Newsweek should worry more about how to solve its problem with sexism  —  There are a lot of legitimate reasons to criticize Sarah Palin, her new book, and her policies, but you don't have to stoop to sexism to do it.  Newsweek's November 23 issue, however, does just that by publishing …

Obama on terror trials: KSM will die  —  Americans who are troubled by the decision to send alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York for trial will feel better about it when he's put to death, President Barack Obama said Tuesday.  —  During a round of network television …

3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic health care proposal clear even the most preliminary hurdle: gaining the 60 votes his party's leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week.

John McCain: The Reason For All Of This  —  Richard Coen convenes a meeting: … The WSJ and TWS have long ago lost any intellectual credibility.  They use sophism to maintain power.  Their cynicism and/or denial mechanisms are deeper than most mortals can imagine.

National Debt Now Tops $12 Trillion  —  Posted by Mark Knoller It's another record-high for the U.S. National Debt which today topped the $12-trillion mark.  Divided evenly among the U.S. population, it amounts to $38,974.34 for every man, woman and child.  —  Technically, the debt hit …

$500 Million and Apology From Goldman  —  How much good will can an apology — and half a billion dollars — buy?  A lot, Goldman Sachs is hoping.  —  After first staunchly defending its outsize profits and pay, and then bristling at calls for restraint in these tough economic times …

Obama Says He Is Close to Afghan War Decision  —  BEIJING — President Obama said Wednesday he is “very close to a decision” on a troop increase for the war in Afghanistan, and will make his case to the American people for his Afghan strategy in the next “several weeks.”

Obama: I'd Fire Afghan Decision Leakers  —  Also Tells Chip Reid Afghan Decision Still Weeks Off; Speaks About Sarah Palin, and Toll Office Taking on Him … Reid reports the president said it's still several weeks before he makes a decision on how many more troops to send to Afghanistan.

Palin on Nidal Hasan: “Profile Away”  —  I spoke to Governor Palin by phone this afternoon.  Lots of interesting material, but to me the most interesting takeaways were the following:  —  1) I asked about Palin's upcoming visit to Ft. Hood.  “We had planned on that before the tragedy struck,” she said.

Health ‘Reform’ Gets a Failing Grade  —  The changes proposed by Congress will require more draconian measures down the road.  Just look at Massachusetts.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-reform debate.

Go Jodi Go!  Times' Kantor Scores Seven Figures From Little, Brown For Obama Book  —  New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor has secured a stunning seven-figure book deal this week with Little, Brown to write a volume on the Obamas.  —  The deal was the result of a heated citywide auction …

Obama Approval Dips Below 50% For First Time, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan Drops Below 50%  —  President Barack Obama's job approval rating is 48 - 42 percent, the first time he has slipped below the 50 percent threshold nationally …

Crist To Engage Rubio  —  Buffeted by weeks of negative press and a newly threatening rival from the right, FL Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) campaign will step up direct engagements with his opponent, insiders tell OnCall.  —  Crist will attack former FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) …

How Hitler's Nazi propaganda machine tried to take Christ out of Christmas  —  Nazi Germany celebrated Christmas without Christ with the help of swastika tree baubles, ‘Germanic’ cookies and a host of manufactured traditions, a new exhibition has shown.  —  The way the celebration …

Army Data Show Constraints on Troop Increase Potential  —  Escalation in Afghanistan Could Leave Few Brigades in Reserve  —  If President Obama orders an additional 30,000 to 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, he will be deploying practically every available U.S. Army brigade to war …

The Real Intelligence Wars: Oversight And Access  —  For months, the CIA director, Leon Panetta, and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Adm. Dennis Blair (ret.), fought an intense and acrimonious turf battle over covert action oversight and access to White House officials.

Audit The Fed Effort Under Threat In House  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A bipartisan effort to force transparency on the Federal Reserve is suddenly in jeopardy after a House Financial Services Committee member introduced an amendment that would let the multi-trillion dollar organization …

Philadelphia Gives Homeowners a Way to Stay Put  —  PHILADELPHIA — Christopher Hall stepped tentatively through the entranceway of City Hall Courtroom 676 and took his place among dozens of others confronting foreclosure purgatory.  His hopes all but extinguished, he fully expected the morning …

Innumerate Al — By: John Derbyshire  —  Al Gore on Conan O'Brien's show the other day: … [Me] The geothermal gradient is usually quoted as 25-50 degrees Celsius per mile of depth in normal terrain (not, e.g., in the crater of Kilauea).  Two kilometers down, therefore …

CNN Poll: Does the GOP want ideologically pure candidates?  —  Washington (CNN) - A new national poll suggests that the Democrats may be the party of pragmatism and Republicans may be the party of ideological purity.  —  The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey's release on Tuesday comes …

Sarah Palin Answers PEOPLE Readers' Questions  —  You know the episodes of 30 Rock in which Liz Lemon, played by wicked Sarah-Palin impersonator Tina Fey, decides whether women's boyfriend troubles are deal-breakers?  “Yes!  I saw that the other day.  It was hilarious,” says none other than Palin herself.