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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

More Joining U.S. Military as Jobs Dwindle  —  As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.  —  The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting …

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.

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.

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 …

Pitts: Lincoln might not have welcomed Obama's election  —  Hear Leonard Pitts on Lincoln.  —  On Tuesday, Barack Obama will stand on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and take an oath making him the nation's first president of African heritage.  —  The statue of Abraham Lincoln …

Exclusive: Aides map first 100 hours  —  Vans will be poised at the Capitol to take a few top aides of Barack Obama's to their new offices at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as soon as he is sworn in, transition aides told Politico.  —  About 20 senior officials have had their paperwork cleared to enter the White House complex on Tuesday.

The Grain  —  Via Felix Salmon, Joe Nocera rejects nationalization of irredeemably troubled banks because it “cuts against the American grain — and leaves shareholders with nothing.”  —  Like Salmon, I don't find that convincing at all.  It arguably does cut against the American grain, but that's not reason to reject the option.

Rulings of Improper Detentions as the Bush Era Closes  —  For nearly six years, Haji Bismullah, an Afghan detainee at Guantánamo Bay, has insisted that he was no terrorist, but had actually fought the Taliban and had later been part of the pro-American Afghan government.

2009 Senate Democrats Preview  —  Obama-time is still two days away, but the legislative branch is already hard at work.  For Democrats, the Senate has always been their special preserve.  They are masters of the filibuster, keepers of the Senatorial privilege, and firm adherents to the iron law of seniority.