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:

Nielsen folds Editor & Publisher and Kirkus Reviews  —  Nielsen Business Media Update  —  Today, we announced that Nielsen Business Media has reached an agreement with e5 Global Media Holdings, LLC, a new company formed jointly by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners …

Limbaugh vs. McConnell: GOP leader targeted by conservative groups  —  Rush Limbaugh and conservative interest groups are criticizing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not putting up a strong enough fight to stop the Democratic healthcare legislation.

CNN poll: GOP has erased party 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.

Election 2010: Ohio Senate Race  —  2010 Ohio Senate: Portman 40%, Brunner 33%; Portman, Fisher Neck-and-Neck  —  Republican Rob Portman has managed to pull away somewhat from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner but still finds himself in a highly competitive race with Democratic Lieutenant …

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.

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.

The Joys of Political Sex  —  It's time for political sex scandals to reclaim their rightful place in our national discourse.  The way things have been going lately, you'd think extramarital sex only happened to professional athletes.  —  Consider the case of Senator Max Baucus of Montana.

Pelosi Backs Off Public Option  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  The public health insurance option died on Thursday, December 10, 2009, after a months-long struggle with Senate parliamentary procedure.  The time of death was recorded as 11:12 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Americans Want Government to Spend for Jobs, Send Bill to Rich  —  Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Americans want their government to create jobs through spending on public works, investments in alternative energy or skills training for the jobless.  —  They also want the deficit to come down.

Emerging Medicare buy-in proposal could have costly unintended consequences  —  THE ONLY THING more unsettling than watching legislative sausage being made is watching it being made on the fly.  The 11th-hour “compromise” on health-care reform and the public option supposedly includes …

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 …

How liberal is Obama?  —  It's not every day that Christian conservative Ross Douthat enthusiastically recommends people read social democrat Tony Judt: … The first year of the Obama presidency has been a long tutorial on the difference between liberal ends and liberal means.

Send Us Your Tired, Your Poor, But Only if They're ‘Culturally Unique’  —  Immigration Caseworker AA0089 Has Some Thoughts About What Is Art  —  LOS ANGELES — When Jordan Peimer booked an Argentine band that fuses Jewish Klezmer music with tango, he thought he had the perfect act to headline his “Fiesta Hanukkah” concert.