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.

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.

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.

Nostalgic for George W. Bush  —  I miss George W. Bush.  —  I don't miss him in the sense that I wish he were still president.  If he were, we might be at war with Iran and North Korea by now, and perhaps Portugal.  Neither do I miss the endless debates over waterboarding and the Iraq war …

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 …

Sources: Pentagon group finds there is minimal risk to lifting gay ban during war  —  A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar …

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.

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 …

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.

Being a Tutsi  —  I just watched Glenn Beck's program “the Puppet Master” about the nefarious, money-changing, New World Order, self-hating Jew conspirator, George Soros.  I don't think I could do it again.  —  I listened to an hour or so of Limbaugh and had to turn it off, when I heard this line …

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.

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.

Co-Chairmen of Obama's Fiscal Commission Unveil Real Tax Increases and Fake Spending Cuts  —  I have many pet peeves, but one that causes me endless frustration is the Washington “spending cut” scam.  This happens when politicians increase spending, but claim that they're cutting spending …

FreedomWorks does its own freshman orientation  —  Official freshman orientation begins in Washington on Sunday for newly elected lawmakers, but FreedomWorks has its own plans for incoming tea partiers.  —  The organization, led by former Majority Leader Dick Armey, is quietly running …

Bam AWOL on Vets Day  —  Tweet  —  WASHINGTON — Today is Veter ans Day.  Do you know where your president is?  —  With his feeble flame of “hope” thoroughly doused here in the United States by last week's elections, President Obama has set out around the globe in search of throngs still enthralled by his flowery rhetoric.

Polling Conservative Bloggers On The 2010 Election And The Aftermath  —  Right Wing News polled more than 250 right-of-center bloggers on election 2010 and the aftermath. 70 bloggers responded (This one time, the respondents ARE NOT going to be listed.  Expect them to be listed as per usual, on the next poll).

Meghan McCain blasts ‘villain’ WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange  —  Meghan McCain has fired shots recently at the likes of Bristol Palin (because Palin didn't vote in the midterm elections), Christine O'Donnell (because she's “out of her frickin' mind") and President Barack Obama (because it's …

Nancy Pelosi faces new resistance from Democrats  —  Nancy Pelosi is struggling to stand her ground as the effects of last week's Democratic debacle shift the political earth beneath her feet.  —  Pelosi announced Friday that she's running for minority leader in the new Congress, and her election still seems on track.

Israel is a rogue all right — maybe even a lovable one  —  Gabriel's co-sponsor of the motion, Lauren Booth, was clearly caught unawares by his brilliant definition of rogue  —  My latest hero is a 19-year-old Canadian called Gabriel Latner, and for three reasons.