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 …

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.

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 …

Controversy over Palin's cookie comments at Pa. school  —  sarah palin, tea party, bucks county, pennsylvania, inside politics  —  Call it “Cookiegate”.  Sarah Palin is baking up a little controversy in Pennsylvania.  She was the guest speaker last night at a fundraiser at Plumstead Christian School in Plumstead Township.

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 …

Challenges Await U.S. at Group of 20 Meeting  —  WASHINGTON — Anyone wondering what President Obama will face when he arrives in South Korea on Wednesday for a global financial summit meeting need look no further than an announcement by China's leading state-endorsed rating agency …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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*.

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 …

Netanyahu: Row over settlement construction ‘overblown’  —  U.S. anger over latest East Jerusalem building plan is misplaced and Palestinian foot-dragging is still the main obstacle to peace, insists PM in interview with Fox.  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed renewed furor …

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.

Mystery Solved?  Missile Launch Could Be a Jet Contrail  —  A mysterious vapor trail caught on camera has the military scrambling for answers — but is it just a jet?  On the left, a still image from KCBS video of the launch.  On the right, a very similar event from Dec. 31, 2009 commonly believed to be an airplane.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Jim DeMint: “You can't be a fiscal conservative and not be a social conservative”  —  That's the money line from tonight's Fox News “12 in '12″ presidential profile; skip ahead to 3:00 if you don't want to watch it all.  He made this same point, albeit in a more elaborate way, at the Values Voter Summit in September.

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.

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 …

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 …