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.

Palin: Obama Wrong on Israeli, Afghan Policy  —  Former Alaska Gov. Tells Barbara Walters President Obama ‘Dithering Around’ on U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, Has It ‘Backassward’ on Economy  —  In an interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, Sarah Palin, the former GOP vice presidential candidate …

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 …

Chance of Great Depression Now 5%...  For 2 1/4 years now I have been saying that there is no chance of a repeat of the Great Depression or anything like it—that we know what to do and how to do it and will do it if things turn south.  —  I don't think I can say that anymore.

Holder: Don't fear trial of ‘coward’ 9/11 plotter  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Eric Holder is defending his decision to put the professed Sept. 11 mastermind on trial in New York — and urging critics of the plan not to cower in the face of terrorists.

Rush Interviews Governor Sarah Palin  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: We are going to open this hour with a rare personal interview, a rare guest.  It doesn't happen much on this program, but we are happy to have with us former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, whose book, Going Rogue …

Reid calls Dem caucus meeting  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will present the health care reform bill to Democratic senators at a special caucus meeting scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday, his spokesman said Tuesday night.  —  Notice of the meeting went out to Democratic Senate …

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.

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) …

Police Officer Uses Taser On 10-Year-Old Girl  —  OZARK, Ark. — Ozark police said they were called to a home where a mother asked for help with her unruly child, but the 10-year-old's father said he's outraged at the force police used against his daughter.  —  “I would like to say Ozark police Tased this little girl right here.

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 …

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.

Ambivalence is a Bad Organizing Tactic  —  A good Jeffrey Toobin article about the Stupak Amendment ends with the observation that a lot of recent trends in abortion-related messaging have arguably left the pro-choice side disarmed to fight these skirmishes:

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 …

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.

Feds to women in their 40s: Skip the mammogram; Update: Meet the task force  —  What a difference six months — and a health-care overhaul proposal — can make!  Just six months ago, the U.S Preventive Services Task Force, which works within the Department of Health and Human Services as a …