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.

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 …

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 …

Nelson: GOP hasn't approached me about party switch  —  Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said that Senate Republicans haven't approached him about switching parties.  —  Nelson, a centrist Democrat who's sometimes frustrated his party, that he doesn't have any plans to join the GOP, and hasn't received any entreaties to do so anyway.

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:

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.”

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 …

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.

Gay Couples to Sue Over U.S. Marriage Law  —  Joanne Pedersen tried to add her spouse to her federal health insurance on Monday.  She was rejected.  Again.  —  The problem is that while Ms. Pedersen is legally married to Ann Meitzen under Connecticut law, federal law does not recognize same-sex unions.

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.

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.

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” …

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.

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 …

House Democrats split on direction  —  Two vying to be Pelosi's No. 2  —  Representative Steny Hoyer.  —  WASHINGTON — The expectation that House Democrats will soon confirm Speaker Nancy Pelosi as their new minority leader, despite her leading role in last week's disastrous midterm elections …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.