In Massachusetts, Anxiety for Favored Democrats  —  BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month.  —  But the dynamic has changed in recent days.

Rudy Giuliani Wrong in Saying ‘No Domestic Attacks Under Bush’  —  President Obama yesterday took personal responsibility for failures in the Christmas day terror plot, but Rudy Giuliani still isn't convinced.  —  I spoke to the former mayor of New York City this morning on GMA …

Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another.  —  Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …

Steele comments have GOP aides pleading, ‘Get him to stop’  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele, under fire this week for a string of controversial statements he has made while promoting his new book, has so angered the party's congressional leaders that their aides …

U.S. Job Losses in December Dim Hopes for Quick Upswing  —  The United States economy lost more jobs than expected in December, tempering hopes for a swift and sustained recovery from the Great Recession.  —  The Labor Department said on Friday that the economy shed another 85,000 jobs last month …

Why Heads Should Roll  —  How courageous is Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, the father of terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab?  If, as it is argued, the Islamic world sees the War on Terror as a War on Islam, it must have been quite intimidating to walk into the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria.

Palin Scoops Politico — By: Robert Costa  —  Did Politico's Mike Allen read Going Rogue?  If he did, he'd know that his scoop on Sarah Palin is actually quite old.  Here's how Allen opens his story on Politico's homepage: … O, please.  Palin detailed all of this months ago on page 289 of her book:

Gruber responds: ‘Completely consistent’  —  One of the key voices for Congressional health care legislation, MIT economist Jon Gruber, is taking fire from the precincts of the left that oppose the Senate plan over the fact that he is on contract with Department of Health and Human Services.

Walk Away From Your Mortgage!  —  John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.”

Shock: Obama Forced to ‘Order’ Follow-Ups of Terrorist Tips  —  President Pledges ‘Accountability’ But No One Fired for Systemic Intel Failures  —  In a revealing admission, President Barack Obama said today he was directing U.S. intelligence agencies to begin to do something many had assumed …

The Messiah Complex  —  Every age produces its own sort of fables, and our age seems to have produced The White Messiah fable.  —  This is the oft-repeated story about a manly young adventurer who goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit.  But, once there …

Club for Growth will oppose Sen. Bennett's reelection in 2010  —  In an unusual move, the Club for Growth announced Friday that it will oppose Sen. Bob Bennett's (R-Utah) reelection, without specifying a candidate it might support.  —  A series of candidates are looking to upend Bennett …

Dems favored for CT-GOV  —  There aren't going to be a lot of offices Democrats win for the first time since 1986 in this Republican trending year of 2010.  But the Connecticut Governorship might be one of them.  —  Democratic front runners Susan Bysiewicz, Ned Lamont …

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.

The Risk of Catastrophic Victory  —  Obama is in the midst of one.  Can the GOP avert one of their own?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Passage of the health-care bill will be, for the administration, a catastrophic victory.  If it is voted through in time for the State of the Union Address …

The Battle for Voting Rights  —  Could reassignment of the Bush-era head of the Justice Department section charged with protection of voting rights mean real change?  —  Sometime during Christmas week, Christopher Coates, the chief of the Voting Rights Section of the Justice Department …

CBO estimates $390 billion budget deficit for first quarter of FY 2010  —  The Congressional Budget Office late Thursday released a report estimating that the federal budget deficit was $390 billion for the first quarter of fiscal year 2010.  —  During the same quarter in 2009 …

Law Schools Get Advice on Helping Students Cope With Tight Job Market  —  Law schools have a responsibility to teach students how to be emotionally resilient and fiscally sensible at a time when high-paying jobs are hard to come by and student-loan debts are mounting, several speakers asserted …

Can we stop the hysteria about AQAP please?  —  Greetings everyone.  Allthingsct is officially back on deck for 2010.  —  Tonight's cynical Friday task is some myth busting in relation to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, especially since the Xmas Day plots have spawned a good deal …