The Dickishness Of The GOP  —  What we've observed these past two years is a political party that knows nothing but scorched earth tactics, cannot begin to see any merits in the other party's arguments, refuses to compromise one inch on anything, and has sought from the very beginning to do nothing but destroy the Obama presidency.

GOP to upend spending process  —  House Republicans seem intent on blowing up the staid appropriations process when they take power in January — potentially upending the old bulls in both parties who have spent decades building their power over the federal budget.

Diplomats Noted Canadian Mistrust Toward U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — In early 2008, American diplomats stationed in Ottawa turned on their television sets and were aghast: there was an “onslaught” of Canadian shows depicting “nefarious American officials carrying out equally nefarious deeds in Canada …

Banks in Talks to End Bond Probe  —  U.S. securities regulators are in preliminary discussions with several major Wall Street banks aimed at reaching settlements to resolve a broad investigation of their sales of mortgage-bond deals that helped unleash the financial crisis, according to people familiar with the matter.

Pentagon: We could have shut down Wikileaks but chose not to  —  I hope he's telling the truth.  Because if our cyberwar unit is so weak that they can't hit a few servers in Sweden, then I, for one, welcome our new Chinese overlords.  The key question: Was this decision driven chiefly by military or political concerns?

Cables condemn Russia as ‘mafia state’  —  Kremlin relies on criminals and rewards them with political patronage, while top officials collect bribes ‘like a personal taxation system’  —  Russia is a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which officials …

Palin, I knew Reagan.  You're no Reagan.  —  Editor's note: Ed Rollins, a senior political contributor for CNN, is senior presidential fellow at the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency at Hofstra University.  He is a principal with the Dilenschneider Group, a global public relations firm.

The Madrid Cables  —  In Spain, the WikiLeaks disclosures have dominated the news for three days now.  The reporting has been led by the level-headed El País, with its nationwide competitor, Público, lagging only a bit behind.  Attention has focused on three separate matters …

Boehner to create women's restroom adjacent to House floor  —  Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio) intends to commandeer a swanky office space adjacent to the House floor and build a women's restroom for female lawmakers.  —  For years, men have had the luxury of using facilities located adjacent …

County Recorder in Massachusetts Goes After MERS  —  This is one of those mind-blowing days, one I don't feel like I have much of a grip on.  But with all the despair with the federal government, the power structure that protects the banks at all costs, etc., it's worth looking at some potential good news for a change.

Ted Strickland: Democrats Suffering From ‘Intellectual Elitism’  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — Fresh off a narrow loss in his gubernatorial re-election campaign, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland on Wednesday offered some somber and sober-minded criticism for his own party and president.

Poll Problem: Incoming Governor Warns Presidential Candidates Not to Skip Event If They Want His Support  —  Branstad said pre-caucus endorsement is possible  —  Iowa Governor-elect Terry Branstad, a Republican, could become the king of the caucus.  He is the state's top Republican …

Who You Calling a Blue Blood, Sarah?  —  Last week Palin dismissed the Bush family as “blue bloods” but Meghan McCain, who admits she's one, says the media star is playing a dangerous game that will tear apart the Republican Party.  —  Welcome to the echo chamber!

Judicial Watch Obtains Documents from Obama Administration Detailing Actor Andy Griffith's “Misleading” Medicare Advertisements  —  Obama Administration Spent $3,184,000 in Taxpayer Dollars on Advertising Program Deemed “Misleading” by Non-Partisan FactCheck.org

You Are No Longer Free To Move About the Country  —  Janet Napolitano said last month that we should expect to soon see tighter restrictions at bus, train, and marine transportation centers, too.  Here's a report about TSA, Border Patrol, and local police setting up a checkpoint at a Greyhound station in Tampa.

Ellison, Grijalva to lead progressives  —  Reps. Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva were elected co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Wednesday night, according to liberal lawmakers.  Rep. Donna Edwards finished third in the three-way race for two spots.