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.

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.

The Governor Strikes Back: Five New Quotes from Sarah Palin  —  Last week, the former vice-presidential candidate lashed out at the media's coverage of her campaign.  In a brand-new “What I've Learned” interview with Esquire, excerpted here in advance of the March issue, Palin goes even further.

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 …

Arne Duncan inspires Republican lovefest  —  Arne Duncan's confirmation hearing to be the incoming Obama Administration's Education Secretary could have easily been confused for a lovefest.  Or the peaceable kingdom with the lion laying down with the lamb.  —  Because the atmosphere …

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.

Does “Black Hawk Down” Portray an American War Crime?  —  At least nine hundred people, maybe half of them civilians, have been killed in Gaza so far, the overwhelming majority presumably killed by Israel (some people, more than we probably know right now, have been killed by Hamas, mainly Fatah activists in revenge killings).

UK: BLOOD LIBEL HORROR: JEWS EATING DEAD BABIES  —  This is horrible.  I ask men of reason, civilized men to see what is happening.  Look at what is happening.  We are on a terrible course, a collision course of the worst order.  This is beyond the pale.  And the media is ignoring it.

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.

Mike Huckabee: The Laughing Man  —  It's funny, the nicest guy in a political party of not-very-nice guys is also its most unbending cultural samurai.  —  Early on in the 2008 presidential race, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee received the endorsement of conservative pundit Stephen Baldwin.

44 to reverse 43's executive orders  —  President-elect Barack Obama is expected to move swiftly to reverse executive orders regarding torture of terror suspects, the military prison at Guantanamo Bay and other controversial security policies, sources close to his transition said …

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.

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.

Obama taps Corr for HHS deputy  —  President-elect Barack Obama has tapped Bill Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, to be deputy secretary of health and human services.  —  Corr, one of the leaders of Obama's HHS transition team, was an anti-tobacco lobbyist …

The First 2012 GOP Cattle Call....  It's at CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference, held from Feb. 26-28 in Washington, D.C.  —  Attending: Gov. Sarah Palin, Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Mike Pence, Ex-Rep. Newt Gingrich, Gov. Bobby Jindal (who's ruled out a 2012 run) and others...

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 …