Obama's Nobel Remarks  —  Following is the prepared text of President Obama's speech at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday, as released by the White House:  —  Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

‘Editor & Publisher’ to Cease Publication After 125 Years  —  NEW YORK Editor & Publisher, the bible of the newspaper industry and a journalism institution that traces its origins back to 1884, is ceasing publication.  —  An announcement, made by parent company The Nielsen Co. …

Snowe: Medicare buy-in loses her vote  —  Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said Thursday that she does not support the Medicare buy-in because it would “aggravate an already-serious problem” with the program - the low reimbursement rates for hospitals and doctors.  —  “I have serious concerns,” Snowe told reporters.

Poll: GOP erases popularity gap in Congress  —  Washington (CNN) — Eleven months before crucial midterm elections, a national poll indicates that the public is divided over whether the country would be better off with Democrats or Republicans controlling Congress.

Putting the Plodding Moralism Back In  —  Chris Mooney has a smart post on the vicious—and viciously effective—comeback campaign that's been mounted by climate change deniers.  I highly recommend it, but his claim that deniers “didn't need good science to make another sally …

Exclusive Interview: Andrew Breitbart Announces Launch of New “Big” Sites  —  When Andrew Breitbart launched Big Government in September, we asked if he was gearing up to be the next Arianna Huffington: An opinion blog rainmaker with a one-stop digital powerhouse, but presented from the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Poll: 39% of Israelis believe Obama is ‘Muslim’  —  The New America Foundation's poll of Israelis, released today, contains a finding suggesting campaign-trail rumors about Barack Obama's religion penetrated deeply in the Jewish state.  —  The survey, by Jim Gerstein, asked Israelis …

Writing Is On Wall: Pelosi Softens On Public Option  —  In yet another sign that the writing is on the wall for the public option, Nancy Pelosi repeatedly refused to say today that a bill without one could not pass the House, backing away from a marker she'd laid down in the past.

Can Republicans Retake the Senate in 2010?  —  Probably not, but their candidate recruitment so far has been stellar.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Democrats began the year as masters of the political universe, winning the White House and increasing their majorities in Congress.

“This Terrible Bill”  —  Rick Warren disowns the new Uganda bill designed to inform on, round up, imprison, forcibly submit to “psychological cures”, and execute homosexual Ugandans:  —  This is an extremely positive if overdue development.  I remain deeply concerned that Uganda's public policy …

In Shift, Oren Calls J Street ‘A Unique Problem’ … Published December 09, 2009, issue of December 18, 2009.  —  Breaking with his previous restraint, Israel's ambassador to the United States delivered an unprecedented blast against J Street, the new dovish Israel lobby that has made waves …

Republicans Now Arguing Senate Bill Is Not Long Enough: '2,074 Pages Isn't Nearly Enough To Cover Health Care For America'  —  Since Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled the merged Senate bill, Republican Senators argued that the legislation was too long.  “It's a massive increase in government …

Cook Political Report's dire forecast for Dodd  —  The Cook Political Report's Senate race analyst Jennifer Duffy doesn't think much of Chris Dodd's (D-Conn.) re-election prospects, in her latest update on the Connecticut Senate race.  —  And she's moving the race rating to “Lean Republican” …

The jobs deficit  —  It was truly amazing the way last week's employment report was hailed by many people as a sign that our troubles are over.  Here we are, having suffered huge job losses, and needing to make up the lost ground — and a report showing that we're still losing jobs, but not as fast, is grounds for celebration?

In trouble, White House searches for a billionaire to blame  —  In 1998, when the Clinton White House found itself in the middle of the Lewinsky scandal, one of its key defense strategies was to attack the conservative philanthropist Richard Mellon Scaife as the dark power behind the allegations against the president.

Steny Hoyer explains how Newt Gingrich broke Congress  —  On Monday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer delivered a startling speech on the obstructionism of minority Republicans and the dangers that poses to Congress and the country.  It's not common for politicians to address structural problem directly, or at length.