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 …

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) …

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.

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.”

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 …

No endgame on Hill as Christmas nears  —  'I hope we don't have to do that this year.' |  There's still no clear endgame in sight as Democrats struggle to close out the lame-duck session of Congress in time for Christmas.  —  The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is in limbo …

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.”

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 …

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) …

Conservatives growing uncomfortable with GOP blockade of 9/11 health bill  —  With Senate Democrats upping the pressure for passage of the bill giving health benefits to sickened 9/11 responders, it's going to get increasingly hard for GOP Senators to maintain their opposition.

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.”

Gov. Chris Christie commutes sentence of man convicted of having guns in N.J. illegally  —  TRENTON — Brian Aitken, who was convicted of illegally possessing two handguns that he had legally purchased in Colorado, will be spending Christmas out of prison.  —  Gov. Chris Christie commuted …

Romney's Conservative Problem  —  Mitt Romney's been looking weaker and weaker in our 2012 Presidential polling over the last couple months and it's pretty easy to identify the reason why: he has a major problem with conservatives and there's no evidence it's getting any better.

Census data likely to bring more bad news for Democrats on Tuesday  —  Democrats are expected to get more bad news when the census data is released Tuesday.  —  Republicans netted 63 House seats in the 2010 election, and now several heavily Democratic states are projected …

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.

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 …