Exclusive: Medicare buy-in attracting interest in the public option negotiations  —  Sources who have been briefed on the negotiations say that Medicare buy-in is attracting the most interest.  Expanding Medicaid is running into more problems, though there's some appeal because …

Obama administration will formally declare danger of carbon emissions  —  The Obama administration will formally declare Monday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that lays the groundwork for an economy-wide carbon cap …

Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot  —  Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican.  —  In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote.

Unhelpful Hansen  —  James Hansen is a great climate scientist.  He was the first to warn about the climate crisis; I take what he says about coal, in particular, very seriously.  —  Unfortunately, while I defer to him on all matters climate, today's op-ed article suggests …

NPR reporter pressured over Fox role  —  Executives at National Public Radio recently asked the network's top political correspondent, Mara Liasson, to reconsider her regular appearances on Fox News because of what they perceived as the network's political bias, two sources familiar with the effort said.

ACORN review: No illegality  —  An outside review of the beleaguered community group ACORN has found “serious management challenges,” but no pattern of illegal activity.  —  The review, commissioned by ACORN in the wake of a hidden video expose that showed a few of its employees appearing …

Santorum: ‘Absolutely Taking a Look’ at Running in '12; Palin Will ‘Have to Do Some Explaining if She Runs’  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Former Sen. Rick Santorum has some more political travel on tap this week, with a trip scheduled for South Carolina to follow recent visits to Iowa …

In Polls, Much Opposition to Health Care Plan Is From Left  —  Don't know why I didn't catch this earlier, but it strikes me as fairly important.  —  Ipsos/McClatchy put out a health care poll two weeks ago.  The topline results were nothing special: 34 percent favored …

Fistgate: Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar's 2000 Conference Promoted ‘Fisting’ to 14 Year-Olds  —  Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings founded the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 1990.  In 2007 Kevin Jennings was paid $273,573.96 as the executive director of GLSEN.

Bachmann wants a Palin book  —  Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says she's not yet ready to back a 2012 presidential candidate.  —  Bachmann briefly talked politics with reporters this morning following a GOP State Capitol rally in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to cap state spending.

President Obama to propose $200 billion for jobs creation  —  Washington (CNN) - President Obama will propose using $200 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support creating jobs, White House officials confirmed Monda  —  The president, in an economic speech …

Checkmate: How Joe Lieberman Turned The Public Option Fight On Its Head  —  After Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) threw down the gauntlet on the public option, political observers and liberal critics had no shortage of theories.  Lieberman was rebelling against the liberal base.  Lieberman harbors animosity about 2006.

CNN Poll: Palin's popularity on the rise  —  Washington (CNN) - Sarah Palin has erased her drop in the polls that followed her resignation as Alaska governor, according to new national survey.  —  But when it comes to opinions of Palin, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday suggests …

Nelson files his abortion amendment  —  Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson and Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch today filed their amendment to tighten restrictions on federal funding for abortion.  The amendment is likely to be debated on the floor tomorrow.  Most observers expect it to fail …

Why I commuted Maurice Clemmons's sentence  —  The nation was stunned by the senseless and savage cold-blooded murders of four young police officers in Lakewood, Wash., over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  Whenever a police officer or soldier is killed, the loss is even more profound …

Girlfriends and Double Standards  —  Before Max Baucus there was Paul Wolfowitz.  Will the ethical uproar be the same?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Here's a poser: Suppose a public official is accused of recommending his girlfriend for a promotion, though he was the one who first flagged …

After Brief Uptick, Obama Approval Slips to 47%  —  New low follows slight increase after announcement of Afghanistan policy  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's presidential job approval rating is 47% in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update, a new low for his administration to date.

Discriminating Against Conservatives in Law Firm Hiring:Is It Wrong?  —  That was the question posed in yesterday's popular Ethicist column, in the New York Times.  Here's the question that a reader posed to columnist Randy Cohen: … Ah, Greenwich — limousine liberalism, anyone?

Why Does the Public Oppose ObamaCare?  —  As the Senate debate drags on, public support for the Democratic health care reforms remains very weak.  The latest RealClearPolitics average shows just 40% in favor with nearly 49% opposed.  —  These figures remain a bit puzzling because individual items within the bills still poll strongly.

Hitler's Remains Were Destroyed on KGB Orders, Interfax Reports  —  Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Adolf Hitler's remains were burned and dumped into an East German river by Soviet agents 25 years after the end of World War II, Interfax reported, citing Vasily Khristoforov, the Federal Security Service's chief archivist.