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 …

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 Rich People Who Don't Know How Tax Rates Work  —  How do you get to be as rich as the people in this New York Times story without ever figuring out how taxes work? … You see these idiots every time a tax hike becomes possible again.  They have no apparent idea how marginal rates work.

How The Conservative Media Lost The Election  —  The plan was to unmask Obama.  It didn't work.  —  President Obama's decisive reelection has promised the conservative new media four more years of fodder, but it's also left some of its more earnest participants with a gnawing question: What went wrong?

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.

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 …

California, Home of the Destitute  —  Last spring, my wife and youngest daughter and I spent a week in California.  We were reminded of the extraordinary natural wealth and beauty that were showered on that uniquely blessed state.  For a century or so, guided by brilliant private sector leadership …

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% …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

Let's go over the fiscal cliff  —  Here's an idea for how to start the New Year in a bipartisan fashion: Let's go over the fiscal cliff!  —  Today, the only ones in Washington who advocate fiscal cliff-diving are liberal Democrats.  It's time for conservatives to join them.

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.

Israel using Gaza as “warm-up” round for Iran?  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Israel may soon take its airstrikes into Hamas-controlled Gaza to Lebanon, as practice for “a likely war with Iran,” Washington Post defense writer David Ignatius suggested Sunday on “Face the Nation.”

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 …

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.

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 …

Wal-Mart warns workers on Black Friday strike  —  Protesters at a June anti-Wal-Mart rally in Los Angeles.  Store workers in 12 cities have been walking out in protest since October, which Wal-Mart said violates national labor law.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — As Wal-Mart workers prepare …

Islamic hardliners announce fatwa on Malala Yousafzai  —  British-based Islamic radicals are preparing to announce a fatwa on Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old girl shot by the Pakistan Taliban, for her role in standing up to extremists.  —  The story of Malala, who is recovering …