REALLY A MYSTERY  —  From an observer up on the Hill ...  And from a career intel professional ...  I used to do a lot of intelligence reporting.  But I haven't really done any to speak of in a few years.  So I'm coming at this cold.  But I feel instinctively suspicious of the congressional reaction to this appointment.

NBC BANS COULTER FOR LIFE; CUT FROM ‘TODAY’ SHOW OVER BOOK'S CLAIMS, NO MORE CABLE  —  The nation's top selling conservative author has been banned from appearing on NBC, insiders tell the DRUDGE REPORT.  —  Banned for life!  —  “We are just not going to have her on any more, it's over,” a top network source explains.

Reid: Coleman will “never ever serve”  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered the toughest language he has ever used in arguing that Norm Coleman's career in the Senate is finished.  —  “Norm Coleman will never ever serve [again] in the Senate,” Reid told Politico's Manu Raju.  “He lost the election.

Zahar Claims Victory, Calls to Kill Jewish Children  —  (IsraelNN.com) Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Az-Zahar claimed victory for Hamas on Monday, saying Hamas had succeeded in “destroying Israel's sense of security” with its rocket attacks.  Zahar made his proclamation in video footage sent from a secret hideout …

SHOCK POLL: Kennedy Trailing Cuomo Huge  —  Public Policy Polling Shows Princess Of Camelot Losing Grip On New Yorkers, Falls Behind 20 Points Among Dems  —  Caroline Kennedy appears to be losing momentum in her bid for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat.  —  A new survey conducted …

Steele, Blackwell take limelight at RNC forum  —  Members to vote for new chairman  —  Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, an accomplished speaker, and former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, not well known for dazzling performances, each repeatedly drew sustained applause …

Biden on economy: 'We're at war'  —  Vice-president-elect Joe Biden likened the country's economic crisis to the attacks of 9/11 Monday in a private meeting on Capitol Hill.  —  “We're at war,” Biden told congressional leaders of both parties during their sit-down with Barack Obama in the Capitol …

Iran's Postmodern Beast in Gaza  —  Israel has just embarked on a land invasion of the Gaza Strip after a week of aerial bombing.  Gaza is bordered by Egypt, and was under Egyptian military control from 1949 through 1967.  And yet in a startling rebuke to geography and recent history …

What is with CNN ?  KEEPING THEM (CNN) honest: guess what CNN did!  CNN put Gov Sarah Palin in same category as John Edwards, Elliott Spitzer, Gov Blago and more!!  —  Wait until you read this one about CNN!! (and yes, I will continue to defend women who are gratuitously insulted!  I hope you will, too.

Ex-Detainee of U.S. Describes a 6-Year Ordeal  —  LAHORE, Pakistan — When Muhammad Saad Iqbal arrived home here in August after more than six years in American custody, including five at the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he had difficulty walking, his left ear was severely infected …

Like a Virgin: The Press Take On Teenage Sex  —  Yes, attitudes do make a difference in behavior.  —  The chain reaction was something out of central casting.  A medical journal starts it off by announcing a study comparing teens who take a pledge of virginity until marriage with those who don't.

In an increasingly wired China, rehab for Internet addicts  —  A Beijing treatment center for Web-addicted youths includes counseling, group games like laser tag, and physical exercise.  —  BEIJING -  —  A 6 a.m. wake-up call.  Afternoon drills in military bearing and formations.

REMEMBER LINCOLN?  —  Dave Weigel, now happily ensconced at the Washington Independent, is liveblogging the RNC chairman debate: … It's really weird that Republican candidates for high office almost never named Abraham Lincoln as their favorite Republican president.  He was, after all, a Republican.

Laura Bush to write her life story  —  Laura Bush has signed with Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, to write her memoirs for publication in the spring of 2010.  —  The first lady plans to write about her experiences in the White House and Texas governor's mansion …