Liberal Revolt on Health Care Stings White House  —  WASHINGTON — In the great health care debate of 2009, President Obama has cast himself as a cold-eyed pragmatist, willing to compromise in exchange for votes.  Now ideology — an uprising on the Democratic left — is smacking the pragmatic president in the face.

Obama: ‘Time for talk is over’  —  COPENHAGEN — A visibly angry Barack Obama threw down the gauntlet at China and other developing nations Friday, declaring that the time has come to “not to talk but to act” on climate change.  —  Emerging from a multinational meeting boycotted …

End It Today, Ben  —  There's a really big snowstorm coming to D.C.tonight.  It would be unsafe to ask all the staffers and Hill employees who'd be needed at the Capitol if Congress stays open all hours this weekend, as Harry Reid intends, to drive to and from work—especially since …

Franken shuts down Lieberman on Senate floor  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Al Franken took the unusual step Thursday of shutting down Sen. Joe Lieberman on the Senate floor.  —  Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, currently is the target of liberal wrath over his opposition …

Pass the Bill  —  A message to progressives: By all means, hang Senator Joe Lieberman in effigy.  Declare that you're disappointed in and/or disgusted with President Obama.  Demand a change in Senate rules that, combined with the Republican strategy of total obstructionism, are in the process of making America ungovernable.

Senate Democrats block GOP filibuster  —  Senate Republicans failed early Friday in their bid to filibuster a massive Pentagon bill that funds the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an unusual move designed to delay President Obama's health-care legislation.  —  On a 63 to 33 vote …

Lord Monckton barred from Copenhagen conference - pushed to the ground by security  —  This was the scene yesterday in Copenhagen.  As you can see the scene is rather agitated with lots of police action, including use of billy clubs.  As of this writing, no pictures or video is available of Lord Monckton's account below.

Palin cuts vacation short  —  Sarah Palin announced Thursday night that she ended a Hawaii vacation early because of the ruckus raised after she blacked out “McCain” on her sun visor in an effort to elude paparazzi.  —  After the former Alaska governor was photographed on the beach earlier this week …

Democratic congressman from North Carolina angers supporters by voting against health-care bill  —  KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — To voters in this hard-luck town where stable factory jobs and the health care that came with them have long since disappeared, change looked good a year ago.

Specter, Toomey Deadlocked In Pennsylvania Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama Gets Good Score On War, Bad Marks For Health Care  —  Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter and Republican challenger Pat Toomey are deadlocked 44 - 44 percent in Pennsylvania's marquee 2010 U.S. Senate race …

Ohio's Traficant contemplates return to Congress  —  CLEVELAND — Former Rep. James Traficant, who was recently released from prison after serving seven years for corruption, said Thursday that he is “proud of being an ex-con” and may try to return to Congress.

Top 10 Political Stories of the Decade  —  The Aughties?  The Ohs?  Whatever you call them, the years 2000 through 2009 were eventful ones.  Marc Cooper of the USC Annenberg School recalls the media moments that captured our attention: September 11, Obama's election, the expansion of presidential power...

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2009  —  Ten pundits and politicians whose prognostications for this year completely missed the mark. … —Rahm Emanuel on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, April 19, 2009  —  The bill the White House chief of staff was optimistically referring to …

The underlying divisions in the health care debate  —  Ed Kilgore has a very perceptive analysis in The New Republic about the underlying (and largely unexamined) ideological and strategic differences among progressives that are at least partially driving the rift over the health care bill.

Hurry Up and Wait  —  A woman whose name I didn't recognize left a message on my office telephone a few weeks ago.  Identifying herself as a member of Congress, but without telling me what she wanted, she asked me to call her at a private number, not the 225 prefix for telephones in the House of Representatives office buildings.

Rare gender identity defect hits Gaza families  —  Editor's Note: Watch Connect the World tonight 9pm GMT, 4pm ET.  —  Gaza City (CNN) — Two Palestinian teenagers stroll amid the mounds of rubble left by last year's Israeli military offensive, listening to the tinny beat of a Turkish pop song playing on a cell phone.

Chavez, Morales, Mugabe lash out at Copenhagen  —  Firebrand leaders Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and Robert Mugabe turned up the heat at the UN climate talks, dumping the blame for global warming squarely at the feet of capitalism.  —  In speeches greeted with occasional ripples of applause …