‘60 MINUTES’: OBAMA OPEN TO TAX DEAL WITH BOEHNER — Bush's book praises Obama — 43 will be 24-7 — Hoyer likely to hold off Clyburn — FALL BACK: you get an extra hour of sleep — Woodhouse b'day  —  BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Network sources tell Playbook that Keith Olbermann was suspended …

Cantor Refuses To Take Government Shutdown Or Default On U.S. Debt Off The Table  —  In an interview with Fox News Sunday this morning, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), the #2 Republican in the House, threatened to take the nation's economy hostage if President Obama does not comply with House GOPers' as yet undefined demands.

Cantor: Dems 'just didn't get the message' if Pelosi is made leader  —  House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said Sunday that Democrats “just didn't get the message from the voters this election” if they make Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) their next majority leader.

Our Banana Republic  —  In my reporting, I regularly travel to banana republics notorious for their inequality.  In some of these plutocracies, the richest 1 percent of the population gobbles up 20 percent of the national pie.  —  But guess what?  You no longer need to travel to distant …

G.O.P. to Fight Health Law With Purse Strings  —  WASHINGTON — As they seek to make good on their campaign promise to roll back President Obama's health care overhaul, the incoming Republican leaders in the House say they intend to use their new muscle to cut off money for the law …

Fresh Slate at the Pentagon Lies Ahead for Obama  —  WASHINGTON - With critical decisions ahead on the war in Afghanistan, President Obama is about to receive an unusual opportunity to reshape the Pentagon's leadership, naming a new defense secretary as well as several top generals and admirals in the next several months.

To Hell With the Press  —  Rick Perry won an unprecedented third term as Texas governor while actively shunning the press corps.  Mark McKinnon on the GOP's trendy tactic—and how newspapers are fighting back.  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry beat Democratic challenger Bill White …

The Facebook Skeletons Come Out  —  AMONG the many firsts in the 2010 elections, it is safe to assume that the following words had never before been uttered about a future member of Congress, “This is a candidate who is probably best known for getting drunk and having sex on television.”

Assessing midterm losses, Democrats ask whether Obama's White House fully grasped voters' fears  —  President Obama's failure to channel the anxieties of ordinary voters has shaken the faith that many Democrats once had in his political gifts and his team's political skill.

Exclusive: Officials Worried President Obama May Have to Cancel Indonesia Trip Due to Indonesian Volcano  —  ABC News: Ann Compton reports:  —  ABC News has learned that because of the dangerous clouds of ash spewing from an Indonesian volcano, 48 hours before Air Force One is due to touch …

US senator sees ‘confrontation’ with China, war with Iran  —  HALIFAX, Canada — The United States faces a possible war with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions and a “period of confrontation” with China over its currency, a top US lawmaker warned Saturday.  —  Republican Senator Lindsey Graham …

NJ Gov.: Delaware ‘missed opportunity’ for Senate  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says the Senate race in Delaware was “a missed opportunity” for his fellow Republicans to pick up the seat long held by Democrat Joe Biden.  —  Tea party favorite Christine O'Donnell won …

Drafting Mitch  —  The Mitch Daniels draft movement has begun.  —  I spoke this morning to John McKay, a Chicago-area businessman who runs Switch2Mitch.org, which has launched a petition drive to get the Indiana governor into the race for president.  —  “We need him more than any other person,” said McKay.

Texas Considers Medicaid Withdrawal  —  Some Republican lawmakers — still reveling in Tuesday's statewide election sweep — are proposing an unprecedented solution to the state's estimated $25 billion budget shortfall: dropping out of the federal Medicaid program.