RNC's below-the-belt shot at Pelosi  —  She's the 69-year-old speaker of the House of Representatives, second in the line of succession and the most powerful woman in U.S. history.  —  But when you see Nancy Pelosi, the Republican National Committee wants you to think “Pussy Galore.”

'WE'RE OUT OF MONEY'  —  In a sobering holiday interview with C-SPAN, President Obama boldly told Americans: “We are out of money.”  —  C-SPAN host Steve Scully broke from a meek Washington press corps with probing questions for the new president.  —  SCULLY: You know the numbers …

U.S. Relies More on Allies in Questioning Terror Suspects  —  WASHINGTON — The United States is now relying heavily on foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain all but the highest-level terrorist suspects seized outside the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan …

Some Obama Enemies Are Made Totally of Straw  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats often complained about President George W. Bush's frequent use of a rhetorical device as old as rhetoric itself: creating the illusion of refuting an opponent's argument by mischaracterizing it and then knocking down that mischaracterization.

In TV Appearance, Powell Plans To Answer Right-Wing Critics  —  Under intense fire from the right, former secretary of state Colin L. Powell is preparing to answer his Republican critics this weekend in a television appearance that is likely to add fuel to his long-standing feud with top conservatives in his party.

China bridge jumper pushed over the edge by passer-by  —  A man threatening to commit suicide by jumping from a Chinese bridge was approached by a passer-by who shoved him over the edge, local media say.  —  Lai Jiansheng, 66, said he was fed up with the desperate man's “selfish activity” …

Candidate lockout  —  Crist's backing by national GOP is a disservice  —  For a generation, one of the defining tenets of the Republican Party has been that Washington should interfere as little as possible in local affairs.  —  The idea that government closest to the people knows what's best …

Talk About Buried Ledes  —  The Washington Post runs a “recollections differ” sort of story on the CIA interrogation briefings.  But eighteen graphs down is this nugget: … Well, that seems awful important, doesn't it?  We have not just one but two witnesses saying that of course …

More on Google, Craigslist, and who's killing newspapers  —  A few hours ago I mentioned that a friend from Google had tipped me to a new Pew study showing how big a hole Craigslist (and similar services) had blown in the classified-ad portion of newspaper revenue.

AN ALTERNATIVE MOTIVATION.... So, why has Dick Cheney been so desperate to hit the airwaves as part of his crusade against the White House?  Explanations differ, but his desire to sell a memoir to publishers might have at least something to do with his efforts.