Palin's Dollar, Zoellick's Gold  —  An unlikely pair elevate the monetary policy debate.  —  It would be hard to find two more unlikely intellectual comrades than Robert Zoellick, the World Bank technocrat, and Sarah Palin, the populist conservative politician.

Bush nostalgia: Let's not get carried away, ok?  —  As you all know, President George W. Bush is on his book/rehabilitation tour — hitting every MSM and cable news show from the Today Show to Hannity, plus Oprah, Rush Limbaugh, and beyond.  —  His candor, decency, self-effacement …

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 …

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:

Obama, in Indonesia, Criticizes Israel on Housing  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia — President Obama, stepping into an Israeli-Palestinian dispute during a homecoming visit to the world's largest Muslim majority nation, criticized Israel on Tuesday for its decision to advance the approval of some 1,000 …

Bennet: Dems likely to revisit health law  —  The Senate's likely to revisit the new healthcare law that became law earlier this year, a member of the chamber's health committee said Tuesday.  —  Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) …

U.S. Report Faults Christie, as Prosecutor, on Hotel Stays  —  WASHINGTON — When he was a top federal prosecutor, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey routinely billed taxpayers for hotel stays whose cost exceeded government guidelines, according to a report the Justice Department released on Monday.

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 …

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 …

Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected  —  An achievement gap separating black from white students has long been documented — a social divide extremely vexing to policy makers and the target of one blast of school reform after another.

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 …

Obama Visits a Nation That Knew Him as Barry  —  JAKARTA, Indonesia — The two houses where he spent part of his boyhood stand pretty much the way they did when he went back to Hawaii four decades ago.  The two schools he attended have grown larger but, in spirit, remain unchanged.

Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Faces Struggle in Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Prospects for Congress to authorize repeal of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy face new uncertainties as time runs out for the Senate to act and strong objections remain among Republicans and the most senior ranks of the military.

Gay Couples to Sue Over U.S. Marriage Law  —  Two new lawsuits are part of an effort to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing marriages of same-sex couples.

Union Card Checkmate  —  Voters in four states protect the secret ballot.  —  As the lame duck session of the Pelosi Congress nears, one fear is that Democrats will try to force through some last-minute liberal legislation, in particular “card check” to kill the secret ballot in union elections.

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.”

House transition team begins second day of meetings on the next Congress  —  The Republican transition team is beginning operational plans for the next Congress with a cooperative tone, invoking the Golden Rule when it comes to how it'll treat the new Democratic minority.

Pollsters Raise Alarm: Inaccurate Polls May Be Impacting Campaigns  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON - A remarkable bi-partisan group of campaign pollsters released an open letter this afternoon that assailed the “sometimes uncritical media coverage” of the “proliferation” …

White House open to Democratic outside groups in 2012  —  The White House is bracing for an onslaught of $500 million or more in spending by outside Republican groups opposed to President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election, prompting Obama advisers to give the green light to big Democratic donors …

DeMint will lead push for earmark moratorium in Senate GOP  —  Eleven GOP senators will push colleagues to adopt an earmark moratorium for the next two years in a closed-doors vote next week.  —  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) will lead an initiative to put a two-year ban on earmarking …

Most GOP Voters Critical of Republicans in Congress, Like Tea Party  —  Republican voters remain strongly critical of how their party's representatives in Congress are performing and have a highly favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement that is pushing the GOP more to the political right.

Fed Global Backlash Grows  —  China and Russia Join Germany in Scolding; Obama Defends Move as Pro-Growth  —  NEW DELHI—Global controversy mounted over the Federal Reserve's decision to pump billions of dollars into the U.S. economy, with President Barack Obama defending the move as China …

Schwarzenegger admission: Who cares if you smoke pot?  —  (CNN) - With only a couple months left in office, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently feels free to speak his mind - at least when it comes to marijuana.  —  Appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday …

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.

Poll: New Jersey Gov. more popular than Obama in home state  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is more popular in the heavily Democratic Garden State than is President Obama, but New Jersey voters still don't think he should make a run for president in 2012.

Fimian will concede defeat to Connolly in 11th district  —  This post has been updated to include a statement on Rep. Connolly's health.  —  Republican Keith Fimian will concede defeat Tuesday in the congressional race in Virginia's 11th district, paving the way for Rep. Gerald Connolly (D) to serve a second term in the seat.

When Privatization Increases Public Spending  —  What should the G.O.P. do after last week's recapture of the House of Representatives?  “Real spending reductions, an extension of the Bush tax cuts, ending earmarks, using the returns from the bailouts to reduce the debt and turning Fannie …

Rubio's party loyalty is clear: GOP not tea  —  Marco Rubio's winning Senate campaign message got early traction with tea party backers, but he appears to be firmly linked to the Republican Party leadership.  —  WASHINGTON — When a French TV station set out to understand the American phenomenon known …

Rep. Alec Baldwin?  Maybe, if Bishop Loses  —  Actor Alec Baldwin may be mulling a run for Congress.  —  America's favorite fictional mogul could be looking to move his office from 30 Rock to Capitol Hill, MSNBC reported today.  —  The network is quoting sources close to actor Alec Baldwin …

The Crossroads Nation  —  Bill Clinton used to talk about building a bridge to the 21st century.  President Obama talks about laying down a “new foundation.”  But Clinton was always vague about what the land on the other side of that bridge was going to look like, and Obama is vague …