GOP Insiders Sour On Palin  —  A poll of GOP insiders suggests that ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has little support among the party's professional class — and maybe that's just how she wants it.  —  In a survey of 109 party leaders, political professionals and pundits, Palin finished 5th …

Release of the Security Review Conducted After the Failed Christmas Terrorist Attack  —  The review of our security and intelligence systems following the attempted terrorist attack on Christmas Day has been completed.  The President spoke two days ago about “the urgency of getting this right …

GOP Furious At Steele; RNC Admits Little Control  —  House and Senate leadership aides are furious with RNC chair Michael Steele and have angrily confronted the RNC's press shop over their inability to keep the chair on message.  —  In the course of a regular daily conference call between …

N.J. Senate rejects bill legalizing gay marriage … TRENTON — The state Senate rejected a same-sex marriage bill today, a major victory for opponents who contend the measure would infringe on religious freedom and is not needed because the state already permits civil unions.

NCTC director Michael Leiter remained on ski slopes after Christmas Day airline bombing attempt  —  WASHINGTON - The top official in charge of analyzing terror threats did not cut short his ski vacation after the underwear bomber nearly blew up an airliner on Christmas Day, the Daily News has learned.

Palin aide warned of ‘epic debacle’  —  Sarah Palin's charming opening debate line for now-Vice President Joe Biden — “Hey, can I call you Joe?”  — was scripted after she repeatedly referred to him as “O'Biden” in preparation sessions, former McCain campaign senior adviser Steve Schmidt told “60 Minutes.”

Former White House lawyer charged with attempting to kill wife in New Canaan  —  NEW CANAAN — A prominent attorney and former White House lawyer was charged with attempting to kill his wife Wednesday night.  —  John Michael Farren, 57, of New Canaan, was charged with attempted murder …

Reagan grandson arrested in Van Nuys [Updated]  —  Former President Reagan's grandson is in jail this morning after police arrested him at his parents' house in Van Nuys, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.  —  Cameron Reagan, 31, was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest …

Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was ‘Faked’  —  Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.

Beck: 'African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term.  I mean, that's not a race.'  —  Today on his radio show, Glenn Beck wanted to discuss the census.  “Apparently the census has come out,” he said.  Beck's co-host then chimed in, “Yeah and there's a little confusion because there's three boxes …

Carlson Launches Right's Answer to HuffPost  —  The offices of The Daily Caller evoke a long-ago era of journalism, circa 2005 or 2006, before the Los Angeles Times closed its big-city bureaus, The Washington Times fired 60 percent of its staff, and magazines from Gourmet to Portfolio shuttered for lack of revenue.

Conservatives Finish 2009 as No. 1 Ideological Group  —  Uptick owing largely to more independents calling themselves conservative  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The increased conservatism that Gallup first identified among Americans last June persisted throughout the year, so that the final year-end …

Attention Conspiracy Theorists: Read This Post  —  I tend to be skeptical of those who believe that the Federal Reserve is engaged in a massive conspiracy, for reasons known and unknown, to protect its turf and turn us all into serfs, but then I'll read a quotation like this, and I'll scratch my head.

Moving From “Solid” to “Leans”  —  Jennifer Duffy at the Cook Political Report says that something is happening in Massachusetts: … She notes that there are two more debates “which always present candidates with an opportunity to put in make-or-break performances.”  One has to remember: this is Massachusetts.

A defense of Obama  —  I get a lot of unsolicited e-mail and should probably publish more of it; this defense of Obama, sent in by someone named Ellie Light, seemed to crystallize a point his supporters have been trying to make for a while:  —  A year ago, if we had read in the paper …

Snow covers Britain from head to toe  —  As if dusted with icing sugar, this satellite image of Britain shows the full extent of the snow coverage affecting the country.  —  From head to toe there is barely a patch of land not blanketed by the heaviest snowfall in 50 years.

Cadillac Flip Flop: Obama Was Against Health Plan Tax Before He Was For It  —  In a video that rings so true it hurts, Lee Stranahan-a former Obama supporter-gives us the aspiring president's own speech.  Only a month before the 2008 election, Obama makes it plain just how bad an idea the …

Nelson in “serious discussions” to extend deal  —  Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) has begun negotiations with Senate Democratic leaders to expand his special Medicaid funding deal to all states or to allow states to opt out of the Medicaid expansion in 2017, his spokesman told POLITICO Thursday.

Zeitgeist Patrol  —  Alone in our nation's capital last night, I decided to keep in touch with the culture by going to see Avatar in 3D.  I hadn't read much of the commentary about the movie, but the word of mouth was that it was visually spectacular—and yes, spectacular it was, especially in 3D …

Brit Hume: ‘Jesus Christ’ the ‘Most Controversial Two Words You Can Ever Utter in the Public Square’ Today  —  (CNSNews.com) - Brit Hume said he was “not surprised” by the media backlash over his remarks to Tiger Woods on “Fox News Sunday” this week.  There is a “double-standard” …

2010 SENATE RACE RATINGS  —  Senate Lineup: 58 Democrats, 40 Republicans, 2 Independent(s)  —  Senators with names in parentheses are retiring.  —  The chart below provides a spectrum that analyzes the vulnerability (the chances of the seat switching parties) of the Senate races up this cycle.

Dodd To Treasury?  —  Roll Call speculates that Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) may not be retiring after all — he may trade his office in the Senate's Russell Building for one in the Treasury.  Could he replace Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary?  It's not beyond the realm of possibility, but I doubt it.