Surprising Sarah Palin shows up on Conan O'Brien's show, wreaks revenge on William Shatner  —  Politicians much prefer Fridays to bury news releases they want to be able to say they put out but don't really want people to notice much.  Especially on the eve of the second to last shopping Saturday of the 2009 Christmas shopping season.

Doubts grow over Senate's Christmas deadline for health bill  —  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 …

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 …

Historic Win for Constitutional Rights!  Injunction Granted in CCR Lawsuit on Behalf of ACORN  —  December 11, 2009.  New York, NY - Today, U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon granted a preliminary injunction against the United States for unconstitutionally withholding funds from ACORN.

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 …

CAN I CALL 'EM, OR WHAT?  Back in September, noting a continuing pattern of White House incompetence, I predicted: “Expect this to play out in thumbsucker columns on whether America is ‘ungovernable.’”  —  And, right on cue, here's Matthew Yglesias: “The smarter elements in Washington DC …

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.

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 …

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 …

The Department of Cablinasian Studies [& Call for Submissions]  —  Stacy and I were conversing on Twitter yesterday about Tiger Woods' woes, and both of us believe that this wouldn't be such a big deal if it were not for the fact that he's a Cablinasian.  Americans have little understanding …

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.