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.

Senate Democrats put off plans to seat Franken  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yielded to Republican threats and agreed on Monday not to immediately seat fellow Democrat Al Franken, whose razor-close victory in Minnesota faces legal challenges.

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 …

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 …

Pelosi's power move leaves House Republicans fuming  —  House Democrats are poised to approve new rules that will significantly increase their authority while taking the bullets out of the few legislative weapons Republicans have in the lower chamber.  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) …

Richardson, Obama Teams Trade Blame  —  Weeks before President-elect Barack Obama chose New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to head the Commerce Department, a small group of volunteers with ethics, tax and investigative expertise — most of them lawyers — scoured his background looking for embarrassing facts or political problems.

Levi Johnston quits oil field job  —  PUBLIC SCRUTINY: Rules say he needs diploma for apprenticeship.  —  wloy@adn.com  —  Levi Johnston, the boyfriend of Gov. Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, has quit his North Slope oil field job over questions about his eligibility to work …

Gov. Gregoire's D.C. Trip Fuels Commerce Speculation  —  Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) canceled a Tuesday lunch appearance with the Associated Press late Monday and two Washington State sources confirmed to The Hill she is in Washington, D.C. The governor's actions over the last 24 hours …

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 …

Senate bid by Jeb Bush iffy, friends say  —  Republican excitement over the prospect of Jeb Bush running for U.S. Senate has given way to increasing speculation that the former governor will stay out of the race.  —  Bush declined to comment for this article but was expected to make an announcement perhaps as early as this week.

Obama names gay man as director of Office of Management and Administration  —  Brad Kiley has been named as the director of the Office of Management and Administration by President-elect Barack Obama.  Kiley, who is openly gay, is currently the director of operations for the Obama-Biden Transition Project …

Obama Pitches Stimulus Plan  —  GOP Asked to Help Design Bill; $300 Billion in Tax Cuts Sought  —  President-elect Barack Obama arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday and immediately set to work reassuring skeptical Republicans about his massive economic stimulus package …

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.

How the U.N. Perpetuates the ‘Refugee’ Problem  —  Nowhere on earth do terrorists get so much help from the Free World.  —  Israel's assault on Hamas is just the latest in a long chain of military clashes, the scripts of which are always the same.  On one side, there is the Israeli army.

Cars launched at synagogue  —  TOULOUSE - ATTACKERS launched two cars packed with petrol bombs at a synagogue in France's south-western city of Toulouse on Monday night, causing damage but no casualties, officials said.  —  One car was set on fire and pushed by the other until it hit the door …

Five Reasons Why India Can't ‘Do A Gaza’ On Pakistan  —  Israel has far fewer restrictions.  —  Over the last week, many Americans (and not a few Indians) have asked me why India does not “do a Gaza” on Pakistan, referring, of course, to an emulation of Israel's punitive use of force …

SUV Sales Surge  —  I guess I'm not all that surprised by a surge in SUV sales now that gas prices have dropped.  Supply and demand, that's how it works—or how it's supposed to work—right?  Still, I didn't think we'd put a hand back on the stove so soon after getting burned.  —  The details: