White House Gives In On Bush Tax Cuts  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's top adviser suggested to The Huffington Post late Wednesday that the administration is ready to accept an across-the-board continuation of steep Bush-era tax cuts, including those for the wealthiest taxpayers.

Is the Deficit Commission Serious?  —  I've been trying to figure out whether I have anything to say about the “chairman's mark” of the deficit commission report that was released today.  In a sense, I don't.  This is not a piece of legislation, after all.  Or a proposed piece of legislation.

98 percent of write-in votes go to Murkowski  —  SPELL CHECK: Despite objections from Miller's team, most Murkowski votes are being accepted.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  JUNEAU — Almost 98 percent of write-in ballots opened Wednesday went to Lisa Murkowski on the first day of a count meant to decide Alaska's U.S. Senate race.

Bristol Palin Survives ‘Dancing’ Elimination Round With Help of Tea Party  —  Bristol Palin survived another elimination round on ABC's “Dancing With the Stars” as fans including Tea Party supporters mustered enough votes to overcome low scores from the talent show's judges.

2012 Contenders to Bet Against  —  I'm not quite sure whom I'd call the odds-on favorite to capture the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  But I have a pretty good idea of who I'd bet against.  —  The table below compiles a number of statistics related to prospective G.O.P. candidates in 2012.

Rep.-elect West says conservative talk radio host won't be his chief of staff  —  Rep.-elect Allen West (R-Fla.) announced Thursday that a controversial radio host would not serve as his chief of staff after all.  —  West said in a statement that Joyce Kaufman, the conservative radio talk show host …

It's “Otb” Time: One-Term Barack  —  The wreckage of the Democratic Party is strewn just about everywhere.  President Obama's carefully constructed 2008 Electoral College breakthrough is now just broken, a long-ago memory of what might have been a lasting shift in partisan alignment.

POLITICO, NBC News co-host first 2012 debate at Reagan Library  —  Former first lady Nancy Reagan announced plans Thursday to invite the leading Republican contenders to the first debate of the presidential primary season, to be held at her late husband's presidential library and co-hosted by POLITICO and NBC News.

Poppy-burning Muslim protesters mar Armistice Day commemorations as millions fall silent to remember war dead  —  Islamic protesters sparked fury today after they burned a model of a poppy and deliberately broke the silence at Armistice Day commemorations in central London.

Does This Google Veterans Day Logo Look Muslim to You?  —  Boy howdy, Google has done it now!  The company's special Veterans Day logo this year, you see, features a mysterious crescent shape.  And you know who loves crescent shapes?  The Muslims.  Yeah, some people are actually upset about this.

Mixed Reactions to Republican Midterm Win  —  Public Less Happy Than After 2006 and 1994 Elections  —  The public, voters and non-voters alike, has a subdued reaction to the Republican Party's midterm election victory.  Four years ago, the response to the Democrats regaining full control …

Will Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Cause Hyperinflation?  —  Hey inflation, I'm going to pump you up, maybe (Scott Audette/REUTERS)  —  But could the greatest potential culprit of wealth-destroying, Germany-1930s-type hyper-inflation be, not the central bank, but Palin and the Tea Party?

Some Muslims Attending Capitol Hill Prayer Group Have Terror Ties, Probe Reveals  —  An Al Qaeda leader, the head of a designated terror organization and a confessed jihadist-in-training are among a “Who's Who” of controversial figures who have participated in weekly prayer sessions …

Media Matters Pays $86,000 In Auction To Have Lunch With Murdoch  —  What's Your Reaction?  —  facebook Twitter stumble reddit del.ico.us  —  Amazing  —  Inspiring  —  Important  —  Weird  —  WASHINGTON — In one of the more clever moments of issue advocacy in recent memory …

The Marines And DADT.  —  While most of the military leadership has signaled their support for ending the military's discriminatory “don't ask, don't tell” policy prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving openly, the Marine leadership has consistently been opposed.

How Joe Lieberman helped the Democrats lose the election  —  Since the election, there's been a lot of talk about what President Obama and the Democratic leadership could've done differently.  I offered six ideas here.  But there's been rather less discussion of what individual legislators could've done differently.

Kaplan, Inc  —  The Washington Post company is most identified with its newspaper, the Washington Post.  But in fact its biggest source of revenue is its Kaplan subsidiary.  Kaplan, in turn, is primarily identified with test prep work.  In fact, however, its low-performing for-profit university unit …