The Juiciest Revelations In “Game Change”  —  “Game Change,” the long-awaited and very gossipy chronicle of the 2008 campaign by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, is chock full of revelations that are bound to stir the folks who live within ten miles of the Beltway — and perhaps even reverberate beyond Washington.

Toss up in Massachusetts  —  The Massachusetts Senate race is now a toss up.  —  Buoyed by a huge advantage with independents and relative disinterest from Democratic voters in the state, Republican Scott Brown leads Martha Coakley 48-47.  —  Here are the major factors leading to this surprising state of affairs:

Teddy's anger  —  One of the enduring mysteries of the 2008 campaign was what got Ted Kennedy so mad at Bill Clinton.  The former president's entreaties, at some point, backfired, and the explanation has never quite emerged.  —  I've finally gotten my hands on a copy of Game Change, in which John Heliemann and Mark Halperin report:

A Fox Chief at the Pinnacle of Media and Politics  —  In fall 2008, Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News, went to his boss, Rupert Murdoch, with two complaints: he had heard that Mr. Murdoch was considering endorsing Barack Obama for president in The New York Post, and he had read a book excerpt …

Right-Wing Radio Host Incensed That ‘Butt Sniffer’ Michael Steele Canceled Appearance On Her Show  —  There was significant media speculation yesterday when embattled Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele abruptly canceled a noon interview with ABC News.

The health insurance excise tax  —  OK, clearly I have to weigh in on this.  Should there be a limit to the tax deductibility of employer-provided health insurance, which is what the excise tax in the Senate bill is supposed to fix?  —  My answer is yes, but the final bill should address the criticisms.

Saint Elizabeth and the Ego Monster  —  Even before the cancer, she was among her husband's greatest political assets.  In one focus group conducted by Hickman in Edwards's Senate race, voters trashed him as a pretty-boy shyster—until they saw pictures of Elizabeth, four years his senior.

Fool Me Over and Over and Over Again  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Our elite media has been repeatedly suckered into trumpeting glaringly unsupported assertions about the number of Guantanamo detainees that have “returned” to the battlefield.  This was quite a week for it.

A letter to the White House  —  Umar Abdulmutallab has been provided a lawyer and clammed up in connection with this efforts to take down Northwest Flight 253 as it approached Detroit on Christmas Day.  Yesterday Abdulmutallab was arraigned in federal court in Detroit.