Umm, Actually  —  So Greg Sargent is leaving TPM and starting up a new blog venture at the Washington Post.  This has the usual suspects up in arms at Red State: … Actually...  I wonder where the Washington Post hired him from?  Had to be some pinko commie left-wing rag …

Cornyn promises filibuster on Franken seating  —  Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) threatened Friday to filibuster any attempt to seat Democratic Minnesota Senate candidate Al Franken next week.  —  The newly minted National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman said he had not whipped votes …

Sources: Bennet will be Colorado's new senator  —  Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet is expected to be named Saturday as the future U.S. Senate replacement for Interior Secretary nominee Ken Salazar, according to two Democratic sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Israel set to begin ground war against Hamas in Gaza  —  James Hider on the Gaza border, and Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem  —  Israel is poised to launch a major ground offensive into Gaza tonight after allowing hundreds of foreigners living in the devastated territory to evacuate.

Blagojevich pick to be given few privileges  —  Roland Burris plans to be on Capitol Hill Tuesday  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders plan to grant few if any privileges next week to Roland Burris, the man picked by Gov. Rod Blagojevich to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate …

Palin is odds-on favorite to win 2012 GOP nomination  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the front-runner to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, according to online oddsmakers.  —  Despite a slew of negative press this fall about Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) running mate …

Muslim attacks Jewish counter protester in DC (UPDATED)  —  ANSWER and the Muslim American Society were at it again today in DC, this time in front of the Israeli Embassy.  Of, course, you know I couldn't resist going.  Yep Brian Becker, the ANSWER national coordinator was there again calling …

Obama and Education Reform  —  Of course I would have loved to have seen Linda Darling-Hammond become Secretary of Education in an Obama administration.  She's smart, honest, compassionate and courageous, and perhaps most striking, she actually knows schools and classrooms, curriculum and teaching, kids and child development.

The Senate Goes Wobbly on Card Check  —  It's hard to defend taking away the secret ballot.  —  Responsibility has a way of focusing the mind.  —  Take Mark Pryor, Democratic senator from Arkansas.  In 2007, Mr. Pryor voted to move card check, Big Labor's No. 1 priority.  And why not?

SEC Said to Examine More Ponzi Schemes After Madoff  —  A A A  —  Jan. 2 (Bloomberg) — U.S. regulators working to untangle Bernard Madoff's alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme are probing other money managers suspected of using similar tactics, two people with knowledge of the inquiries said.

The Doomsayers Who Got It Right  —  More Bad News in Store for 2009?  Last Year's Cassandras Are Still Gloomy  —  For years, they were the party poopers: financial prognosticators who, amid the ebullient stock prices and effervescent home values that defined the early 21st century, warned of trouble.

Obama: Don't Ask Me No Questions  —  Just for fun, a brief year in review of Obama's legendary new openness and transparency with the press corps:

House Rules Package Could Curb Minority's Power, End Term Limits for Chairmen  —  An early partisan skirmish is likely in the House next week, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to move a rules package that would curb the GOP's ability to derail legislation through a parliamentary maneuver it has used over the past two years.

Conservatives Can Unite Around the Constitution  —  The coalition that supported Reagan is as viable as ever.  —  After their dismal performance in November, conservatives are taking stock.  As they debate the causes that have driven them into the political wilderness and as they contemplate paths out, they should also take heart.

U.S. governors seek $1 trillion federal assistance  —  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Governors of five U.S. states urged the federal government to provide $1 trillion in aid to the country's 50 states to help pay for education, welfare and infrastructure as states struggle with steep budget deficits amid a deepening recession.