The Constitution Is Very Important  —  Thank you for your interest in the Washington Post's Young Pundit Essay Contest.  As the leading newspaper in our nation's capital, we are always looking for budding journalistic talent to bring a fresh point of view our editorial pages …

Topics  —  When PUBLIC UNION workers decide to “screw” those that are actually paying their salaries it's time for a change.  —  BOMBASTIC  —  People died.  The union officials should all be charged with manslaughter.  —  Either that.  Or the citizenry needs to take their own retaliation against the “workers”.

So much for bipartisanship — a slew of recess appointments  —  On Wednesday, Obama shed any pretense of bipartisanship in making six recess appointments.  As were his previous recess appointments, this batch included two individuals whose records are so controversial that they could not obtain confirmation …

'Don't ask, don't tell' has been repealed.  ROTC still shouldn't be on campus.  —  Now that asking and telling has ceased to be problematic in military circles, ROTC has resurfaced as a national issue: Will universities such as Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League schools be opened …

Mosque foes launch Bieber boycott  —  The unlikely story of how the teen pop sensation became ensnared in the “ground zero mosque” fight  —  Andy Sullivan, a construction worker and Brooklyn native, has been one of the loudest opponents of Park51, the planned mosque and community center near ground zero.

Joe Scarborough: ‘I May Feel the Need to Run for Office Again’ … Sign up for our free online newsletter!

Paging Mr. Smith!  How The Senate May Return To The Old-School Filibuster  —  On January 5, 2011 — the first day of the 112th Congress — Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) will touch off a long debate, which he hopes will result in a majority-rules vote on a package of meaningful changes to the Senate rules.

RNC Candidate Priebus's Law Firm Says Health Reform Is Constitutional, Touts Benefits Of Reform  —  On January 14, 168 standing members of the Republican National Committee (RNC) will hold an election to select the next national chairman of the party.  Current RNC Chairman Michael Steele …

Judith Miller: From the Times to the nuts  —  Judith Miller used to be a superstar.  She was a major reporter at the New York Times for decades — at the DC bureau, in Cairo, in Paris, special correspondent to the Persian Gulf, embedded with a special unit in Iraq.  She had the best sources.

Bachmann: ‘Snotty’ Gore Vidal Novel Turned Me Republican!  (VIDEO)  —  Gore Vidal, what have you done?  —  At a speech to Michigan Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) — the darling of the Tea Party right — told an amazing story about how she shed her youthful Democratic roots and became a Republican.

Geraldine Doyle, 86, dies; one-time factory worker inspired Rosie the Riveter and ‘We Can Do It!’ poster  —  Geraldine Doyle, 86, who as a 17-year-old factory worker became the inspiration for a popular World War II recruitment poster that evoked female power and independence under the slogan …

Steve King Digs In: Congress Will Investigate ‘Reparations’ Settlement For Black Farmers  —  Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is continuing to blast the government's recent discrimination settlement with African-American farmers as “reparations” — and even predicting that the new Republican-led House will investigate it.

Is Palin-mania A Liberal Plot?  —  A Gallup poll finds that the only contemporary Republican political leader who makes the Republicans' list of “most admired people” is Sarah Palin (who is cited as “most admired woman” by 26% of Republicans — no other current politician cracks 3% among Republicans.)

Man's penis amputated following misdiagnosis  —  Double click on a word to get a translation  —  A Swedish man was forced to have his penis amputated after waiting more than a year to learn he had cancer.  —  The man, who is in his sixties, first visited a local clinic in Blekinge …

Biggest Surprise of Last Two Years: Bad at Losing.  —  A few weeks ago Jonathan Bernstein asked liberals “As the 111th Congress winds down, what's your biggest disappointment of the things you expected to happen?”  —  Bad at Losing  —  I expected Obama to be a better loser, specifically to be better at losing.

Murkowski certified Senate election winner  —  JUNEAU — Sen. Lisa Murkowski was officially named the winner of Alaska's U.S. Senate race Thursday, following a legal battle that lasted longer than the write-in campaign she waged to keep her job.  —  Gov. Sean Parnell and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell …

For Kodachrome Fans, Road Ends at Photo Lab in Kansas  —  PARSONS, Kan. — An unlikely pilgrimage is under way to Dwayne's Photo, a small family business that has through luck and persistence become the last processor in the world of Kodachrome, the first successful and still the most beloved color film.

Eight Botched Environmental Forecasts  —  The Statue of Liberty, depicted frozen solid in the movie “The Day After Tomorrow.”  Many weather forecasters and scientists wonder whether a coming period of “global cooling” may be on the way.  —  A new year is around the corner …

The book that defined modern campaign reporting  —  CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Before Richard Ben Cramer bought his old white farmhouse here in 1993, he called in “the best real estate guy that I know,” and then-Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and his brother Jimmy drove down from Wilmington to have a look.

‘King of the Birthers’ Launches Bid for Presidency  —  Andy Martin Says Birther Candidacy Will Drive GOP Message in 2012  —  Andy Martin has worn a lot of hats in his life: lawyer, talk-radio host and professor.  But now the self-crowned “king of the birthers” says he wants to be president of the United States.

Near-Record High See Religion Losing Influence in America  —  Current 70% nears all-time high of 75% recorded in 1970  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Seven in 10 Americans say religion is losing its influence on American life — one of the highest such responses in Gallup's 53-year history of asking this question …

Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour to free sisters sentenced to life in prison for robbery  —  Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) announced late Wednesday that he will grant an early release from prison to two sisters serving unusually long sentences for armed robbery.  —  Gladys and Jamie Scott have each served 16 years of a life sentence.