The New Voodoo  —  Hypocrisy never goes out of style, but, even so, 2010 was something special.  For it was the year of budget doubletalk — the year of arsonists posing as firemen, of people railing against deficits while doing everything they could to make those deficits bigger.

Gov. Christie praises his administration for work done after blizzard, chastises mayors for local efforts  —  TRENTON — At his first public event since a blizzard slammed the state, Gov. Chris Christie praised state workers and his administration for their response to the storm and said he wouldn't have done anything differently.

Not a fan: Krauthammer calls Palin ‘rather weak’ and gives her ‘no chance of winning’ in 2012  —  Is the idea that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin could be America's next president laughable?  Not only to many on the left, but also to conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer.

Miller ends challenge in US Senate race  —  Republican Joe Miller said today, nearly two months after Alaskans concluded voting, that he is giving up his fight challenging the election of Sen. Lisa Murkowski.  —  Miller thanked his supporters and said the time has come to accept the …

The Liberal Reckoning of 2010  —  The year voters saw the left's unvarnished agenda and said no.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent out a press release last week headlined “111th Congress Accomplishments.”  It quoted a couple of Democratic Party cheerleaders calling …

Outgoing GOP congressman: ‘Credible conservatives’ not about Obama ‘hatred’  —  Outgoing Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) said Thursday that a “credible conservative” movement that doesn't focus on “hatred” of President Obama is needed.  —  Inglis was defeated in a landslide by Trey Gowdy in the June primary runoff.

Gov. Bill Richardson: 'I've Decided Not To Pardon Billy the Kid'  —  Billy the Kid Was Promised a Pardon in 1879  —  It's been a year of pardons from two Mississippi sisters paroled in exchange for one donating a kidney to another to rock singer Jim Morrison to even a presidential turkey.

As frustration grows, airports consider ditching TSA  —  Every spring, private security officers at San Francisco International Airport compete in a workplace “March Madness"-style tournament for cash prizes, some as high as $1,500.  —  The games: finding illegal items and explosives in carry-on bags …

Maine seeks exemption from provision of health-care law  —  Days before a key and controversial provision of the health-care law is set to take effect, Maine is the only state to have asked the Obama administration for an exemption, despite concerns expressed by at least a dozen states.

Fox News Stokes the Climate Change Denial Machine  —  Fox News continues promoting anti-science rubbish to the rubes, with an article about Eight Botched Environmental Forecasts.  —  What do you notice about these “botched forecasts?”  The most recent one they could find dates back to 2000, and all the others are much older.

Government by regulation.  Shhh.  —  Most people don't remember Obamacare's notorious Section 1233, mandating government payments for end-of-life counseling.  It aroused so much anxiety as a possible first slippery step on the road to state-mandated late-life rationing that the Senate never included it in the final health-care law.

The Senate's Long, Twisted, Bumpy Road To Filibuster Reform  —  At some point on January 5, Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) will take the Senate floor and begin a process that he hopes will end in the successful use of the “Constitutional option” — the prerogative of a majority of the Senate's members …

Libel Law, Blogging About Incest, Plus Opposition to Government Regulation of Banking: “It Is of Stunning Coincidence”  —  Connoisseurs of odd legal arguments might appreciate this item, but unfortunately it requires a bit of background explanation.  Aviation lawyer Arthur Wolk sued Overlawyered.com and its bloggers for libel.

Dem regrets language in memo on ‘death panels’ that reignited debate  —  Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) is distancing himself from a memo sent by his office that urged health reform advocates not to advertise new end-of-life counseling regulations to avoid reviving talk of “death panels.”

Five hostages released in Pearland bank standoff  —  An armed robber continued to hold one person hostage in a Pearland bank Friday afternoon, four hours after two gunmen in ski masks burst into the bank and held multiple hostages.  —  Five hostages were released shortly after 2 p.m. from the Chase Bank.

WHEN A SIDESHOW IS EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING LARGER.... As 2010 comes to an end, there are plenty of retrospectives on the year in politics.  The Washington Examiner's Tim Carney, a conservative, has a worthwhile suggestion this morning for anyone still writing their year-end list.

The Key New Year's Resolution: Stop the EPA  —  Rolling back Obamacare will be at the top of many to-do lists for 2011, but a far more significant power grab is underway at the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and blocking it should be the first priority of incoming chairman …

US missiles kill 8 in northwest Pakistan  —  PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A U.S. missile strike killed eight suspected militants in northwest Pakistan on Friday, the final day of a year that has seen a major escalation in drone attacks targeting insurgents flowing into neighboring Afghanistan, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Alter's ‘The Promise’ Epilogue: Obama Team's Dysfunction Prompted Lack Of Focus On Jobs; Bill Clinton Annoyed At White House  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Some revelations about the Obama administration detailed in the new epilogue to the upcoming paperback release of Jonathan Alter's bestseller …

Obamacare mess is legacy of Dems' moment of power  —  As Republicans prepare to take power in the House and play a more influential role in the Senate, it's good to think back a year.  At the end of 2009, it was not at all clear that big Republican victories were on the way …