Orwellian Centrism  —  I don't usually bother looking at the Washington Post.  But I'm inside the Beltway right now, so I spared a peek — and for my sins ended up reading Dana Milbank, who praises Obama for punching the hippies.  —  So far, so usual.  But then I read this:

Michael Steele to reveal decision Monday  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele plans to announce his reelection plans on Monday evening, and key supporters expect him to drop out of the hotly contested race, top Republicans tell POLITICO.

Stockholm Hit by Blasts After E-Mail Warning  —  STOCKHOLM — One man was killed and two other people were injured when two explosions hit the heart of Stockholm's city-center shopping district on Saturday evening, the police in the Swedish capital said.  The country's foreign minister called …

What Progressives Don't Understand About Obama  —  NOT all of my white teachers viewed me as a discipline problem.  To the annoyance of my fellow students, one teacher selected me regularly to lead assembly programs.  A high school teacher insisted that I learn about the theater.

Reality Check  —  The failed attempt by the U.S. to bribe Israel with a $3 billion security assistance package, diplomatic cover and advanced F-35 fighter aircraft — if Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would simply agree to a 90-day settlements freeze to resume talks with the Palestinians — has been enormously clarifying.

Gay Bashing at the Smithsonian  —  EACH Aug. 4, my wife Alex and I visit a church to light candles for two people we loved who both died tragically on that day two years apart — my mother, killed at 64 in a car crash, and Alex's closest friend from graduate school, killed by AIDS at half that age.

A Secretive Banking Elite Rules Trading in Derivatives  —  On the third Wednesday of every month, the nine members of an elite Wall Street society gather in Midtown Manhattan.  —  The men share a common goal: to protect the interests of big banks in the vast market for derivatives …

West Village YMCA axes Santa Claus for Frosty  —  Tweet  —  He's a lost Claus.  —  A politically correct West Village YMCA has fired Ol' St. Nick in favor of Frosty.  —  Kids who once thrilled at sitting on Santa's lap at the 14th Street McBurney YMCA's wildly popular annual holiday luncheon …

Law lab  —  A radical new idea: what if we tested laws before passing them?  —  This past week, wrangling over the Bush-era tax cuts has riveted Washington.  The spectacle is only the latest round in an endless debate, one that has launched innumerable op-eds, cacophonous talk-show segments, and dinner-table quarrels.