Sarah Palin to Contribute to Fox News  —  Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has signed on as a contributor to the Fox News Channel.  —  The network confirmed that Ms. Palin will appear on the network's programming on a regular basis as part of a multi-year deal.  Financial terms were not disclosed.

Dems launch defense to save Reid  —  Democrats are preparing to throw the race card back in the laps of Republicans as part of a counterattack designed to help save Harry Reid's political career.  —  First, Reid's allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him.

U.S. Supreme Court blocks video coverage of Prop. 8 trial  —  The ruling will keep the proceedings off YouTube.  The justices, acting on an emergency appeal, say showing video could jeopardize the fairness of the trial.  —  Reporting from Washington - The U.S. Supreme Court …

Learning From Europe  —  As health care reform nears the finish line, there is much wailing and rending of garments among conservatives.  And I'm not just talking about the tea partiers.  Even calmer conservatives have been issuing dire warnings that Obamacare will turn America into a European-style social democracy.

Looking Closer at the Massachusetts Senate Polls  —  On the surface, three recent polls on the upcoming Massachusetts special election to fill the Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy seem to tell three different stories.  —  A Rasmussen Reports poll, released last week …

DNC sends senior aide to Boston  —  Hari Sevugan, the DNC's national press secretary, confirms he's headed to Boston to help with Martha Coakley's effort, a move that underscores how focused the party is on the race.  —  Sevugan's campaign and party role has been on offense …

Obama Weighs Fee to Recoup Bank Bailout and Cut Deficit  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is likely to propose a fee on financial institutions to help reduce the federal deficit when he releases his budget plans in February, although the details remain unresolved, according to administration officials.

The Bogus Flight 253 ‘One-Way Ticket’ Meme: Anatomy Of A Myth  —  In a remarkable example of how bad information can travel far and wide, dozens of media outlets around the world have said Umar Abdulmutallab was traveling on a one-way ticket to Detroit when he allegedly tried to blow up Flight 253 …

Health Care Overhaul Bill Is ‘Hanging by a Thread’: Dodd  —  Health care reform is “hanging on by a thread,” and one or two votes could determine the outcome of the heavily-debated bill, Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd told CNBC Monday.  —  “Everyone feels, I guess, to some degree who have been for this …

Now Harold Ford Jr. backs gay marriage  —  In what will likely be read as another sign of his interest in running against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in this year's Democratic primary, ex-Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford Jr. publicly said for the first time that he was in favor of same-sex marriage.

The Most Stunning (and Uncommented on) Revelation in Too Big Too Fail  —  Although I read it two months ago, I haven't made much in the way of comments on Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big Too Fail, figuring the ground was well plowed by others.  However, the bit that I found the most shocking …

McCain aide denies ‘party of a**holes’ line  —  Among the many juicy, anonymously-sourced passages in Game Change is one that could stir some trouble for John McCain in his upcoming primary.  —  The scene takes place toward the beginning of McCain's bid for the White House:

Mr. Smith Rewrites the Constitution  —  ABOUT the Senate, a college professor of mine used to say, “One day, the Supreme Court will declare it unconstitutional.”  He was joking, I think.  —  But the Senate, as it now operates, really has become unconstitutional: as we saw during …

White House Changes Stimulus Jobs Count  —  When the White House unveiled its nearly $800 billion stimulus package last year, it promised not only to create and save 3.5 million jobs but also to open the books and prove it.  But counting jobs turned out to be a lot harder than lining up a work crew and tapping hardhats.

White House Readies Aggressive Midterm Push  —  Axelrod Says Focus Will Be On Republican Alternatives  —  The White House strategy for contesting the midterm election is beginning to take shape.  —  In an interview with National Journal, senior White House political adviser David Axelrod laid …

CNN Poll: Majority confident Obama can handle terrorism  —  Washington (CNN) - In the wake of the Christmas day attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner, most Americans remain confident that the Obama administration can protect the country from terrorism, according to a new national poll.

Blagojevich: 'I'm Blacker Than Barack Obama'  —  Ex-Governor Later Calls Remark ‘A Stupid Thing To Say’  —  CHICAGO (CBS) ― Deposed Gov. Rod Blagojevich is apologizing for comments in a new interview, in which he claims he is “blacker” than President Barack Obama.

Red-Ink Tsunami: Why Old Ideas Can't Fix the New Government Perma-Crisis  —  State and local governments have faced big budget gaps before.  Typically, things get tight for a while, then the economy perks up, tax revenues recover, and deficits are eliminated.  Life goes back to normal.