EXCLUSIVE: Dems ‘Almost Certain’ to Bypass Conference  —  Now that both the House and Senate have passed health care reform bills, all Democrats have to do is work out a compromise between the two versions.  And it appears they're not about to let the Republicans gum up the works again.

Inside Obama's War on Terrorism  —  The evening before he was sworn into office, Barack Obama stepped out of Blair House, the government residence where he was staying across from the White House, and climbed into an armored limousine for the ride to a bipartisan dinner.

Staff walks out on party-switcher Griffith  —  Rep. Parker Griffith's (Ala.) staff has resigned en masse after his recent decision to switch parties and become a Republican.  —  In a sternly worded statement, Griffith Chief of Staff Sharon Wheeler announced the exit of herself …

Hell Freezes Over: Rush Limbaugh Loves Union Hospitals and Socialized Medicine  —  Over the past year of Obama's presidency, conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh has routinely mocked, distorted and even invented various health insurance reform proposals before Congress.

‘Missing arms spark Yemen alert’  —  The closure of three embassies in Yemen followed local security forces losing track of six trucks full of arms and explosives, say reports from Yemen.  —  France announced its mission in the capital Sanaa was shut on Monday, a day after the US and UK closed theirs.

Al-Qaida double-agent killed CIA officers  —  Officials: Perpetrator of Afghan attack was supposed to infiltrate al-Qaida  —  The suicide bombing on a CIA base in Afghanistan last week was carried out by a Jordanian doctor who was an al-Qaida double-agent, Western intelligence officials told NBC News.

Quist: Defeating liberals a bigger battle than defeating terrorism  —  Allen Quist, a Republican who is seeking to defeat Rep. Tim Walz in southern Minnesota's First Congressional District, told attendees of the Wabasha County Republicans Christmas Party in mid-December that beating the …

Secret Service Let Third Intruder Into White House  —  Michaele and Tareq Salahi were not the only uninvited guests at the White House state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.  —  At the last minute, someone from the Indian diplomatic delegation invited a man to attend …

‘N-Word’ Sign Dogs Would-Be Tea Party Leader  —  Dale Robertson, a Tea Party activist who operates TeaParty.org, is getting stung for an old photo — taken at the Feb. 27, 2009 Tea Party in Houston — in which he holds a sign reading “Congress = Slaveowner, Taxpayer = Niggar.”

Appeals court upholds Moussaoui's conviction, life prison term  —  A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction and life prison term of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a U.S. court in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

New US flight checks ‘discriminate against Nigeria’  —  Buzz up!  —  ABUJA (AFP) - Nigeria, home of the failed US plane bomber, Monday branded new security measures for passengers flying to the United States unfair and said they amounted to discrimination against its 150 million people.

U.S. Evangelicals' Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push  —  KAMPALA, Uganda — Last March, three American evangelical Christians, whose teachings about “curing” homosexuals have been widely discredited in the United States, arrived here in Uganda's capital to give a series of talks.

The man behind RedState.com shakes up the Republican Party  —  Erick Erickson, 34, has emerged as one of the leading new voices for Republican activists through his blog, RedState.com.  —  Times]  —  MACON, Ga. — Between pecks at his laptop, Macon City Council member Erick Erickson ticked off some of his goals for the new year:

President Obama Names Transgender Appointee to Commerce Department  —  President Obama recently named Amanda Simpson to be a Senior Technical Advisor to the Commerce Department.  —  In a statement, Simpson, a member of the National Center for Transgender Equality's board of directors …

Republican retirements mount in House  —  The decision by South Carolina Rep. Henry Brown to retire brings Republican retirements to 14, a number that, if it continues to rise in the coming months, could curtail the expected GOP gains in the House in November.

Rarely does it ever feel like...  We can truly make a difference.  January 19th, here in Massachusetts, that can all change.  —  Scott Brown is going to provide this state with the once in a lifetime chance to change this country forever.  —  I won't get into specifics, since if this matters you already know them.

UM, PATHETIC  —  “All violent feelings have the same effect,” John Ruskin wrote, in one of his most famous essays.  “They produce in us a falseness in all our impressions of external things, which I would generally characterize as the ‘Pathetic Fallacy.’ ” Ruskin published “Of the Pathetic Fallacy” …

Rep. King rethinking Senate run  —  Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) signaled Monday that he is reconsidering his decision not to run for Senate in 2010.  —  King said he's actively looking at a run for statewide office this year after he'd ruled out such a campaign last summer.

That 1937 Feeling  —  Here's what's coming in economic news: The next employment report could show the economy adding jobs for the first time in two years.  The next G.D.P. report is likely to show solid growth in late 2009.  There will be lots of bullish commentary …

Group Gives Up Death Penalty Work  —  Last fall, the American Law Institute, which created the intellectual framework for the modern capital justice system almost 50 years ago, pronounced its project a failure and walked away from it.  —  There were other important death penalty developments last year …

Thoughts on the Underwear Bomber and the Aftermath  —  Obama has went where the Bush Administration never fully went; the explicit profiling of Muslim passengers.  Granted there was kind of an unspoken rule during the Bush Administration but now it has gone further.  What are my thoughts?

Brit Hume: Jesus Can Tame You, Tiger  —  For Americans who are both political junkies and faithful churchgoers (guilty as charged), Sunday mornings can mean a painful choice between watching the Sunday talk shows for scoops (or gaffes) from newsmakers, or attending services to meditate on the wisdom of ancient scripture and tradition.

Notes on the Obama Disconnect  —  Not the change we organized for?  —  I see that my colleague bmaz referenced a post I wrote about a year ago back at Digby's place, about how Obama the candidate was consolidating structures within the progressive movement — field, voter registration …