A New Leader for the Democrats  —  Nancy Pelosi has been an extremely effective speaker of the House for four years, shepherding hundreds of important bills toward passage and withstanding solid Republican opposition.  Her work in passing health care reform and strong ethics oversight achieved …

President Obama isolated ahead of 2012  —  President Barack Obama has performed his act of contrition.  Now comes the hard part, according to Democrats around the country: reckoning with the simple fact that he's isolated himself from virtually every group that matters in American politics.

Today's Power Play: GOP Sweetens its Offer to Manchin  —  ((Get politically powered up each day with exclusive analysis and content with Fox News' AEHQ iPhone app))  —  Early Intel — GOP Sweetens its Offer to Manchin  —  Republicans are making some big promises to try …

Suspended Keith Olbermann Demanded MSNBC Apology, Will Return Tuesday  —  It might have been Keith Olbermann who got suspended from MSNBC after breaking company rules regarding making contributions to political candidates, but now sources tell me it's Keith himself whose demands have been met …

I Am a Blogger No Longer  —  This is my final blog post for The Atlantic.  Five years ago, as a way to boost the competitive metabolism of The Hotline, Chuck Todd hired me away from ABC News to create “Hotline On Call.”  I was to be the first political reporter working for a mainstream news …

Spencer Bachus: Sarah Palin cost GOP control of U.S. Senate  —  COLUMBIANA — Shelby County's congressman, U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., said former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin likely cost the Republican Party control of the U.S. Senate.

Gov. George Pataki ‘Looking at’ Run for President; Peekskill ‘Twice the Size of Wasilla’  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Sarah Palin isn't the only former governor/former mayor who's mulling a run for president in 2012.  —  On ABC's “Top Line” today, former Gov. George Pataki …

Doing It Again  —  Eight years ago Ben Bernanke, already a governor at the Federal Reserve although not yet chairman, spoke at a conference honoring Milton Friedman.  He closed his talk by addressing Friedman's famous claim that the Fed was responsible for the Great Depression …

Is Rand Paul Already Selling Out?  —  On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal ran this piece on senators-elect Rand Paul and Roy Blunt.  The piece is organized to contrast Blunt, who's been around for a long time, with first-timer Paul.  One is presented as being comfortable with compromises …

Grief counseling after the wipeout  —  A staffer for a congressional Democrat who came up short on Tuesday reports that a team of about five people stopped by their offices this morning to talk about payroll, benefits, writing a résumé, and so forth, with staffers who are now job hunting.

California: The Lindsay Lohan of States  —  Sacramento is headed for trouble again, and it shouldn't expect a bailout.  —  Listen up, California.  The other 48 states—your cousin New York excluded—are sick of your bratty arrogance.  You're the Lindsay Lohan of states …

Criminal barbering?  Raids at Orange County shops lead to arrests, raise questions  —  Customers watch a movie and collegiate football game at Strictly Skillz Barbershop in Pine Hills, on Saturday, October 9, 2010.  In the African-American community, beauty and barbershops are a cornerstone …

Jim Webb: Why Reagan Dems Still Matter  —  Jim Webb went to the White House last September.  The Virginia senator was meeting with the president to discuss Guantanamo detainees.  The conversation soon shifted to healthcare.  “I told him this was going to be a disaster,” Webb recalls.

Obama's speech, his teleprompter, the reaction  —  He thrilled them by calling for India to have a permanent seat on an expanded U.N. Security Council.  He reassured them by demanding that Pakistan bring those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks to justice.  He flattered them by recalling India's

If you thought the bank bailout was bad, wait until the mortgage defaults hit home  —  THE BIG PICTURE: Ireland is effectively insolvent - the next crisis will be mass home mortgage default, writes MORGAN KELLY … WHEN I wrote in The Irish Times last May showing how the bank guarantee …

How to spend $140,000,000 on American politics  —  Meg Whitman's losing campaign to become governor of California cost her $140,000,000.  Ouch.  Matt Yglesias takes a moment to offer rich people with political ambitions some good advice: Start lower.  “Self-finance a campaign for Mayor or State Treasurer or something.

ELECTORAL DISSONANCE  —  Barack Obama had the mot juste last Wednesday for what had just befallen him and his party: a “shellacking.”  The President's choice of word was one syllable (and one “g") longer than his predecessor's summary after a parallel midterm debacle.

Poll: Dems, GOP divided on how to move forward  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats would like to sit down and work things out.  Republicans are ready to rumble.  —  The first USA TODAY/Gallup Poll since last week's dramatic midterm elections finds Americans not only divided about who should have more influence …