AP: Clinton acted on concerns of husband's donors  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State appointee Hillary Rodham Clinton intervened at least six times in government issues directly affecting companies and others that later contributed to her husband's foundation, an Associated Press review of her official correspondence found.

Criticisms, political pressure and Barack Obama  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  Barack Obama's announced intentions on ABC News this Sunday regarding Guantanamo sparked substantial objections from civil liberties and human rights advocates.  The result of those objections?  From today's New York Times:

Olmert Says He Made Rice Change Vote  —  WASHINGTON — In an unusually public rebuke, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel said Monday that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been forced to abstain from a United Nations resolution on Gaza that she helped draft, after Mr. Olmert placed a phone call to President Bush.

Meghan McCain Sits Down With MMC To Talk Blogs, Bikers, Politics & Why She Only Takes Off Her High Heels To Swim  —  Meghan McCain is an American blogger and daughter of the 2008 Republican nominee for President, John McCain.  —  Most recently, Ms. McCain spent almost two years …

For Senate GOP, 2010 Losses on Top Of the 2008 Losses  —  Voinovich Is Latest to Say He'll Resign  —  A spate of retirement announcements by Senate Republicans this year have further complicated attempts by GOP strategists to begin rebuilding a party devastated by across-the-board losses in recent elections.

Who Is Roland Burris?  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has climbed down from his initial refusal to allow the seating of Roland Burris to succeed President-elect Barack Obama as the junior senator from Illionis.  —  Burris was appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich despite warnings …

Obama Shelves Jobs-Credit Proposal  —  Democrats Said $3,000 Tax Incentive Could Be Abused by Businesses  —  Bowing to widespread Democratic skepticism, President-elect Barack Obama will drop his bid to include a business tax break he once touted in the economic stimulus bill now taking shape on Capitol Hill, aides said last night.

DOJ IG TAKES DOWN SCHLOZMAN  —  The long-awaited inspector general report on the politicization of the Bush DOJ Civil Rights Division has been released, and our old friend Bradley Schlozman is firmly in the cross-hairs: … Interestingly, the report is dated July 2, 2008, but was only released today.

Governor dishes on Caroline  —  ALBANY - Gov. Paterson said Caroline Kennedy “impressed” him in her interview for the U.S. Senate seat, but he's not ready to declare the front-runner just yet.  —  In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Paterson said he has interviewed 15 people …

Where Some See Mistakes, He Sees Disappointments  —  “This is the ultimate exit interview,” President Bush told the White House press corps yesterday as he faced it for a final time in the briefing room.  —  And the interviewee had come with well-rehearsed lines for any question his interviewers could devise.

Top Officer Urges Limit on Mission of Military  —  WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that senior officers must work to prevent the militarization of American foreign policy, and he urged generals and admirals to tell civilian leaders when they believed …

Michael Moore Lawsuit  —  Due to many meetings and holiday travel, I am still working on pieces about the incredible U.S. soldiers who took me on some dangerous missions in December.  Also, my trip with Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, harvested important information.

O TO ARRIVE IN A ‘LINCOLN’  —  INAUGURAL THEMES WILL HARKEN BACK TO GREAT EMANCIPATOR  —  They're going to party like it's 1861!  —  In what will be a Lincoln-themed inauguration from top to bottom, Obama won't only follow in the footsteps of the former president - he'll also eat like him, it was announced yesterday.

Weighing Reach of Law in Appeals for Clemency  —  WASHINGTON — In an unusually testy argument, the Supreme Court on Monday tried to make sense of a federal law that provides lawyers to poor inmates on state death rows when their cases move to federal court.

The Power Of Brand-Old Message Art  —  At a time when capitalism seems to be foundering on the rocks of risk, greed and general grumpiness, the image of Barack Obama has become a sterling brand, a reliable, iterable, trust-inspiring label slapped on our big box of collective anxiety.