Swindle of the year  —  Barack Obama won the great tax-cut showdown of 2010 - and House Democrats don't have a clue that he did.  In the deal struck this week, the president negotiated the biggest stimulus in American history, larger than his $814 billion 2009 stimulus package.

‘Filibernie’: Sanders blasts tax deal for five hours and counting  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is railing against President Obama's tax-cut package in a lengthy floor speech.  —  Sanders, one of the Senate's leading liberals, is protesting Obama's deal with Republicans …

Assange Lawyers Prepare for U.S. Spying Indictment  —  Attorney Says American Indictment Related to Espionage Act Imminent for Wikileaks Founder  —  Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the man behind the publication of more than a 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables …

Levi's Story  —  A study on “When Marriage Disappears: The Retreat from Marriage in Middle America” was published Monday by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values.

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Obama honors Nobel winner with statement about himself  —  There was an extraordinary scene at the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Friday morning.  The prize went to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was barred by the Chinese government from attending the ceremony.

The Senate Stands for Injustice  —  On one of the most shameful days in the modern history of the Senate, the Republican minority on Thursday prevented a vote to allow gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly in the military of the United States.  They chose to filibuster a vital defense bill …

Richard Wolffe mocks Palin and C.S. Lewis as just “a children's author”  —  I don't know if I should expect any better from ignoramuses from MSNBC, but this is supposedly a “respectable news organization” with shallow and arrogant individuals who only live to ridicule and belittle without thinking.

A bill to provide for the repeal of the Department of Defense policy concerning homosexuality in...  Overview … The text of this legislation is not yet available on GovTrack.  It may not have been made available by the Government Printing Office yet.  —  Introduced  —  Referred to Committee

Dismantling The safety Net, One Program At A Time  —  Peter Orszag really has it in for the social security program.  We already know that he's selling the ridiculous idea that if the Democrats agree to cut social security they will be rewarded for doing it.

IKE'S SPEECH  —  Afew months ago, Grant Moos was closing his boathouse, near Hackensack, Minnesota, as he does every summer, tying up loose ends, sweeping up debris.  This year, though, his sister Kathy insisted that it was finally time to do something about six cardboard boxes that for decades …

Gov.-elect Rick Scott hints at school vouchers for all at St. Petersburg rally  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Florida Gov.-elect Rick Scott on Thursday blew the door wide open to the idea of a voucherlike program for all students, saying he's working with lawmakers to allow state education dollars …

Introducing “The Cannabis Closet”  —  Longtime Dishheads will remember that rather extraordinary reader email thread that had to do with secret middle-class, mainstream marijuana use - for medical and non-medical reasons.  The thread “The Cannabis Closet” began with one reader email in March 2009 …

The Great College-Degree Scam  —  With the help of a small army of researchers and associates (most importantly, Chris Matgouranis, Jonathan Robe, and Chris Denhart) and starting with help from Douglas Himes of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Center for College Affordability and Productivity …

Americans in Poll Want Deficit Cut With Entitlements Secured  —  Americans want Congress to bring down a federal budget deficit that many believe is “dangerously out of control,” only under two conditions: minimize the pain and make the rich pay.  —  The public wants Congress to keep …

DADT Repeal: Heads They Win; Tails We Lose  —  If it fails in the Senate - despite solid public support, endorsement from the Joint Chiefs, backing from the Defense Secretary, a big majority in the House and a 57 - 40 vote in the Senate - what does this say about gays having a fair chance in the legislative process?

Dems show signs of abandoning Obama elsewhere after frustration with tax deal  —  Incensed over President Obama's tax compromise, House Democratic leaders are showing signs of abandoning the administration and going their own way on critical issues such as national security.

MAKING THE RANK-AND-FILE LOOK REASONABLE BY COMPARISON.... Jay Bookman notes a couple of interesting poll results this week, measuring Republican voters' attitudes on some key issues.  —  Gallup, for example, found that almost half of the country's GOP voters support repealing the existing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy.

Daniels Backs Off Moratorium On Social Issue Legislation  —  Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage Expected To Be Raised Next Year  —  INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mitch Daniels has backed down on his request for a moratorium on social issues in the upcoming legislative session.