The Hijacked Commission  —  Count me among those who always believed that President Obama made a big mistake when he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform — a supposedly bipartisan panel charged with coming up with solutions to the nation's long-run fiscal problems.

Daily Beast, Newsweek to Wed!  —  Some weddings take longer to plan than others.  The union of The Daily Beast and Newsweek magazine finally took place with a coffee-mug toast between all parties Tuesday evening, in a conference room atop Beast headquarters, the IAC building on Manhattan's West 18th Street.

Why I'm Running for RNC Chairman  —  FROM: Saul Anuzis, MI-NCM  —  RE: Announcement for RNC Chairman  —  DATE: November 12, 2010  —  Congratulations on your success, nationwide and state-by-state.

Murkowski confident as write-in tally grows  —  WRITE-INS: Miller camp steps up challenges, threatens new lawsuit.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  The Division of Elections has reviewed write-in ballots for almost half the precincts in Alaska and is counting nearly 98 percent of them for Lisa Murkowski.

Cindy McCain does video opposing DADT, accuses ‘our government’ of sending signal that bullying is okay - her hubbie is the lead defender of DADT  —  John McCain is leading the filibuster against the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” “repeal” legislation in the Senate (it's not an actual repeal, but we'll leave that for another time).

Fairly Understanding the Simpson-Bowles Social Security Proposal  —  Co-chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles of President Obama's Fiscal Responsibility Commission surprised the political world Wednesday when they publicly released their own (as opposed to a full commission) …

Bobby Jindal hammers Barack Obama in new book  —  NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal uses a new book to portray President Obama as disconnected from the Gulf oil spill, charging that he was more focused on the political aftermath than the actual impact of the crisis.

If U.S. Won't Prosecute Bush, at Least 145 Other Countries Should  —  “Former President George W. Bush not only admits - he boasts - of having authorized the practice of known as waterboarding.  A total of 145 other countries are signatories to the U.N. Convention Against Torture.

I Owe Bruce Bartlett an Apology  —  Back when Bush 43 was President, I was a huge fan of Bruce Bartlett.  I especially loved his book Impostor.  But when Bartlett broke with the Republicans back in 2008, it seemed to me that he had gone “from being inside the tent pissing out to being outside the tent pissing in.”

Will Stealth Spending Decide the 2012 GOP Presidential Primaries?  —  After a GOP wave election that put the “tsu” in tsunami, Republicans have reason to feel smug as they look toward 2012.  High on the GOP's gloating list is the way that wealthy conservatives and right-wing business groups exploited …

San Francisco mayor to veto city's ban on Happy Meals  —  (CNN) — Mayor Gavin Newsom will veto the city's ban on most McDonald's Happy Meals with toys on Friday.  —  The mayor has scheduled an event at Fairmount Elementary School at 2:45 p.m. ET, where he will also release a report outlining …

Clinton Offers Netanyahu Security Pledge  —  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has assured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's security requirements will be fully taken into account in any future peace deal with the Palestinians.  —  Clinton and the visiting Israeli …

The Morning Plum  —  * Obama reiterates firm stance on Bush tax cuts: The President, in Seoul, restates his insistence that the Bush tax cuts for the middle class be made permanent: … This is key, because yesterday it became unclear whether making the middle class cuts permanent was still …

Sunnis' walkout mars political talks in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament achieved an important milestone Thursday, agreeing on who would hold the country's top leadership spots after more than eight months of acrimonious negotiations.  But a dramatic walkout by members …