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 …

Senate recount proceeds as high court seeks more ballot information  —  A statewide review that is adding wrongly rejected absentee ballots to the Senate recount moved toward a conclusion today.  Meanwhile, all were waiting for a decision by the state Supreme Court on a Coleman motion to modify the review procedure

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.

Coloradans react to Bennet pick  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  Coloradans responded to the news Friday that Gov. Bill Ritter (D) had appointed Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet as their new senator with a collective “huh?”

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.