Haley Barbour's Affection for the White Supremacist Citizens' Council  —  Andrew Ferguson's profile of Haley Barbour reveals that the guy is dangerously ignorant about the history of race in his state: … Fortunately, it's actually possible to look at the archives of the Citizens Council newspaper published right in Mississippi.

GOP senators concede arms treaty will secure enough votes to pass  —  Republican senators say privately they expect the Senate to ratify the New START treaty this week, which would hand President Obama his third major victory of the lame-duck session.  —  GOP senators — including those who plan …

Nina Totenberg: ‘I Was At - Forgive the Expression - a Christmas Party...’  —  “I was at - forgive the expression - a Christmas party,” NPR reporter Nina Totenberg interjected on Inside Washington in the weekend's oddest cautionary separation from a common description for a common event …

60 Minutes' one-sided, GOP-friendly report on state budgets  —  Did Chris Cristie's speechwriters script this CBS report on state budget deficits?  It certainly reads that way.  —  In 2,600 words about state deficits, you won't find the phrase “tax cuts.”

Poll: Obama rebounding  —  President Barack Obama may be staging a comeback in the eyes of the American people, a new poll suggests.  —  In a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday, 48 percent of Americans say they approve of how Obama is handling his job, while 48 percent disapprove.

The FCC's Threat to Internet Freedom  —  ‘Net neutrality’ sounds nice, but the Web is working fine now.  The new rules will inhibit investment, deter innovation and create a billable-hours bonanza for lawyers.  —  Tomorrow morning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) …

My Token Moment of Outreach to the Religious Right  —  Ross Douthat: … I don't spend a lot of time agreeing with the Christian right about things, but the whining about the secularization of Christmas is a point I sympathize with.  If Christmas were more properly religious …

Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.  —  The system, by far the largest …

Mitch McConnell plans power plays against Democrats  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has a warning for Democrats seething over his shrewd political tactics: Get used to it.  —  “There's much for them to be angst-ridden about,” McConnell said with a chuckle.  “If they think it's bad now, wait 'til next year.”

When Zombies Win  —  When historians look back at 2008-10, what will puzzle them most, I believe, is the strange triumph of failed ideas.  Free-market fundamentalists have been wrong about everything — yet they now dominate the political scene more thoroughly than ever.  —  How did that happen?

Chris Christie's Pepsi problem  —  In 1975, Pepsi unleashed “the Pepsi Challenge,” a blind taste test where subjects threw back an ounce of each beverage and reported back on their favorite.  Their favorite was Pepsi.  —  You already know what happened next: Coca-Cola developed a more Pepsi-like product called “New Coke.”

TRENDING: Palin disses Michelle Obama over ‘dessert’  —  (CNN) - Sarah Palin is again taking aim at Michelle Obama over her anti-obesity campaign, taking the opportunity in Sunday's “Sarah Palin's Alaska” to land a diss against the first lady's efforts to improve nutrition.

Republicans Start Teaching Members How to Obey the Constitution  —  Earlier today, some Hill staffers attended the first of four staggered meetings on how to write a new clause into legislation that explains why, exactly, the legislation is constitutional.  This was a big Tea Party demand …

Israel, Palestinian Authority worked against Hamas  —  Leaked diplomatic cable shows extent of shared intelligence  —  Below:  —  JERUSALEM — A U.S. cable leaked on Monday said Israel and President Mahmoud Abbas's forces worked closely together against Hamas as it took over Gaza in 2007 …

The Culture War Ain't What It Used to Be.  —  Jonathan Bernstein makes an excellent point about the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell: … With the possible exception of John McCain, pretty much every conservative knew they were going to lose this argument eventually.

Christie sabotages medical marijuana program  —  Lisa Segal wakes up every morning locked in a fetal position, her muscles in spasm from multiple sclerosis.  —  She's 59 years old, and has tried everything.  The only medicine that relaxes those muscles and settles her nausea is marijuana.

The Effect of Falling Home Prices on Small Business Borrowing  —  Small businesses continue to report problems obtaining the financing they need.  Because small business owners may rely heavily on the value of their homes to finance their businesses (through mortgages or home equity lines) …