Obama: 'I Don't Think About Sarah Palin'  —  “Obviously Sarah Palin has a strong base of support in the Republican Party and I respect those skills,” Obama said.  “But I spend most of my time right now on how I can be the best possible president.  And my attitude has always been …

PROMISES, PROMISES: GOP leader reaps $200 million  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans' ban on earmarks - money included in a bill by a lawmaker to benefit a home-state project or interest - was short-lived.  —  Only three days after GOP senators and senators-elect renounced earmarks …

Woman: TSA Agents Singled Me Out For My Breasts  —  Travelers Plan To Boycott TSA's Latest Security Measure Aiming To Clog Security Lines  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency will look further into allegations that two male TSA workers picked …

NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY!  —  It's the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government's desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an “enhanced pat down” that touches people's breasts and genitals in an aggressive manner.

Fines and “Resolving this Mess”  —  Yves does a thorough smackdown on the departing Michael Barr's description of all the things the government is going to get to the bottom of the foreclosure fraud problem, noting that the foreclosure task force simply isn't investigating the problem …

U.S. to Send Carrier for Joint Exercises Off Korea  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama and South Korea's president agreed Tuesday night to hold joint military exercises as a first response to North Korea's deadly shelling of a South Korean military installation, as both countries struggled …

Trust in Government  —  Matt Bai muses: … That broad-based skepticism of government is, of course, why the Obama Era has also witnessed a broad-based public backlash against unrestrained government surveillance powers, the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, public demands that Obama cut Medicare benefits more sharply.

GOP lawmakers under pressure to decline government health plan  —  Congressional Republicans who assailed the Democrats' healthcare law in the run-up to the midterm elections are facing pressure to decline government-provided coverage when they take office.  —  GOP Reps.-elect Bobby Schilling …

HarperCollins settles Gawker suit over leaked Palin excerpts  —  HarperCollins settled a lawsuit Tuesday night with Gawker Media over the site's publication of leaked images from Sarah Palin's new book, “America by Heart.”  —  Gawker posted the Palin excerpts on Friday and even mocked …

Fed lowers economic expectations for 2011  —  Unemployment is set to remain higher for longer than previously thought, according to new projections from the Federal Reserve that would mean more than 10 million Americans remain jobless through the 2012 elections - even as a separate report …

Why is the Obama administration linking Israel and New START?  —  While the White House continues to negotiate with Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) in an attempt to convince him to allow a vote on the New START treaty this year, it is also undertaking a massive effort behind the scenes to rally foreign governments …

The Real Story Behind Those “Record” Corporate Profits  —  Corporate profits hit a new record in the U.S. in the third quarter of this year.  At least, that was the headline after the data were released Tuesday.  It was kind of a meaningless distinction: In a growing economy …

Bobby Jindal: Make Congress part-time  —  Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal wants members of Congress to stay home more often.  —  “We used to pay farmers not to grow crops, let's pay congressmen to stay out of Washington, D.C.,” Jindal said in an interview with Human Events.

Closing statements  —  This has been a really good debate, I think—a lot racier and spikier than many of our offerings, but none the worse for that.  It almost puts me in mind of PMQs.  Now the guest interventions from John Samples and Andrew Sullivan are in, as are the closing statements …

President Palin?  Gov. Christie Rolls His Eyes … Faced with the prospect of a President Sarah Palin, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — the Republican party's darling from another coast — shook his head and rolled his eyes.  “I don't know, but it's an amazing world,” he said to “Late Night” …

China, Russia quit dollar  —  Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on a visit to St. Petersburg on Tuesday.ALEXEY DRUZHININ / AFP  —  St. Petersburg, Russia - China and Russia have decided to renounce the US dollar and resort to using their own currencies …

Washington Post Continues Media Whitewash Of Radical GOP Rep.-Elect Allen West  —  Over the weekend, NBC's Meet the Press featured Rep.-elect Allen West (R-FL) without mentioning the offensive Islamophobia that West made central to his congressional campaign, nor the long history …

Joe Lieberman left with limited 2012 options  —  Joe Lieberman essentially has two options for 2012: Retire or become a Republican.  —  The Connecticut senator and Democratic exile hasn't made up his mind whether to seek a fifth term, Lieberman and those close to him say.