Martha Coakley Is Not Just Wrong on Terror War - She's Dangerous (Must-See Video)  —  There are no terrorists in Afghanistan?  —  On Wednesday December 30 Jordanian doctor and Al-Qaeda blogger Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi killed 7 CIA officers in a suicide bomb attack at an outpost in southeastern Afghanistan.

Ford: I'm gearing up for Senate race  —  It's true: I am strongly considering running for the United States Senate.  —  I do so because our best as a nation has always come when we test our ideas and ourselves, and when we trust competition to refine the steel of our convictions and the truth of our arguments.

Reporters (Mostly) Barred From Tea Party Convention  —  For a while, I've been calling and emailing the organizers of the National Tea Party Convention with some basic logistical questions, to no avail.  Kevin Diaz explains why: the convention, held in Nashville next month, will be closed to all but “selected” members of the press.

Ensign: Lay off Reid  —  Washington (CNN) - Sen. John Ensign, himself no stranger to controversy, is breaking with other Republicans to defend his fellow Nevada Sen. Harry Reid for describing President Obama as “light skinned” and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”

Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans  —  Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States.  Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage.

Federal Reserve earned $45 billion in 2009  —  Wall Street firms aren't the only banks that had a banner year.  The Federal Reserve made record profits in 2009, as its unconventional efforts to prop up the economy created a windfall for the government.  —  The Fed will return about $45 billion …

CNN Poll: Americans split on success of Obama presidency  —  Washington (CNN) - Americans are giving Barack Obama a split decision on his first year in office, according to a new national poll.  —  Forty-eight percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday …

Tax on Investment Income Is Weighed  —  Health-Bill Negotiators Consider Extending Medicare Levy as They Face Pressure to Ease Proposed Hit on Generous Insurance Plans  —  WASHINGTON — House and Senate negotiators are considering applying for the first time the Medicare payroll tax …

Sources: Hickenlooper intends to enter guv's race  —  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has told top Democrats he intends to run for governor, sources tell The Denver Post.  —  Hickenlooper has been meeting with key advisers since Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter last week unexpectedly announced he was dropping his re-election bid.

Obama to address House GOP  —  President Barack Obama will address House Republicans next week at their annual retreat in Baltimore, deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton said Tuesday afternoon.  —  It's a show of bi-partisanship after a year rife with tumult in the relationship between …

McCain: “I Wouldn't Know” About Palin Vetting Process  —  John McCain does not want to talk about the 2008 presidential election, or any of the intrigue that's followed—a fact he made clear in an interview with Matt Lauer this morning on “Today,” in which he said he “wouldn't know” …

Peer-to-Peer Review (Part III): How ‘Climategate’ Marks the Maturing of a New Science Movement  —  PART III - A global warming skeptic receives the leaked files from an anonymous “Deep-Climate” insider.  Release of files exposes gatekeeping and leads to the maturing of a new science movement - that of peer-to-peer review.

Conan O'Brien Says He Won't Host ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno  —  Conan O'Brien released a statement Tuesday saying he no longer wants to host NBC's “Tonight Show” and intends to seek a way to end his contract with the network.  —  The host, who saw his brief run at host of “Tonight” …

Prop 8: Liveblogging Perry v. Schwarzenegger - Day Two (part 2)  —  [Ed. note: You can find today's earlier thread, day one's liveblog, and the rest of FDL's extensive team coverage at our dedicated Prop 8 trial hub.]  —  Defendant-intervenors counsel Thompson resumes cross examination of Professor Cott …

Strom Thurmond son planning to run for Congress  —  Strom Thurmond's youngest son, Paul Thurmond, is one step closer to running for Congress himself, announcing that he's setting up an exploratory committee to run for the seat of retiring Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.)

Cultivating Failure  —  IMAGINE THAT AS a young and desperately poor Mexican man, you had made the dangerous and illegal journey to California to work in the fields with other migrants.  There, you performed stoop labor, picking lettuce and bell peppers and table grapes …