Obama Is Set to Shuffle His Staff  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama is planning the first major reorganization of his administration, preparing to shuffle several positions in the West Wing as he tries to fortify his political team for the realities of divided government and his own re-election.

U.S. Approved Business With Blacklisted Nations  —  Despite sanctions and trade embargoes, over the past decade the United States government has allowed American companies to do billions of dollars in business with Iran and other countries blacklisted as state sponsors of terrorism, an examination by The New York Times has found.

The Humbug Express  —  Hey, has anyone noticed that “A Christmas Carol” is a dangerous leftist tract?  —  I mean, consider the scene, early in the book, where Ebenezer Scrooge rightly refuses to contribute to a poverty relief fund.  “I'm opposed to giving people money for doing nothing,” he declares.

Exclusive - Biden: White House to Hold Line on Taxes in 2012; ‘Inevitability’ of National Consensus on Gay Marriage; Air Bases May Remain in Afghanistan Past 2014  —  The president's primary negotiator for the tax cut deal on Capitol Hill told me the administration will hold the line in two years …

We misunderestimated him: Bush's memoir sells 2m copies in a month - nearly as many as Bill Clinton's sold in six years  —  For someone who mangled words on a regular basis, it's an impressive feat.  —  Former U.S. President George W Bush's memoir has sold an astonishing two million copies since …

Bloomberg's aides provided political support for Ground Zero mosque, released emails show  —  Mayor Bloomberg's top deputies went to great lengths to help the developers of a planned mosque near Ground Zero - even drafting a letter to the community board for them.

Reid: My job will be ‘easier’ next year  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says his job will be “easier” in the 112th Congress, despite a slimmer Democratic majority and a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.  —  “It's going to be much easier than it was,” Reid told the Las Vegas Sun.

Kamala Harris: Democrats' Anti-Palin  —  It's easy to understand why Kamala Harris, California's next attorney general, is being called the future of the Democratic Party, a rising political star in the mold of one of her big supporters — President Barack Obama.

Proposed U.S. House Rules Welcome (Quiet) Mobile Devices to the Floor  —  So, it looks like, yep, iPads are indeed coming to the floor of the House of Representatives, at least as long as the rules changes proposed by the incoming Republican leadership are adopted as they stand.

Woman arrested at ABIA after refusing enhanced pat down  —  Early Wednesday morning, a computer glitch shut down a security checkpoint for a couple of hours at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.  The line snaked out the door as many travelers waited for more than an hour and some missed their flights.

Media Parrots Same Talking Points: ‘Most Productive Congress Since Great Society’  —  Is it a coincidence when reporters and anchors all use the exact same words when describing the 111th Congress in such flattering and historic language?  From network anchors in New York to local news across the country …

Republicans Labor to Avoid ‘Labor’  —  Congress is off for the Christmas holidays, but when lawmakers come back some will be laboring on a newly renamed committee.  —  It's the Education and the Workforce Committee, previously known in the just-concluded Congress as the Education and Labor Committee.

News Releases By Date  — EPA Home - Newsroom - News Releases By Date - EPA to Set Modest Pace for Greenhouse Gas Standards / ....  EPA to Set Modest Pace for Greenhouse Gas Standards / Agency stresses flexibility and public input in developing cost-effective and protective GHG standards for largest emitters

Did He Leave a Forwarding Address?  Yes, the North Pole  —  The theme of the party was Christmas 1962; when I opened the door to Jim and Dylan's apartment in Chelsea, I felt as if I had been transported back in time.  Their place was draped in white lights and evergreen boughs …

Union Visits Private Home To Intimidate, Local Media Calls It “Caroling”  —  From WGEM, and the only thing funnier than their headline is the thought that WGEM likely receives a lot of ad money from the union in advertising. … Are you kidding me?  A caravan of 80 people to sing insults and …