Forgive and Forget?  —  Last Sunday President-elect Barack Obama was asked whether he would seek an investigation of possible crimes by the Bush administration.  “I don't believe that anybody is above the law,” he responded, but “we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards.”

Obama Pledges Reform of Social Security, Medicare Programs  —  President-Elect Says He'll Reshape Social Security, Medicare Programs  —  President-elect Barack Obama pledged yesterday to shape a new Social Security and Medicare “bargain” with the American people, saying …

“Iranian Unit” Destroyed, Hamas was Suprised  —  (IsraelNN.com) The so-called “Iranian Unit” of Hamas has been destroyed, according to Gaza sources cited Thursday by the Haaretz daily.  The sources said most of the unit's 100 members were killed in fighting in the Zeytun neighborhood of Gaza City.

The secret dinner with Obama you haven't heard about  —  At a quiet dinner meeting late last week in Washington's Ronald Reagan Building, President-elect Obama reached out to outside foreign-policy experts, trying to resist the presidential bubble that is rapidly closing around him.

Hudson River hero is ex-Air Force fighter pilot  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The pilot who guided a crippled US Airways jetliner safely into the Hudson River — saving all 155 people aboard — became an instant hero Thursday, with accolades from the mayor and governor and a fan club online.

The real reason Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich  —  Eric Holder is sworn in at his confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill.  —  From beginning to end, the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Eric Holder's nomination as attorney general observed …

Pragmatist-in-Chief  —  PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama came to The Post editorial board yesterday with two messages sketchy on details yet reassuring in approach: a commitment to fiscal discipline, and a determination not to be bound by liberal, or indeed any, orthodoxy.

King: Obama ‘bizarre’ to use ‘Hussein’  —  Apologize?  Not so much.  —  But Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), who last March predicted Al Qaida would be “dancing in the streets” if Barack Obama were elected president, now concedes that the dynamic has merely “shifted” on the terrorist front.

Suspend Your Disbelief  —  How to enjoy an inauguration fully.  —  Washington  —  Flying in, we take the route over the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson, the Tidal Basin: the signs and symbols of the great republic.  And you've seen it all a thousand times but you can't stop looking, and you can't help it, your eyes well.

The Wiretap Vindication  —  FISA sets the record straight.  —  Ever since the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program was exposed in 2005, critics have denounced it as illegal and unconstitutional.  Those allegations rested solely on the fact that the Administration …

Terrorists killed my dad  —  Atty. Gen.-nominee Eric Holder helped pardon terrorists linked to my father's murder in 1975.  —  In 1975, when I had just turned 9, my father was killed by terrorists.  —  He was supposed to be home early on that Jan. 24 for a family celebration of my birthday …

Did Cheney nod off during Bush's farewell address?  »  —  Last night during PBS's coverage of President Bush's farewell address to the nation, for a brief moment, the camera panned to Vice President Cheney, who appeared to momentarily doze off.  But it seems that he quickly caught himself and then sat upright in his chair.

America's Best High Schools  —  A state-by-state look at the best-performing high schools in the U.S. Does your child already go to one?  —  Watch the Video...  Kimberly Lynch, a redhead with freckles, had a keen interest in sunblock.  So much so that she spent the past year developing …

Tom Hanks Says Mormon Supporters of Proposition 8 ‘Un-American’  —  LOS ANGELES —  Tom Hanks Says Mormon Supporters of Prop-8 “Un-American”  —  Tom Hanks, Executive Producer for HBO's controversial polygamist series “Big Love,” made his feelings toward the Mormon Church's involvement …

DON'T BELIEVE YOUR LYING EYES.... Presidents don't have to give televised farewell addresses at the end of their term.  Indeed, George H. W. Bush didn't bother, preferring to let his record speak for itself.  The son would have been wise to follow his father's example.

Wary of Obama's America  —  Rural areas that rejected the president-elect are wary of his urban views  —  BRINKLEY, Ark. - Wayne Loewer's truck reveals a lot about his life.  A 12-gauge shotgun for duck hunting rests on the floorboard.  A blue thermal lunch bag containing elk meat …

Mexico's Instability Is a Real Problem  —  Don't discount the possibility of a failed state next door.  —  Mexico is now in the midst of a vicious drug war.  Police officers are being bribed and, especially near the United States border, gunned down.  Kidnappings and extortion are common place.

Some Ask if Bailout Is Unconstitutional  —  While much of the debate over the $700 billion federal bailout plan has focused on whether the money is being spent wisely or well, concerns are growing among many conservatives about its constitutionality.  —  Some conservatives have argued …

Coleman can keep office until Feb. 4, senators say  —  WASHINGTON - Democratic and Republican leaders agreed Thursday to reopen Norm Coleman's U.S. Senate offices until Feb. 4 to archive and transfer case files on constituent services.  —  The agreement, approved unanimously by the Senate …

Sink not running for Senate  —  Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink is expected to announce today that she's not running for the U.S. Senate, opening the field to a crop of lesser-known contenders.  —  Sink, the only statewide officeholder on the Democratic shortlist, was seen …

Obama Wins 83% Approval Rating for Transition  —  Forty-five percent rate Obama's appointments as above average or outstanding  — USA - Favorability - Government and Politics - Leadership - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President-elect Barack Obama receives …

Volcker: Keep Banks Small Enough to Fail  —  I'd sort of forgotten that Paul Volcker had been tapped by Barack Obama to lead a special advisory panel on the financial crisis.  But now I remember, and it seems a separate Volcker-led group has come up with recommendations for financial system reform: