Lisa Murkowski: Sarah Palin Lacks “Intellectual Curiosity” to be President  —  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowki told CBS News' Katie Couric today that she would not support Sarah Palin for president because Palin lacks the “leadership qualities” and “intellectual curiosity” to craft great policy.

Apple Finally Snares Beatles  —  Steve Jobs is nearing the end of his long and winding pursuit of the Beatles catalog.  —  Apple Inc. is preparing to disclose that its iTunes Store will soon start carrying music by the Beatles, according to people familiar with the situation …

2 Dems claim Arianna Huffington stole website idea  —  Two Democratic consultants are accusing Arianna Huffington and her business partner of stealing their idea for the powerhouse liberal website Huffington Post.  —  Peter Daou and James Boyce charge that Huffington and partner Ken Lerer designed …

Dejected House Dems wipe away tears as GOP celebrates victory  —  Dejected Democrats wiped away tears on the House floor Monday night while Republicans congratulated themselves on winning back control of the lower chamber.  —  House members returned to the nation's capital …

GOP frosh: Where's my health care?  —  A conservative Maryland physician elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform surprised fellow freshmen at a Monday orientation session by demanding to know why his government-subsidized health care plan from the government takes a month to kick in.

McConnell reverses position on earmarks  —  In an abrupt reversal, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday endorsed a moratorium on earmarks that GOP conservatives are seeking to send a signal that the Republican Party is serious about curbing federal spending.

Wow!  HUNDREDS OF RIDERS WITH US FLAGS Escort Cody Alicea to School Today (Video)  —  Hundreds of American Legion Riders and fellow patriots escorted Cody Alicea to Denair Middle School this morning.  They all had American Flags on their bikes.  —  A veteran brings Cody to tears when he gives …

Congressional Black Caucus Witholds Support For Pelosi  —  Washington (CNN) - The Congressional Black Caucus has decided to withhold its approval for the House Democratic leadership team, denying Speaker Nancy Pelosi full support of the 42-member organization as she campaigns to remain leader.

OUP USA 2010 Word of the Year: Refudiate … Refudiate  —  has been named the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2010 Word of the Year!  —  refudiate verb used loosely to mean “reject”: she called on them to refudiate the proposal to build a mosque.  —  [origin — blend of refute and repudiate]

Two Full-Time Obama Opponents Say Obama Should Pledge Not to Run Again  —  What would really help President Barack Obama through the current tough political spell?  If he just gave up his foolish desire to be president and announced he would not seek reelection.

Powell: Advocates Should Not Pressure Congress To Repeal DADT Before It Is Ready, Study Completed  —  This evening, during an interview on CNN's Larry King Live, Gen. Colin Powell reiterated his belief that repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell must “take into account the views of our military leaders …

Justice Thomas's Wife May Be Exiting Advocacy Group  —  WASHINGTON — Liberty Central, the conservative organization founded last year by Virginia Thomas, the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, appears to be confronting major changes, including the possibility that Ms. Thomas will step aside.

Government to compensate ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees  —  UK resident Binyam Mohamed had sought compensation following his release  —  Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their torture overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.

Vicious Infighting at NBC News  —  Steve Capus, the NBC News president, strongly echoed this theme.  Some of Olbermann's behavior was bad for the company.  —  Griffin, who had been friends with Olbermann since they first worked together at CNN three decades ago, pleaded for understanding.

Ireland told: Take EU bailout  —  Dublin warned it has 24 hours to make decision as EU emergency talks loom amid fears Irish banks' contagion may spread to other eurozone countries  —  More at the Guardian's new Ireland business blog  —  Comment: Crisis puts Germany in the driving seat

Full Frontal Nudity Doesn't Make Us Safer: Abolish the TSA  —  The Republicans control the House of Representatives and are bracing for a long battle over the President's health care proposal.  In the spirit of bipartisanship and sanity, I propose that the first thing on the chopping block …

The Full-Body Backlash  —  As full-body scanners come into more widespread use in American airports (they will be phased in soon at the three major airports in the New York City metro region), they are also coming under more frequent criticism.  —  The objections are coming from many different quarters: