Capitol Stand-off: Republicans Caving?  —  My prediction: House Republicans will soon - probably within 24 hours - cave in and accept the two-month extension of the payroll tax cut passed last week by the Senate.  —  I base this on conversations with House Republicans who know they are losing …

Mitt Romney bin Busted: ‘Candidate Like Myself’ Would Have Done Bin Laden Raid (Except 2007 Mitt)  —  At Christmastime, it's comforting to know that a Mitt Romney interview is the gift that keeps on giving.  On Wednesday's The Daily Rundown, host Chuck Todd drew a lot out of the candidate with his deceptively easygoing style.

Rep. Ron Paul Gets Irked By Newsletter Questions, Walks Out Of CNN Interview  —  Ron Paul walked out of an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger following a heated exchange over the controversy regarding racist newsletters sent in his name during the 1990s.  Borger asked the Congressman if he had ever read the newsletters.

$335 Million Settlement on Countrywide Lending Bias  —  The Justice Department on Wednesday announced the largest residential fair-lending settlement in history, saying that Bank of America had agreed to pay $335 million to settle allegations that its Countrywide Financial unit discriminated …

Mitt Romney Says ‘Yes’ To Deporting President Obama's Uncle  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:  —  Presidential candidate Mitt Romney told a Boston talk radio host on Wednesday that he supports the deportation of President Obama's Kenyan-born uncle who was arrested this fall on drunken driving charges in Massachusetts.

Matt Damon Blasts Obama: “One-Term President With Balls” Would Be Better  —  Matt Damon rips President Obama in Elle magazine, blasting his leadership qualities and saying he'd prefer “a one-term president with some balls who actually got stuff done.”  —  The actor, a longtime supporter …

Lawmaker Says Michelle Obama Has ‘Large Posterior’  —  Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), known for his cantankerous ways and for not speaking to media unless it's his idea, was overheard at the Delta Crown lounge at Reagan National Airport today talking on his cellphone about an incident …

Romney Reverses Position on Iraq  —  You people don't care about Iraq any more, do you?  Didn't think so.  —  In an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd today, Mitt Romney asserts that “of course” invading Iraq was a bad idea now that we know Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.

The Most Important Graphs of 2011  —  What is it about graphs and economics?  In a discipline where facts are murky and certainty is elusive, graphs offer a bright light of information and a small confidence that the world can be summed up between two axes.

The 50 Best Political Quotes For 2011 (Third Annual)  —  50) Get the hell off the Beach in Asbury Park and get out.  You're done.  It's 4:30 PM.  You've maximized your tan.  Get off the beach.  Get in you cars and get out of those areas.  — Chris Christie 49) NPR is a very elitist …

New EPA mercury rules are a bona fide Big Deal  —  Wednesday, at long last, the EPA unveiled its new rule covering mercury and other toxic emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants.  —  Anyone who pays attention to green news will have spent the last two years hearing a torrent …

Ex-President Carter sends condolences to Kim Jong-un  —  Former President Jimmy Carter has sent North Korea a message of condolence over the death of Kim Jong-il and wished “every success” to the man expected to take over as dictator, according to the communist country's state-run news agency.

Robertson Tells Father to Love his Gay Son through ‘Ex-Gay’ Conversion  —  Today on The 700 Club, a man with an openly gay son asked Pat Robertson how he can show his son “the love of Jesus when you know his sexual preference is an abomination to God.”  Robertson told the father to love …

2011 In Review: Four Hard Truths  —  What a difference a year makes ...  We started 2011 in recovery mode, admittedly weak and unbalanced, but nevertheless there was hope.  The issues appeared more tractable: how to deal with excessive housing debt in the United States …

Gay Republican Groups Defend Gingrich, Urge Gay Voters Not To Vote On Equality  —  Gay Republican group GOProud said today that “Speaker Gingrich said absolutely nothing wrong” when he told a gay voter he'd be better off supporting President Obama's reelection.

Sheriff: Stray bullet kills Amish teen 1.5 miles away  —  A teenage Amish girl shot on the way home from a Christmas party in her horse-drawn buggy was apparently killed by a stray bullet fired by a man cleaning his rifle 1.5 miles away, an Ohio sheriff says.

Newt Gingrich courting Iowa voters with judicial rants  —  Newt Gingrich, scrambling to regain ground in Iowa, has worked to keep his crusade against federal judges alive — talking up the issue for the fourth straight day in an appearance on “The O'Reilly Factor” on Tuesday night.

Assad losing control as 10,000 soldiers desert Syrian military  —  Scores killed in Tuesday's clashes, including 14 troops ambushed by opposition.  —  Get Haaretz on iPhone  —  Get Haaretz on Android  —  More than 10,000 soldiers have deserted the Syrian army, sources say …