Miller sues to force exact spelling rule for write-in votes  —  JUNEAU — GOP nominee Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to keep the state from using discretion in counting write-in ballots in Alaska's hotly contested Senate race.  —  The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, comes …

DAVID B. OFFER: Collins optimistic that moderation is key to success by Congress  —  The votes were barely counted last week before national columnists and pundits began analyzing the impact of the Republican victories.  Many predicted more gridlock.  —  “Moderate Republicans will be less likely …

More federal workers' pay tops $150,000  —  The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since President Obama took office, a USA TODAY analysis finds.  —  The fast-growing pay of federal employees has captured the attention …

Bush: “I probably won't even vote for McCain”  —  George W. Bush's bombastic return to the world stage has reminded me of my favourite Bush anecdote, which for various reasons we couldn't publish at the time.  Some of the witnesses still dine out on it.  —  The venue was the Oval Office.

Obama officials moving away from 2011 Afghan date  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to begin publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he'd begin withdrawing U.S. forces …

Carlson sent fake ‘Olbermann’ emails to Philly columnist  —  Tucker Carlson boasted in July that his site, the Daily Caller, had bought the domain name for liberal MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.  Carlson, a conservative journalist and pundit, even said he would start using the email address keith@keitholbermann.com as a gag.

Wall Street Collects $4 Billion From Taxpayers as Swaps Backfire  —  The subprime mortgage crisis isn't the only calamity Wall Street created that's upending the finances of U.S. states and cities.  —  For more than a decade, banks and insurance companies convinced governments and nonprofits …

Interior inspector general: White House skewed drilling-ban report  —  The White House rewrote crucial sections of an Interior Department report to suggest an independent group of scientists and engineers supported a six-month ban on offshore oil drilling, the Interior inspector general says in a new report.

Republicans Maneuver to Oust Their Leader  —  WASHINGTON — Turning their attention to the 2012 presidential election, Republican leaders are digging in for a battle over control of the Republican National Committee, judging that its role in fund-raising, get-out-the-vote operations and other tasks …

LaHood Threatens to Take High Speed Rail Stimulus from OH, WI  —  My favorite cabinet secretary is the one who knows how to play hardball with Republican obstructionists, who knows the leverage he holds and is not afraid to use it.  I guess that's because he's the only Republican in the cabinet*.

Room at the top?  Not for young Dems  —  A younger generation of Democrats is chafing at being asked to stand aside and let a triumvirate of elders keep their leadership positions in the wake of a catastrophic midterm election result.  —  Barring an unexpected shake-up …

Proposed Cigarette Product Warning Labels  —  Overview  —  The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) requires that cigarette packages and advertisements have larger and more visible graphic health warnings.  —  FDA issued a proposed rule …

Why Rush to Cut Nukes?  —  THE sweeping Democratic midterm losses last week raise serious questions for President Obama and a lame-duck Congress.  Voters want government brought closer to the vision the framers outlined in the Constitution, and the first test could be the fate of the flawed …

First Salvo In Social Security Fight: OweNo, A $20 Million Campaign Launched With Bayh, Conrad As Allies  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — In what may be the first major move of the forthcoming Social Security debate, the Peterson Foundation launched on Tuesday a $20 million TV ad campaign …

John King's magical wall sent him over the edge just days before the election  —  Tweet  —  CNN anchor John King's “magic wall” sent him over the edge when his beloved touch screen jammed.  —  The DC-based anchor had a meltdown while anchoring his 7 p.m. show, “John King USA,” …

Democrats want leadership elections delayed  —  (CNN) - Two House Democrats are circulating a letter asking Democratic leaders to push their party's leadership elections for the next Congress until December.  —  Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D- Ohio) and Peter Defazio (D-Oregon) say in the letter that the …

McConnell to file brief backing court challenge to health reform  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will file a brief in a Florida court in support of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new health reform law.  —  The top Senate Republican will file an …

Jobs forecast can help Obama — if he can sell it to the nation  —  An exasperated Robert Gibbs said last summer: “Let's just be honest, the economy lost more jobs than it had in the last three recessions combined.  It's hard to message that.”  —  The verdict voters returned last week …

GOP may be setting its sights on Ensign  —  Suffering from the enervating ennui of postelection depression, I always find there is only one cure: Look ahead to the next one.  —  No, I don't mean the yawnfest to succeed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman — assuming he doesn't barricade himself in his office …

Modestly chic: Michelle Obama dons a headscarf as she visits mosque on Indonesia trip  —  Her impeccable dress sense has been praised throughout the world.  —  So it was no surprise that Michelle Obama managed to be stylish and show respect to her Muslim hosts when she visited a mosque on her tour of Indonesia.

Election of 1860 Counterfactuals  —  Seth Masket is doing some mythbusting with reference to the electoral college: … Indeed, the fragmentation of the opposition had almost no impact on the outcome.  Lincoln won two states—California and Oregon—by mere plurality.

Congressmen pay wives from campaign funds  —  Practice is legal, but some see potential for abuse  —  The campaign to re-elect Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., left, has given wife Sandi Jackson's company at least $315,000 for her work.  (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune / January 7, 2010)

Watchdog wants probe of Google's ‘unusually close’ ties to Obama  —  As House Republicans plan an ambitious oversight agenda for the next session of Congress, a watchdog group is calling for a probe into a company that it says is far too cozy with the Obama administration: Google.

Bush's waterboarding claim rejected  —  British officials say there is no evidence that waterboarding saved lives of UK citizens, as Bush claimed in his memoirs  —  British officials said today there was no evidence to support claims by George Bush, the former US president …

Extending Tax Cuts, but With a Catch  —  Top Democrats Link Keeping Bush-Era Breaks to an Overhaul of Tax Code; Republican Aides Say They Are Open to the Idea  —  WASHINGTON—Two top Senate Democrats floated the idea Tuesday of extending the Bush-era income-tax rates for a limited time only …

Matthews: Had You Seen This Hillary Clinton in 2008 She Might Be President  —  Chris Matthews is suddenly getting a thrill up his leg for somebody other than Barack Obama.  —  On Tuesday's “Hardball,” before playing a video clip of the Secretary of State joking around with some comedians in Australia …

2010's Surprise Developments  —  Whenever I'm asked what the biggest surprise was for me in this election, I confess that there were several, but not many occurred on election night.  —  I was stunned by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski's GOP primary loss, something I did not see coming.