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).

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 …

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 …

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 …

CNN idiotically imagines: “Al Qaeda offers ‘condolences’ for innocent victims.”  —  That is a CNN headline purporting to summarize an English-language apology that is phrased thusly: … In the body of the article, outside of the quotes, CNN says things like: … Is this willful misreading or crashing idiocy?

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 …

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.

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 …