White House Fights Pat-Down Backlash  —  The administration is quietly and aggressively defending airport security policies against what they see as a media frenzy of distorted information.  —  The White House and the Department of Homeland Security indicated today that they won't yield …

Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans support full-body scanners at airports  —  Nearly two-thirds of Americans support the new full-body security-screening machines at the country's airports, as most say they put higher priority on combating terrorism than protecting personal privacy, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — For months, the secret talks unfolding between Taliban and Afghan leaders to end the war appeared to be showing promise, if only because of the repeated appearance of a certain insurgent leader at one end of the table …

Sarah Palin: No time for Katie Couric  —  Sarah Palin isn't interested in going to the mat again with Katie Couric.  —  The former vice presidential candidate said she's willing to talk to reporters, just not the CBS News anchor, heading into the 2012 election cycle.

Woman who told Obama her financial fears has lost her job  —  Nobody is safe.  —  Velma Hart, who burst onto the media scene after telling President Obama she was scared about her financial future, has been laid off.  Hart was let go as the chief financial officer for Am Vets, a nonprofit Maryland-based veteran services organization.

Left's pressure moves Pelosi toward clashes with Obama  —  When President Obama meets with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi next year, he may face a lot more resistance than he's used to from his longtime ally.  —  The shift from Speaker to opposition leader will undoubtedly change Pelosi's …

Editorial Boards to the Little People Complaining About the TSA: Bend Over and Take it Like a Man!  —  More evidence for Radley Balko's thesis that the media is more statist than liberal (and for my contention that the unsigned newspaper editorial should go the way of the dodo bird):  —  Los Angeles Times:

Zogby Interactive: Obama Falls to 39%, As Support from Democrats Continues to Slide; He Trails Romney, J. Bush & Gingrich in '12  —  Those Saying U.S. on Wrong Track Hits High Under Obama of 69%  —  UTICA, New York - President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped to the lowest point …

Sarah Palin's Mystery Research Firm  —  Why's an incendiary Dutch journalist on the payroll of the ex-Alaska governor's political action committee?  A Mother Jones investigation.  —  Post Comment  —  In recent months, Sarah Palin's political action committee, SarahPAC …

On Mrs. Kennedy's Detail  —  IT was with great trepidation that I approached 3704 N Street in Washington on Nov. 10, 1960.  I had just been given the assignment of providing protection for the wife of the newly elected president of the United States, and I was about to meet her for the first time.

SPLC Designates American Family Association, Family Research Council, Illinois Family Institute As Hate Groups  —  The Southern Poverty Law Center today updated its list of designated hate groups, and this year is significant in that some of the larger anti-gay outfits have made the cut.

Charlie Sheen Files Extortion Lawsuit Against Porn Star Capri Anderson  —  Charlie Sheen is firing back at the porn star who claims he tried to choke her in a drug fuelled bender at a New York hotel last month.  —  RadarOnline.com has just obtained this paperwork filed in a Los Angeles court.

Mosque Money Shocker  —  The so-called Ground Zero mosque recently applied for a $5 million federal grant from a fund designed to rebuild lower Manhattan after 9/11, reports The Daily Beast's John Avlon.  —  Developers of the controversial Park51 Islamic community center and mosque located …

The right way to honor Ronald Reagan  —  President Ronald Reagan speaks at a rally February 8, 1982.  He was born on February 6, 1911. … Washington (CNN) — We're approaching the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Ronald Reagan: February 6, 2011.  It's time to begin thinking seriously …

Gore: On second thought, I was just pandering to the farm vote on ethanol  —  Too often, Americans punish politicians for reversing their previous and sometimes obviously wrong positions on policy.  They label such politicians as flip-floppers, and even when these officeholders switch …

View from Middle East: President Obama is a problem  —  JERUSALEM — Vowing to change a region that has resisted the best efforts of presidents and prime ministers past, Barack Obama dove head first into the Middle East peace process on his second day in office.  —  He was supposed to be different.

Ortiz concedes District 27 race to Farenthold  —  U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz conceded late Monday to Congressman-elect Blake Farenthold.  —  Noting that the recount of more than 106,000 votes had been completed in the district, Ortiz said: “Therefore, with great respect and admiration …

Left accuses GOP of economic “sabotage”  —  It looks like some folks on the right are purporting to be really, really surprised by the suggestion being made by some liberals that Republicans will actively try to sabotage the economy in order to increase their odds of taking the White House in 2012.

The Big Fail  —  Last week the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey issued an opinion in a case captioned Kemp v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. This case looks like the first piece of evidence in what might turn out to be the Securitization Fail or, in homage to Michael Lewis, The Big Fail.

Jerry Brown and the California Exception  —  What's Your Reaction:  —  The prodigal son has returned.  Not that he ever really left for good.  Or was all that prodigal, for that matter.  —  Jerry Brown's long and winding road has led him back to the door to the suite of offices …

Saudi school lessons in UK concern government  —  Panorama went undercover to obtain the books  —  The government says it will not tolerate anti-Semitic and homophobic lessons being taught to Muslim children in the UK.  —  BBC Panorama found that more than 40 Saudi Students' Schools …