Burris sought death for innocent man  —  Former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich's pick to replace Barack Obama in the Senate, is no stranger to controversy.  —  Public fury over the governor's alleged misconduct has masked the once lively debate …

Why Israel Is Bombing Gaza  —  When demands are made of Israel to halt its military activities in Gaza, a brief historical reminder is in order.  —  In September 2005, Israel vacated Gaza, dismantled all the settlements in the Gaza Strip and did not leave a shred of a presence there.

AN OCCUPIED NATION AND A THREATENED ONE.  —  This blog is on a light schedule today and tomorrow due to various New Years related program activities, but it's worth quickly responding to Jonathan Chait's post on Israel and Palestine.  Chait makes a common claim, which is that all analysis …

SILVER NOW TAKES SHINE TO CAROLINE  —  Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who last week sharply questioned whether Caroline Kennedy should be appointed to the US Senate, said yesterday he's rethinking his views because he believes Gov. Paterson may soon pick her.

Obama's paparazzi presidency  —  ABC's Jake Tapper predicted this week that Barack Obama will be “the Britney Spears of 2009.”  —  Considering that Obama was deemed by some to be the Britney Spears of 2008, it wasn't much of a leap.  —  But a funny thing happened on the way to the cover of Us Weekly.

First hate mail of 2009  —  Someone told me about your blog today (michellemalkin.com).  I find it hard to believe that someone other than a rich white dude or an old gullible white dude would write the crap that you are.  What's wrong with you?  —  It's an old guy who told me about your site.

Australia: To Bare Or Not To Bare  —  Sydney's Bondy Beach is among a few designated beaches in Australia where top-less bathers are permitted to enjoy the sun, sand and the sea.  In fact such beaches are a major draw for tourists too!!!  But as Australians begin their long summer holidays this year …

At Midnight, U.S. Leaves Republican Palace, Green Zone to Iraqis  —  The walls of the majestic Republican Palace in Baghdad's Green Zone have been stripped bare.  The vaults that secured American cash and classified documents are gone, and the cement blast walls that protected the front entrance were taken down this week.

Aspen bomb suspect killed self after threats; ‘last will’ sent to Times  —  ASPEN — A man who left bomb threats and homemade bombs around Aspen on New Year's Eve shot and killed himself in his car a few hours after his threats cleared much of the resort town, Aspen Police said.

Grief Marks Anniversary of Triumph of Castro  —  HIALEAH, Fla. — Four months after they appeared in the waters between Havana and Miami, the four dead men remain nameless.  At a morgue in the Florida Keys, they lie on stretchers stacked like bunk beds, their bodies chewed by sharks, their faces too putrified to be recognized.

South Carolina Governor Relents on Jobless Funds  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — Just hours before the unemployment benefits fund was to run out in South Carolina, the state with the nation's third-highest jobless rate, Gov. Mark Sanford relented Wednesday and agreed to apply for a $146 million federal loan …