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.”

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.

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.

Rescue of Banks Hints at Nationalization  —  WASHINGTON — Last fall, as Federal Reserve and Treasury Department officials rode to the rescue of one financial institution after another, they took great pains to avoid doing anything that smacked of nationalizing banks.  —  They may no longer have that luxury.

In case you were wondering, about that airplane in the Hudson  —  Yes, it is right to view the pilot, CB Sullenberger, as a hero for the mental composure and technical skill he showed after he (reportedly) lost power in both engines.  * Plus to celebrate the combination of luck and teamwork …

Federal tax dollars are going to clowns... literally.  CLOWNS.  —  Yes, literally clowns.  And not just just any clowns.  Clowns who teach middle schoolers sex education!  —  The good folks at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland were kind enough to send this info to me touting the work …

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 …

It's over: Bush staffers make exits  —  The president will be the president until 12 noon Tuesday, but most of his employees will be gone by the close of business Friday.  —  They'll turn in their BlackBerrys, laptops, building passes and gym keys.  —  And by the time the weekend is out …

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.

Dawson pledges to becomes Obama's and Democrats' ‘worst nightmare’  —  For all the talk of a new era of cooperation in Washington, candidates for chairman of the RNC — the ultimate partisan job, after all — are having none of it.  —  In this new video, South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson …

This Miracle Brought to You by America's Unions  —  They're calling it a miracle—the successful landing of a US Airways jet in the Hudson and subsequent rescue of all 155 passengers.  They're detailing the heroism of all involved, starting with the pilot and including cabin crew, ferry crews, and first responders.

Praise Heaped on Veteran Airman for Pulling Off Rare Feat  —  The pilots of US Airways Flight 1549 achieved one of the rarest and most technically challenging feats in commercial aviation: landing on water without fatalities.  —  Although commercial jetliners are equipped with life vests …

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 …

Report Finds Major U.S. Companies Have Offshore Tax Havens  —  A majority of America's largest publicly traded companies and the U.S. government's largest federal contractors — including some receiving millions in federal bailout money — use multiple subsidiaries in offshore tax havens …

Pepsi chief guest at Obama foreign policy dinner  —  Indian-born and educated Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi was a guest at a small dinner last Thursday with Barack Obama and a handful of foreign policy experts and top aides, a source said.  —  Laura Rozen reported last night on the dinner with experts specializing in Iran and South Asia.

Video shows proof of phosphorus bombs in Gaza  —  Video showing injuries consistent with the use of white phosphorus shells has been filmed inside hospitals treating Palestinian wounded in Gaza City.  —  Contact with the shell remnants causes severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone …

Sources: Obama ready to end harsh interrogations  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to prohibit the use of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques by ordering the CIA to follow military rules …

Fresh Clues of Iranian Nuclear Intrigue  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. security and law-enforcement officials say they have fresh evidence of recent efforts by Iran to evade sanctions and acquire metals from China used in high-tech weaponry, including long-range nuclear missiles.

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.

Why Two Bush Appointees Are Refusing to Leave  —  The Mess Condi Left for Hillary by Mort Zuckerman  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Two U.S. attorneys appointed by Dubya are refusing to leave the Justice Department when Obama takes office.  Their explanation: they've got too many corrupt Democrats to prosecute!

An Economy of Faith and Trust  —  Once there was just Newtonian physics and the world seemed neat and mechanical.  Then quantum physics came along and revealed that deep down things are much weirder than they seem.  Something similar is now happening with public policy.

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.

Axelrod Gives Up Ownership Stake in Consulting Firm  —  By selling his stake in the consulting firm he founded, Obama senior adviser is signaling a shift from campaign politics to the politics of governing.  (REUTERS/Jason Reed)  —  David Axelrod, perhaps the most trusted member …

Americans, Feeling the Love  —  With Obama's Election, Expatriates Say, There's a New Attitude Abroad.  Instead of Challenges on Iraq and WMDs, They're Met With Hugs and Good Wishes.  —  As Micha Wyatt plans an inaugural bash at the Chicago Rib Shack in London, she is basking in the new warmth toward Americans overseas.