Last-Ditch Move to Block Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Fails  —  12:18 a.m. |  Updated Just hours before President Obama planned to sign on Wednesday the repeal of the military's 17-year ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces, Republicans tried one last legislative maneuver to block the change.

Huck: Palin wrong, FLOTUS right  —  Potential GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says Sarah Palin's wrong and Michelle Obama's right, at least when it comes to the first lady's push to combat childhood obesity.  —  “With all due respect to my colleague and friend Sarah Palin …

The Net Neutrality Coup  —  The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations.  —  The Federal Communications Commission's new “net neutrality” rules, passed on a partisan 3-2 vote yesterday, represent a huge win for a slick lobbying campaign run by liberal activist groups and foundations.

Obama administration readies indefinite detention order for Guantanamo detainees  —  The Obama administration is preparing an executive order that would formalize indefinite detention without trial for some detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but allow those detainees …

Graham: GOP to blame for ‘capitulation ... of dramatic proportions’ in lame-duck  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) lashed out at fellow Republicans Tuesday for a “capitulation ... of dramatic proportions” to Democrats and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in the lame-duck Congress.

In a Sign of Foreclosure Flaws, Suits Claim Break-Ins by Banks  —  TRUCKEE, Calif. — When Mimi Ash arrived at her mountain chalet here for a weekend ski trip, she discovered that someone had broken into the home and changed the locks.  —  When she finally got into the house, it was empty.

From Specter, a blunt goodbye to the Senate  —  The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) called his final floor speech Tuesday a “closing argument” rather than a farewell, and it sounded as if it might have been one of the …

The rise of the Petulant Party  —  The lame-duck session of Congress has introduced Americans to the three-party system of government: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the Petulant Party.  —  Eight founding fathers of the Petulants took the stage Tuesday morning in the Senate TV studio …

GOP unveils strict new House rules  —  The new House Republican majority will force lawmakers to vote when they want to raise the nation's debt ceiling, publish committee attendance records, ban former members from lobbying in the House gym and require new mandatory spending to be offset by cuts to other programs.

CIA launches task force to assess impact of U.S. cables' exposure by WikiLeaks  —  The CIA has launched a task force to assess the impact of the exposure of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables and military files by WikiLeaks.  —  Officially, the panel is called the WikiLeaks Task Force.

Jim DeMint and the war on Christmas vacation  —  South Carolina GOP Sen. Jim DeMint repeated today his claim that “millions of Americans” are “outraged” that Congress would dare work on major legislation, namely New START, this close to Christmas.  He previously called it “sacrilegious.”

Americans See U.S. as Exceptional; 37% Doubt Obama Does  —  Majority believe U.S. at risk of losing status as greatest country in the world  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans widely agree that the United States has a unique character because of its history and Constitution that sets it apart …

E-Mail's Big Demographic Split  —  In an article in Tuesday's Times, I wrote about the changing status of e-mail.  Once it was cool to merely have an e-mail account (or several), but many young people now think of it as old school, and much prefer the zip of texting, instant messaging and social networks.

U.S. Director of National Intelligence on London terror arrests: Er, what terror arrests?  —  If you thought the gaffes in Diane Sawyer's interview with our counterterror brain trust couldn't get worse than “364 days a year,” skip ahead to 3:35 and brace yourself.

Obama's Overall Job Approval Steady at 46%  —  Dip in support from liberal Democrats offset by boost from moderate/liberal Republicans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's approval rating held steady in the mid-40s during the week ending Dec. 19, his 100th week in office and the week …

Is Rudy Giuliani a 2012 dark horse?  —  As a 2008 primary front-runner, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tanked.  But as a 2012 dark horse, he could do surprisingly well.  —  It's not because Giuliani has shifted; it's because the Republican Party has.

Government liabilities rose $2 trillion in FY 2010: Treasury  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. government fell deeper into the red in fiscal 2010 with net liabilities swelling more than $2 trillion as commitments on government debt and federal benefits rose, a U.S. Treasury report showed on Tuesday.