Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin spars with William Shatner on 'Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'  —  Sarah Palin traded comedic jabs with William Shatner on 'The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.'  —  “Going Rogue” author and former GOP VP hopeful Sarah Palin has a sense of humor after all - maybe.

On Obama's Sellout … When we went to print with the latest Rolling Stone piece about Obama's economic hires, a couple of my sources advised me to expect some nastiness in the way of a response from Obama apologists.  One jokingly suggested that there would be a waiting period to see if anyone …

Doubts grow over Senate's Christmas deadline for healthcare reform  —  Doubts are growing among Senate Democrats that they will be able to pass the healthcare reform bill by Christmas, although they remain publicly optimistic.  —  Democrats say it is still possible to pass the legislation …

Times Sq. gunman held weapon like rapper  —  A Times Square bloodbath was narrowly avoided because the machine-pistol-toting thug who fired at a cop flipped the gun on its side like a character out of a rap video, causing the weapon to jam after two shots, law-enforcement sources said yesterday.

Fables of the Reconstruction  —  (Or, How to Make Your Own Hockey Stick)  —  Please pardon the departure from the usual Iowahawk bill of fare.  —  What follows started as a comment I made over at Ace's last week which he graciously decided to feature on a separate post (thanks Ace).

White House Condemns Antigay Uganda Bill  —  In its strongest statement yet, the Obama Administration condemned a homophobic Ugandan bill that would carry a death sentence for acts of homosexuality in some cases.  —  “The President strongly opposes efforts, such as the draft law pending in Uganda …

Rates Are Low, but Banks Balk at Refinancing  —  Mortgage rates in the United States have dropped to their lowest levels since the 1940s, thanks to a trillion-dollar intervention by the federal government.  Yet the banks that once handed out home loans freely are imposing such stringent requirements …

Ahmadinejad to get U.N. podium  —  COPENHAGEN -Iranian Prime Minister Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe plan to address negotiators at international climate talks in Copenhagen next week.  —  The three leaders are listed in a line …

Gingrich's New Contract With America: 'Our Commitment Should Be Simple...We're Repealing' Health Care  —  Yesterday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich stumped for Ethan Hastert, the son of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and candidate for Illinois' 14th congressional district.

Looming population crisis forces China to revisit one-child policy  —  Looming population crisis forces officials to rethink one-child policy, but couples hesitate  —  SHANGHAI — Wang Weijia and her husband grew up surrounded by propaganda posters lecturing them that “Mother Earth is too tired …

Going Naked in Kabul  —  Do you remember the scandal about the U.S. Embassy guards in Kabul, Afghanistan, who got naked and held wild hazing rituals?  —  I am bringing this up because I want to talk about government contracting.  When you venture into topics like that, it's always a good idea to try to begin with an orgy.