‘DROPPING LIKE FLIES’?.... Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is retiring.  So is Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).  And before anyone could catch their breath, Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) announced he's not seeking re-election, either.  —  It led ABC News to report that “Democrats are dropping like flies.”

The C-SPAN Lie?  See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations  —  “One of my jobs as President will be to guide this process...”

Amateur hour is over  —  Enough is enough.  There was a time when the amateur hour that has characterized the behavior of the staff in the Obama White Hour over the past year could be chalked up to innocent inexperience.  Now that behavior is nothing short of dangerous and President Barack Obama …

The First Senator From the Tea Party?  —  Charlie Crist's perma-tanned face bears none of the strain you would expect from the archetype of the embattled Republican.  Politicians are supposed to keep up appearances, but Crist is especially convincing, one of the more earnest politicians you will see, whether or not he means it.

“Sick” Of The Israelis And The Palestinians  —  Ben Rhodes has denied that Rahm said this to the Israelis.  Well, it sure sounds like Rahm.  —  More to the point, who wouldn't be sick of the Israelis and the Palestinians at this point?  —  I too am sick of the Israelis for their contempt …

Pomeroy Will Not Run For Senate  —  North Dakota Rep. Earl Pomeroy will not run for Senate, a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee source tells RealClearPolitics.  —  Pomeroy, the state's lone congressman, had been considered Democrats' strongest candidate to replace Sen. Byron Dorgan …

‘You Are a Bad, Bad, Bad Journalist’  —  I couldn't believe I was having this conversation.  It felt like a scene from a movie that conveniently ties plot points together when two critical characters in the storyline share a moment of implausible significance - where the intrepid reporter finally runs his target to ground.

Rahm for Mayor?  —  According to Sally Quinn, Rahm Emanuel has told people that his position as President Obama's chief of staff is an 18-month job and that “he is considering a run for mayor of Chicago.”  —  “Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's current term is up in February 2011 — there is no term-limit on the office.

Worst RNC cash flow in a decade  —  A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.  —  A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade.

Without a movement, progressives can't aid Obama's agenda  —  Every Democratic president since Lyndon Johnson — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama — has raised the hope that he would bring with him a new era of progressive reform.  The legislative torrents of the New Deal and the Great Society …

Another Iranian Revolution?  Not Likely  —  THE Islamic Republic of Iran is not about to implode.  Nevertheless, the misguided idea that it may do so is becoming enshrined as conventional wisdom in Washington.  —  For President Obama, this misconception provides a bit of cover …

Arnold blasts health care bill: ‘Trough of bribes, deals and loopholes’  —  So scratch that thing about cozying up to the White House.  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in California's perpetual budget hell, blasted the elements of health care legislation that impose new burdens on the states in his State of the State speech today:

An opening for Arnold?  —  Here's the best rumor I've heard today, inspired in part by the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger has, of late, been saying nice things about the president at every turn and by the announcement that Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter is retiring.

Where's Martha Coakley?  —  If you're a registered voter in Massachusetts, your friendly Democratic Senate candidate, Martha Coakley, is sticking her thumb in your eye.  —  Coakley, in exquisitely diva-like form, is refusing all invitations to debate her Republican opponent in the race …

14 terror suspects mistakenly kill themselves  —  Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Fourteen suspected terrorists died Tuesday night when the bus they rigged with explosives blew up prematurely, police said.  —  The explosion occurred as the suspects were riding the bus in the province of Kunduz, said police chief Abdul Raziq Yaqobi.

More Ex-Detainees Resort to Terror, Officials Say  —  Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) — As many as one in five former Guantanamo Bay detainees are suspected of or confirmed to have engaged in terrorist activity after their release, U.S. officials said, citing the latest government statistics.

‘Frozen Gore’ sculpture returns in Fairbanks to fuel climate change debate  —  FAIRBANKS - In what might become an annual tradition, an ice sculpture of former Vice President Al Gore has taken its place in front of Thrifty Liquor along Airport Way.  —  The two-ton “Frozen Gore” sculpture isn't exactly a tribute.