SENATOR COLLINS' STATEMENT ON 'DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL'  —  Following the conclusion of today's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, Senator Susan Collins released this statement:  —  “Like our closest allies, the United States' Armed Forces …

Dem Senator: Negotiating with Republicans “Almost” like Negotiating with “Terrorists”  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports: Did Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) just compare Republicans to terrorists?  —  Well, not really.  But he did compare negotiating with Republicans to negotiating with terrorists.

She Who Must Not Be Named  —  This is it.  This is the last time I'm going to write the name Sarah Palin until she does something truly newsworthy, like declare herself a candidate for the presidency.  Until then, I will no longer take part in the left's obsessive-compulsive fascination with her …

Viacom Says YouTube Ruling Will ‘Completely Destroy’ Copyright  —  Viacom appealed Friday its unsuccessful $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google's YouTube in a case testing the depths of copyright-infringement protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

Palin book signing a tightly controlled operation  —  Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - Members of the media and book-toting Sarah Palin supporters were asked to follow a surprisingly strict set of guidelines Friday as the former Alaska governor appeared in South Carolina on the final stop …

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.

Hold the brownies!  Bill could limit bake sales … WASHINGTON (AP) — Don't touch my brownies!  —  A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama — and championed by the first lady — gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates …

Hardball  —  From First Read: … Maybe a reluctance to play hardball is the issue here.  But there are at least two other things involved.  The first is simply that Republicans believe their own PR more than Democrats do.  When Republicans get hysterical about something, it's genuine.

The sight of women's breasts won't deter Islamists - they're obsessed with sex  —  Denmark's government is being called upon to employ a lethal new weapon in the fight against Islamist extremism: bare breasts.  —  No, I'm not making this up - and also deny outrageous suggestions that I'm looking …

New Jersey Closer to Sales of Medical Marijuana  —  A standoff between Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and advocates for medical marijuana has ended in a compromise that could put marijuana on the market for seriously ill patients by next summer.  —  The new regulations, announced on Friday …

What's in those free-trade agreements—and do they really boost exports?  —  On its face, trade policy may seem like pretty stodgy stuff, but don't be fooled.  Since this administration hopes to reduce the deficit and increase employment by growing our exports, the policies that shape that flow of goods and services play a key role.

Durbin: DREAM Act will come to the Senate floor next week  —  Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Friday predicted a Senate vote on the DREAM Act will be held next week.  —  “Sen. Reid is going to call it,” Durbin told The Hill shortly after the chamber adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Hillary Clinton: Secretary of State is “My Last Public Position”  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has once more reiterated that she will not run for president in 2012, going so far as to refer to her current role in government as “my last public position.”

Groupon Annual Revenues Actually $2 Billion  —  According to sources close to the situation, Groupon's actual run rate for this year is clocking in at $2 billion in revenue, rather than the widely quoted $500 million.  —  Who knew hawking spas treatments and stripper pole lessons could be so lucrative?

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.”

The November Employment Report: A Wake-up Call  —  Awful.  That's the best one can say about the November employment report.  The headline — that unemployment jumped to 9.8 percent — is not really the bad news.  If and when the economy does catch fire, droves of discouraged workers …

The new humane: killing terrorists instead of capturing them  —  Over the years, I have warned that the attempts to shoehorn wartime operations against terrorists through criminal courts would produce distorted decisions on fighting, especially on the desirability of capturing terrorists.

O'Donnell had nearly $1 million left  —  Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell criticized the national GOP for not spending money on her campaign, but the long-shot Senate nominee was sitting on a mountain of cash.  —  O'Donnell reported having $924,800 in the bank after the election was over …

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.