Mystery Missile Launch Seen off Calif. Coast  —  Military Mum on Nature of “Big Missile” Rising Out of Pacific - a Possible Show of U.S. Military Might  —  (CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night …

Sarah Palin, Media Critic  —  The former veep candidate (and journalism major) misleads readers on the WSJ with selective quotes  —  Aw, shucks.  —  Sarah Palin is “just a former governor and current housewife from Alaska, but even humble folks like (her) can read the newspaper.”  —  Reading's one thing.

For Indonesia and Obama, 4th Time's the Charm  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia — It is the presidential homecoming that wasn't meant to be.  —  Enlarge This Image  —  President Obama during a news conference with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia on Tuesday in Jakarta.

Cantor, Republicans signal Obama tax proposal is dead in the water  —  The Obama administration's hopes of reaching a tax deal with Republicans that would decouple rates on the rich from the middle class appear dead.  —  House GOP Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) threw cold water on the proposed plan …

Republicans May Yet Have Upper Hand in Senate  —  On paper, the numbers tell you the Democrats held on to a majority in the Senate last week.  —  In reality, things won't be quite that neat.  In fact, on some issues the Republicans actually may have a functional majority …

Ted Rall Book Excerpt: Let's Kill Some Christians and Tea Partiers  —  Ted Rall has a new book out titled The Anti-American Manifesto.  In it he makes an explicit call for a violent socialist revolution from within.  In case you think this is all a big joke, here's an excerpt from the book:

A New Bush, a Lot Like the Old One  —  He said he still felt sickened that no weapons of mass destruction were ever found in Iraq.  Yet former President George W. Bush said that his worst moment in the Oval Office came when the rap star Kanye West claimed that the president didn't care about black people.

Alvin Greene mulls presidential bid  —  'Maybe.  I'll have to see,' Alvin Greene said about running for president.  —  Alvin Greene might run for president.  —  Greene, the unlikely Democratic Senate nominee in South Carolina who lost overwhelmingly to Republican Sen. Jim DeMint last week …

Dems' leadership race turns bitter as Clyburn slams Hoyer's tactics  —  Rep. James Clyburn said Rep. Steny Hoyer's tactics are breaking with tradition and making Democrats uncomfortable.  —  The comments are the first hint of bitterness between Clyburn (S.C.) and Hoyer (Md.) …

In Alaska, a preview of the GOP's future  —  Alaska is darker in winter, colder all year and less densely populated than any other state.  Alaskans are unique, too: They enjoy a higher level of per capita federal spending than anyone else in the union, as well as a state constitution …

Presidential Power Rankings  —  The Hotline assesses which potential White House contenders are most likely to win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.  —  Welcome to The Hotline's inaugural edition of Presidential Power Rankings.  —  Who is best positioned to win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination?

Progressives don't really get progress, but the American people do  —  Progressives claim to have a monopoly on progress - designed by intellectuals who ‘know better’ and brought about by a big, beneficent government.  But Americans voted in last week's elections that this brand …

Obama's Best Speech  —  In India, the president defended free markets, free trade and free societies.  —  Every now and then a columnist ought to shock and dismay his most faithful readers.  So here goes: Barack Obama gave a terrific speech yesterday to India's parliament …

My Application for Peter Thiel  —  Via Twitter, I see that one of the questions Peter Thiel asks applicants to his fellowship program (which unlike some of his philanthropic endeavors sounds to me like a totally good idea) is “Tell us one thing about the world that you strongly believe is true, but that most people think is not true.”

Congressional Black Caucus: Black Republicans welcome  —  The Congressional Black Caucus says it will gladly accept the two newly elected black Republicans into its group, opening the door to partisan diversity in a caucus that has been historically Democratic.

Is America Catching the “British Disease?”  —  print recommend Send link clip secure rights  —  BERKELEY - In the United States, the scent of decline is in the air.  Imperial overreach, political polarization, and a costly financial crisis are weighing on the economy.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — November 2010  —  The November 2010 tracking poll was conducted in the days following the mid-term election that resulted in major gains for Republicans, including a shift in control of the House of Representatives.  The survey attempts to gauge …

Washington Examiner editorial: Don't let Upton lead House panel  —  The Washington Examiner editorial board took a strong position against Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) as a potential Republican chairman on Monday, casting him as too moderate to lead the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

And the GOP primary numbers...  PPP numbers looking ahead to the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination contest in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania find Mitt Romney looking strong in New England and the West and Mike Huckabee with a slight edge in the Midwest.

NJ Transit Gets $271M Bill for Scrapped Tunnel  —  NEWARK, N.J., (AP) — NJ Transit owes the federal government $271 million for the Hudson River rail tunnel that Gov. Chris Christie scrapped last month.  —  The Federal Transit Administration on Monday sent the railroad the bill, saying interest and penalty charges will be added.

Hearst Official to Replace Klein at Helm of City Schools  —  Joel I. Klein, the New York City schools chancellor, is resigning and leaving city government and will be replaced by Cathleen P. Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced at City Hall Tuesday afternoon.

Obama Approval Advances to 47%, Up From 43% Pre-Election  —  Weekly average of 45% and demographic support patterns are unchanged  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama earned a 47% approval rating from the American public in Gallup Daily tracking from Friday through Sunday …

No prosecution for destruction of CIA tapes, Justice Department says  —  Washington (CNN) — Criminal charges will not be brought in the Justice Department's long-running investigation of the destruction of CIA videotapes of terrorism detainee interrogations, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

The bashing of American exceptionalism  —  Leftists mocking those who believe in the greatness of the U.S. is nothing new.  But their bizarre insistence that it's an artifact of right-wing jingoism and xenophobia certainly isn't helping Obama.  —  Last year, when asked if he believed …