Freezing Out Hope  —  After the Democratic “shellacking” in the midterm elections, everyone wondered how President Obama would respond.  Would he show what he was made of?  Would he stand firm for the values he believes in, even in the face of political adversity?

Scott Brown comes out in favor of DADT repeal  —  This is potentially important.  The statement just out from Senator Scott Brown's office: … A few quick points on this.  First, it shows beyond doubt — as I thought would happen — that Robert Gates's handling of this whole affair …

The top ten pundits among Republican activists  —  1,152 Republican activists, as identified by YouGov America and polled by ConservativeHome.com, have chosen their favorite pundits.  —  These pundits, more than any other, will be the talking heads who will influence the choice of the GOP's nominee for 2012.

Helen Thomas is At it Again-Says Those Rich Jews Control America  —  Proving once again that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, former White House Correspondent Helen Thomas told an anti-Arab-Bias workshop in Dearborn Michigan that she absolutely stands by her ugly comments about Jews …

After Catfood Commission Fails to Meet Mandate, Dem Senators Rally for Austerity  —  Fourteen Democratic Senators have asked Harry Reid for action on reining in the budget deficit, on the same day that the Catfood Commission failed to reach the threshold to deliver an official report.

Ron Paul stands up for Julian Assange  —  Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) is taking a stand as one of Julian Assange's few defenders in Washington, arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should get the same protections as the media.  —  Attorney General Eric Holder said this week that the Justice Department …

Karl Rove Slams Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee Over Bush-Bashing Comments  —  On Laura Ingraham's radio show, Karl Rove defended the Bushes against a series of comments, including Sarah Palin's reference to the Bushes as “blue-bloods” and Mike Huckabee saying the Bushes “weren't for me.”

Deficit panel's plan goes down to defeat  —  In an 11-7 vote, President Obama's fiscal commission on Friday failed to adopt a sweeping plan for reining in the federal budget deficit.  —  The panel had been working since February on a plan that would cut almost $4 trillion in deficit spending …

Disappointing Job Growth in U.S. as Jobless Rate Hits 9.8%  —  In a significant setback to the recovery and market expectations, the United States economy added just 39,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.8 percent, according to the Department of Labor.

Arizona Cuts Financing for Transplant Patients  —  PHOENIX — Even physicians with decades of experience telling patients that their lives are nearing an end are having difficulty discussing a potentially fatal condition that has arisen in Arizona: Death by budget cut.

What's So Hard About Hardball?  —  Kevin Drum on the Democratic Party's congenital inability to play hardball politics: … The bigger issue, I think, is that Republicans have an astounding level of ideological unity and a keen understanding of the political dynamics at work.

Montana Republican Numbers  —  On the Montana poll that we released a couple weeks ago we also had some numbers on who Republicans in the state wanted as their candidates for President and Senate in 2012 and we just never got around to releasing them.  So here goes:

Feds Warrantlessly Tracking Americans' Credit Cards in Real Time  —  Federal law enforcement agencies have been tracking Americans in real-time using credit cards, loyalty cards and travel reservations without getting a court order, a new document released under a government sunshine request shows.

UN Climate Summit Leader Prays to Mayan Moon Goddess  —  Watch out, Al Gore, your moonbat congregation is starting to direct their prayers elsewhere: … It just makes sense: When you're pushing a myth, there's no more appropriate entity to pray to than a mythical goddess.  Why be inconsistent?

For the Record...  I really wonder what's happening, subjectively, inside the heads of people who oppose repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell.  Do any of them think they're on the right side of history here?  That people are going to look back from 2040 and say “if only we'd listened to John McCain thirty years ago?”

Driehaus sues anti-abortion group  —  U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus sued an anti-abortion group Friday for making statements that he says misled voters about his stance on abortion.  —  Driehaus said the Susan B. Anthony List lied about him in public statements and then sued him for trying to stop …

Hillary Clinton: State is ‘last’ public post  —  Hillary Clinton says, ‘I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position.’  —  Secretary of state will be Hillary Clinton's “last public position,” she said Friday, yet again tamping down speculation that she's plotting …

Elaine Kaufman, Who Fed the Famous, Dies at 81  —  Elaine Kaufman, who became something of a symbol of New York as the salty den mother of Elaine's, one of Manhattan's best-known restaurants and a second home for almost half a century to a bevy of writers, actors, athletes and other celebrities, died Friday at Lenox Hill Hospital.