Gingrich's Ballot Miss Could Shake Voters' Confidence  —  Newt Gingrich declared confidently the other day that he would get his name on the ballot for the Republican presidential primary in Virginia.  In fact, he said he already had the requisite 10,000 signatures and an additional 2,000 …

Gingrich Defends South Carolina's Decision To Fly Confederate Flag At Capital  —  At an event in South Carolina yesterday, Newt Gingrich was asked by a town hall participant to offer his views regarding the state's decision to fly the Confederate flag at the statehouse in Columbia.

Obama's worst error  —  President Obama missed the boat on tax reform.  He put politics above entitlement reform.  He worsened already-tense relations with Israel.  But the worst error, in large part because it was both avoidable and is not irreversible, was to pull all troops out of Iraq.

The Big Lie  —  So this is how the Big Lie works.  —  You begin with a hypothesis that has a certain surface plausibility.  You find an ally whose background suggests that he's an “expert”; out of thin air, he devises “data.”  You write articles in sympathetic publications …

How to Discuss Climate Change With Your Uncle During the Holidays  —  by Russell McLendon, in a Mother Nature Network cross-post  —  Most people know better than to bring up politics, religion or climatology in polite company.  It's a recipe for arguments, or at least for awkwardness.

Obama says he's not bound by Guantanamo, gun-control provisions  —  President Obama said Friday he will not be bound by at least 20 policy riders in the 2012 omnibus funding the government, including provisions pertaining to Guantanamo Bay and gun control.  —  After he signed the omnibus …

Democrats believe payroll tax victory bolsters chances of taking House  —  Democrats believe their chances of recapturing the House have improved significantly after what was widely seen as a GOP meltdown in the payroll tax debate.  —  Democrats believe the messy fight has helped narrow …

Barbara Walters' Slobbering Interview With Obama: What Super Power Do You Want?  —  Barbara Walters, who famously asked Katherine Hepburn what type of tree she was, may have outdone herself in a slobbering interview with Michelle and Barack Obama.  In previews of Friday's “20/20” segment …

Gingrich Gets An “A” From Niall Ferguson  —  I get that self-avowed “neo-imperialist” historian Niall Ferguson relishes his gig as academia's most celebrated colonial nostalgic/conservative reactionary.  But this is too much: … This nugget of praise, apparently written in all seriousness …

FNA Invites World Cartoonists to Int'l Wall Street Downfall Cartoon Festival  —  TEHRAN (FNA)- Fars News Agency plans to hold an international cartoon festival on the Occupy Wall Street movement in a bid to help people in the United States take their message out to the world.

Black Eye Friday: Shoppers throw punches over new Air Jordans … PINEVILLE, NC (WBTV) - Dozens of police officers had to break up fights and restore order at a local mall while shoppers were waiting for an overnight sale of a popular basketball shoe.  —  The disturbance started inside Carolina Place Mall just after 5am.

Spotlight on Romney's marriage casts shadow on Gingrich's past  —  Romney says he's showing voters his own character, not trying to contrast himself with anyone — but his main threat for the Republican presidential nomination is now on marriage No. 3 and has a history of infidelity.