10 Bush pardons to watch for  —  As the clock ticks down on his presidency, George W. Bush has shown few signs he plans to indulge in the frenzy of last-minute pardons that marked Bill Clinton's final hours in the Oval Office.  —  But Bush could quickly leap back into the spotlight in the next …

Most blacks say MLK's vision fulfilled, poll finds  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — More than two-thirds of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for race relations has been fulfilled, a CNN poll found — a figure up sharply from a survey in early 2008.

Wall Street Voodoo  —  Old-fashioned voodoo economics — the belief in tax-cut magic — has been banished from civilized discourse.  The supply-side cult has shrunk to the point that it contains only cranks, charlatans, and Republicans.  —  But recent news reports suggest that many influential people …

Obama Reaches Out for McCain's Counsel  —  WASHINGTON — Not long after Senator John McCain returned last month from an official trip to Iraq and Pakistan, he received a phone call from President-elect Barack Obama.  —  As contenders for the presidency, the two had hammered each …

CAROLINE THE ‘CERTAIN’ PICK FOR DAVE: RIVALS  —  DESPITE claims that he's still undecided, Gov. Paterson is “certain” to pick Caroline Kennedy to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the US Senate, several unhappy contenders for the job have told friends and associates in recent days.

OBAMA'S READING LIST.... Barack Obama, it is safe to say, likes books more than his predecessor did.  We know that much because he has written a couple of good ones — most notably, the well-received memoir Dreams From My Father, which launched him into the public sphere as a writer …

The Next War President  —  In synagogue on Saturday, before saying the customary prayer for our country, the rabbi asked us to reflect on the fact that a new president would be inaugurated on Tuesday, and urged us to focus a little more intently than usual on the prayer.

INAUGURAL COSTS.... This week, inaugural festivities are a pretty big deal — in D.C., throughout the country, and even around the world — but it appears some news outlets have found a way to find fault with the celebration.  —  The AP, for example, reported, “Unemployment is up.  The stock market is down.

Parsing Gains of Gaza War  —  GAZA — The Parliament building here has been reduced to rubble.  The five-story engineering department of the Islamic University is a pile of folded concrete.  Police stations, mosques and hundreds of homes have been blown away.

Bush making calls to world leaders  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - On the day before leaving office, President George W. Bush talked by phone to a number of world leaders he has worked with during the past eight years.

Murkowski Asks Bush To Pardon Stevens  —  CBS News has confirmed that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has asked President Bush to pardon Ted Stevens, the former Alaska senator from charged with several felony counts by a federal jury in 2008.  —  Murkowski's spokesperson, Mike Brumas spoke …

Likud, Kadima escalate mutual attacks  —  The Likud and Kadima parties intensified their attacks against each other on Sunday after the cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, formally ending Operation Cast Lead and restarting the election campaign.  —  The first polls taken …

36 Hours in Washington, D.C.  —  WASHINGTON is suddenly hip again, infused with the heady double-barreled combination of a new crowd of idealistic young political worker bees, who actually believe they can change the world, and the arrival of America's first black president.

The Scene at the Lincoln Memorial  —  Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather at the Lincoln Memorial today for the “We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration.”  Times reporters are at the event and will regularly update this post throughout the day.