Burris denied entry to Senate  —  (CNN) — Roland Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers on Tuesday as he tried to claim the seat once held by President-elect Barack Obama.  —  Burris said the secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, and therefore he would not be allowed access to the floor.

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.

40 Palestinians killed in IDF strike on UN school  —  Israel Defense Forces tank fire killed up to 40 Palestinians at a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medical sources at two hospitals said.  —  The attack brought the Palestinian death toll to nearly 600 in Israel's 11 …

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 …

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.) …

Doing It With Twitter  —  Incumbent RNC Chairman Mike Duncan tries to hold onto his job and explain the future of conservatism: … Not only is this, as Steve Benen says, weirdly inadequate to the size of the conservative predicament, it just doesn't make any sense.  I love Twitter.

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 …

Latinos push Obama on vacant post  —  READ  —  After the withdrawal of Bill Richardson's name as an Obama administration Cabinet nominee, Hispanic leaders say they expect the president-elect to name another Latino to head the Commerce Department.  —  An Obama transition team source …

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.

The Obama stimulus package should be spent on transformative investments, not bridges and buildings.  —  The incoming Obama administration and Congress are planning a huge fiscal stimulus package.  They hope that such a stimulus will catalyze an economic turnaround and be a cornerstone of a “New New Deal.”

The Man in the Middle  —  Buzzzzzz.  THE CELL PHONE rings again and Chuck Schumer flips it open.  “I figured it out,” he says without preamble.  “George Washington.  If George Washington got indicted, you wouldn't pounce on the guy—you'd say he served honorably and now it's time for Alaskans to move on.”

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.

A Conflict Hamas Caused  —  Nearly a year ago, I was in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, where, on almost any day, you could see the current war coming.  “The next Middle East war may start over Sderot,” I wrote back then.  I came by my prescience the hard way — in a bomb shelter.

It's Up to You New York, New York  —  With the headlines, and the Bagger's bank account, painting a dreary picture of 2009, it was nice to be someplace, specifically Strata restaurant in Chelsea, where abundance was still in, um, abundance.  At the 74th annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards …

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 …

Why Does The New York Times Love Hamas?  —  Why Does The New York Times Love Hamas? by Steve Emerson  —  Blogs and Stories  —  The paper of record refuses to call them terrorists, extols the groups' humanitarian efforts, and whitewashes its behavior during the now-broken ceasefire.

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 …