Kidding around: Romney defends bet  —  Mitt Romney on Fox & Friends this morning, responding to controversy surrounding his offer of a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry during last weekend's GOP debate. … He then blamed Barack Obama for advancing a narrative that Romney is out-of-touch.

Depression and Democracy  —  It's time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression.  True, it's not a full replay of the Great Depression, but that's cold comfort.  Unemployment in both America and Europe remains disastrously high.  Leaders and institutions are increasingly discredited.

Iowa audience members yell at Rick Perry after Ames appearance [includes video]  —  Ames, Ia.  - A packed coffee house where Rick Perry spoke this afternoon turned into a bit of a ruckus that left the candidate heading out the back door and straight to his vehicle after several Iowans screamed questions about his views on gays.

I Was Wrong, and So Are You  —  A libertarian economist retracts a swipe at the left—after discovering that our political leanings leave us more biased than we think.  —  BACK IN JUNE 2010, I published a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the American left was unenlightened, by and large, as to economic matters.

Record 64% Rate Honesty, Ethics of Members of Congress Low  —  Ratings of nurses, pharmacists, and medical doctors most positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Sixty-four percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as “low” or “very low,” tying the record “low” …

Opposition grows to Occupy's port shutdown plan  —  Occupy Oakland's plan to shut down the city's bustling port on Monday for the second time in as many months is facing a complicating wrinkle nowhere in sight last time - opposition from several unions and some within the Occupy movement itself.

America's New Energy Security  —  Thanks to new technology, the U.S. has become less dependent on petroleum imports from unstable countries.  —  Every president since Richard Nixon has called for energy independence.  Nevertheless, U.S. reliance on imported oil long seemed to be headed …

A Romance With Risk That Brought On a Panic  —  Soon after taking the reins of MF Global in 2010, Jon S. Corzine visited the Wall Street firm's Chicago offices for the first time, greeting the brokers, analysts and sales staff there.  —  One broker, Cy Monley, caught Mr. Corzine's eye.

Sperm-donor kept wife in the dark  —  A conservative Christian politician has a secret life as a sperm donor for lesbian couples - even though he has campaigned against gay marriage.  —  American politician Bill Johnson has spent most of this year in Christchurch helping run the earthquake recovery …

Barack Obama's ‘60 Minutes’ Interview Has Me Screaming at My TV Again  —  Today on Morning Joe, they were playing clips of Steve Kroft's 60 Minutes interview with President Obama, and I literally started screaming.  There is only so much of this bulls-t I can endure without talking back to my TV:

Trump: My debate is defining the race  —  On Fox News this morning, Donald Trump offered a theory on why Mitt Romney has been stumbling and Newt Gingrich surging. … This is wrong on so many levels.  —  Most conspicuously, the debate was announced on December 2.

News Analysis: European Debt Deal May Not Be a Cure  —  VIENNA — The deal on Friday in Brussels to reformulate the rules of the euro zone has probably saved the shared currency for now — but there may be less to it than meets the eye.  —  At least four major issues still need to be resolved …

Newt Gingrich condemned for calling Palestinians ‘terrorists’  —  Palestinian officials say Republican frontrunner's claim children are taught to kill in textbooks is based on Israeli propaganda  —  Leading Palestinian officials have rounded on the Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich …