WHY MUST HE BE SUCH AN ANGRY OLD MAN.... Most good stories have heroes, and when it comes to the story of repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the list of heroes is wonderfully long.  —  And then there are the villains. … Watching McCain rail endlessly yesterday was a genuinely painful experience.

McConnell says he ‘cannot support’ nuclear arms treaty  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voiced opposition Sunday to the New START - a nuclear arms treaty with Russia - saying that members of his party need more time to consider the legislation.

Saudi king may want to move Ground Zero mosque to St. Vincent's site  —  A Manhattan lawyer with ties to the Saudi royal family is sounding out officials and community leaders about a plan to move the controversial Ground Zero mosque to the West Village.  —  Attorney Dudley Gaffin …

Democrats Confident that 9/11 Health Bill Will Pass  —  One More Republican Vote Needed to Pass Bill for Responders and Victims  —  The first responders still suffering health effects more than nine years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks could get a “Christmas miracle” this year, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said today.

Body of U.S. tourist found near Jerusalem; police suspect terror attack  —  Christine Logan disappeared on Saturday, when she and a Jerusalem-area friend were stabbed by assailants while hiking at an archaeological site; her friend, Susan Kaye Wilson, was hospitalized in moderate condition.

Lawyers cry foul over leak of Julian Assange sex-case papers  —  LAWYERS for Julian Assange have expressed anger about an alleged smear campaign against the Australian WikiLeaks founder.  —  Incriminating police files were published in the British newspaper that has used him as its source for hundreds of leaked US embassy cables.

Bush on Bush  —  They call themselves, smugly, “41” and “43,” meaning the 41st and 43rd presidents of the United States.  You're supposed to prefer the father, all graciousness and handwritten little notes, over the son, who — even in memoirs written at age 64 after two terms as president — seems callow.

A Gay Commander in Chief: Ready or Not?  —  Jimmy Carter is putting the out in outspokenness.  —  In an interview with bigthink.com, the former president was asked, “Is the country ready for a gay president?”  —  Even as John McCain and other ossified Republicans were staging last-minute maneuvers …

Ivies moving toward restoring ROTC  —  Some top universities moved quickly Saturday to respond to the vote repealing the ban on gays in the military, and those who don't restore their ROTC programs in the wake of the vote are likely to face immediate pressure on the issue.