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 …

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.

BREAKING: Sources: Plouffe to join White House staff, Axelrod may exit sooner than expected  —  Washington (CNN) - President Obama is planning to bring former campaign manager David Plouffe onto the White House staff at the beginning of January to work alongside senior adviser David Axelrod …

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 …

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.

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 …

U.S. corn ethanol “was not a good policy"-Gore  —  * U.S. ethanol consumes about 40 pct corn crop  —  Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore said support for corn-based ethanol in the United States was “not a good policy”, weeks before tax credits are up for renewal.

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 …

The Answer Is No  —  New Jersey governor Chris Christie is denying money to teachers and tunnels, oxygen to Democrats, and intentions to run for president in 2012.  Which is only making him more popular.  —  C  —  hris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, was trolling for clicks.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

When politics of Israel, Cuba collide  —  The incoming chairwoman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs helped shut down an unexpected diplomatic opening between Cuba and Israel earlier this year, sources in Jerusalem and Washington confirmed.  —  Israeli leaders reacted warmly …

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 …