulled hatred from the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Manhattan yesterday.  (Larger image here.)  —  (Hat tips: NoSubmission and zombie.)  —  237  —  Cicero05 ::  4 seconds ago

The “Juicebox Mafia” On Gaza  —  I pity them their hatred of their inheritance.  Actually of both their inheritances, Jewish and American.  They are pip-squeaks, and I do not much read them.  But when any one of them writes a real doozey it is likely to come to my attention.

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 …

Farewell to All That: An Oral History of the Bush White House  —  The threat of 9/11 ignored.  The threat of Iraq hyped and manipulated.  Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib.  Hurricane Katrina.  The shredding of civil liberties.  The rise of Iran.  Global warming.  Economic disaster.