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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

President Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan, Sources Tell ABC News  —  Visit Comes Amid Backdrop of Wikileaks Report Highlighting Afghan Corruption  —  President Obama is in Afghanistan on a surprise visit, sources told ABC News' Martha Raddatz.  —  Obama's surprise trip comes …

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.

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.”

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.

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?”

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: