All Eyez on Him  —  The junior senator from Florida had a heck of an election year: Short-listed for VP.  Wrote a memoir of his Cuban heritage.  Gave a tough, moving convention speech—maybe the best of its kind since Obama's.  Michael Hainey talks to Marco Rubio about growing up in the shadow of Castro …

THE FINAL DAYS OF THE MEDIA CAMPAIGN 2012  —  OBAMA ENJOYS SURGE IN POSITIVE COVERAGE THE LAST WEEK OF THE RACE; ATTENTION TO ROMNEY DROPS  —  In the final week of the 2012 presidential campaign, Barack Obama enjoyed his most positive run of news coverage in months, according to a new study …

Barack Obama blunders again on the world stage  —  It is only two weeks since his re-election, and his second term remains two months away, but Barack Obama is already blundering again on the world stage, with the kind of gaffes that would have been plastered on the front page of The New York Times …

The worst candidate of 2012  —  Running for office has often been compared to walking a tight rope without a net or hosting live television.  If you are good, it shines through.  If you aren't, it, well, shines through.  —  Today we are handing out the Fixy — the coveted political awards that we …

The GOP Consultant Class Blames Me  —  RUSH: Couple of sound bites.  First, Mike Murphy.  He is a Republican consultant.  He was on Meet the Press yesterday, and among other things, he said this.  —  MURPHY: The biggest problem that Romney had was the Republican primary.

U.S. sends warships near Israel in case evacuation needed  —  Three U.S. Navy amphibious warships are returning to the eastern Mediterranean to remain on standby in the event they are needed to assist Americans leaving Israel in the coming days, according to two U.S. officials.

CNN Poll: 57% of Americans say Israeli attacks in Gaza are justified  —  Washington (CNN) - A majority of Americans say that Israel's current military strikes against Gaza are justified, according to a new national survey.  —  A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday indicates that 57% …

An Open Letter to President Obama  —  Dear President Obama:  —  Good luck on your journeys overseas this week, and congratulations on decisively winning your second term as our president!  The first time you won four years ago, most of us couldn't contain our joy and found ourselves literally in tears over your victory.

Investment Falls Off a Cliff  —  U.S. Companies Cut Spending Plans Amid Fiscal and Economic Uncertainty  —  U.S. companies are scaling back investment plans at the fastest pace since the recession, signaling more trouble for the economic recovery.  —  Half of the nation's 40 biggest …

In D.C. Circuit, Judge Calls Use of Acronyms ‘Painful’  —  By now, if lawyers haven't already taken notice, they should: Judge Laurence Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit isn't a big fan of abbreviations, including acronyms.  Today, the judge twice questioned the space-saving practice of shortening.

Losing Humanity  —  This 50-page report outlines concerns about these fully autonomous weapons, which would inherently lack human qualities that provide legal and non-legal checks on the killing of civilians.  In addition, the obstacles to holding anyone accountable for harm caused by the weapons …

Big Banks vs. Elizabeth Warren: It's On (Again!)  —  The fight between the financial industry and Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren heats up again over her possible nomination to the Senate Banking Committee.  —  Ron Sachs/DPA/ZUMAPRESS.com  —  Not even two weeks have passed since Democrat …

97 Republicans sign letter urging Obama to avoid Rice nod for State  —  Nearly 100 House Republicans on Monday called on President Obama not to nominate Susan Rice as Secretary of State.  —  In a letter to Obama, the 97 Republicans said the credibility of the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations …

Tareq Salahi: I'm no Jill Kelley  —  With some comparing Jill Kelley, the Tampa socialite involved in the Petraeus scandal, to the infamous Salahis, one of the White House party crashers says: Not so fast.  —  “I have seen a lot of the references, which are interesting,” Tareq Salahi told POLITICO.

Exclusive: Sun Capital wants to buy Hostess  —  Hostess may have a buyer.  —  FORTUNE — Private equity firm Sun Capital Partners wants to buy bankrupt bakery Hostess Brands Inc., Fortune has learned.  —  The proposal would be to operate Hostess as a going concern, including reopening …

Erdogan Calls Israel a Terror State, Sends Minister to Gaza  —  Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a terrorist state because of its offensive in Gaza and said he does not trust the United Nations because it lacks a Muslim voice.  —  Some delegates listening …

Organized Labor's Newest Heroes: Strippers  —  Exotic dancers are fighting back against unfair wages, and last week they had a landmark victory.  —  Charlie Riedel/AP Images  —  The words “labor dispute” make a lot of people imagine big men on a picket line.

Treasury Secretary Geithner: Lift Debt Limit to Infinity  —  (CNSNews.com) - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Friday that Congress should stop placing legal limits on the amount of money the government can borrow and effectively lift the debt limit to infinity.

Drillers Begin Reusing ‘Frack Water’  —  Energy Firms Explore Recycling Options for an Industry That Consumes Water on Pace With Chicago  —  Companies are racing to find ways to recycle the water used in hydraulic fracturing, chasing an emerging market that could be worth billions of dollars.

Hostess, unions agree to mediation  —  Judge pushes parties toward mediation to save more than 18,000 jobs  —  Hostess Brands Inc. agreed in court on Monday to enter private mediation with its lenders and leaders of a striking union to try to avert the liquidation of the maker of Twinkies snack cakes and Wonder Bread.

State Dept. Official to Attend OIC Meeting Today on Banning ‘Defamation of Islam’ UPDATE: OIC Scrubs Website, Screenshot Added, Cover-Up Begins  —  UPDATE: Well, that didn't last long.  Earlier this morning before I posted this item the OIC press release noted that U.S. Consul General …

Capretta and Levin: Why ObamaCare Is Still No Sure Thing  —  The majority of state governors are Republicans, and they have the power to disarm the health-care law.  —  Champions of ObamaCare want Americans to believe that the president's re-election ended the battle over the law.  It did no such thing.

BREAKING: 40 People Stop Keystone XL Construction: Four Lock to Machinery, Nacogdoches Student and Two Others Launch New Tree Blockade  —  What an incredible day of action!  Over 100 people in Nacogdoches, Texas rallied to defend their homes and protect their water from toxic tar sands.

A Blue Texas?  Keep Dreaming  —  Not only did the huge Hispanic turnout on Election Day help return President Obama to the White House; it has also lifted Democratic hopes about what just a few years ago was inconceivable: a blue Texas.  Even Eva Longoria decided to pen a piece …

At Federalist Society, Scalia Says He Doesn't ‘Live or Die’ for Bill of Rights Cases  —  For Justice Antonin Scalia, cases before the U.S. Supreme Court involving the Bill of Rights are important, but they aren't the ones “I live or die for.”  That distinction, he said in a speech over the weekend …