My Secretary of State  —  President Obama is assembling his new national security team, with Senator John Kerry possibly heading for the Pentagon and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice the perceived front-runner to become secretary of state.  Kerry is an excellent choice for defense.

Cole: Join with Obama on quick deal  —  Republican Rep. Tom Cole urged colleagues in a private session Tuesday to vote to extend the Bush tax rates for all but the highest earners before the end of the year — and to battle over the rest later.  —  The Oklahoma Republican said in an interview …

When Work Is Punished: The Tragedy Of America's Welfare State  —  Exactly two years ago, some of the more politically biased progressive media outlets (who are quite adept at creating and taking down their own strawmen arguments, if not quite as adept at using an abacus, let alone a calculator) …

Obama public relations effort aims to avoid ‘fiscal cliff’  —  View Photo Gallery — The ‘fiscal cliff’: Meet the key players: With the election behind them, Obama and lawmakers have turned their attention to the fiscal cliff.  Here's a look at some of the leaders who will influence whether …

Students Told to Disavow ‘American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality’  —  A political science professor at Butler University asks students to disregard their “American-ness, maleness, whiteness, heterosexuality, middle-class status” when writing and speaking in the classroom …

Erickson considering challenge to Chambliss  —  Popular conservative blogger and radio personality Erick Erickson said Tuesday he was considering a primary challenge to Sen. Saxby Chambliss after a host of political bigs had approached him about staging a bid of his own in the days since …

How much would you pay for 1 hour with Sandra Fluke?  —  EXCLUSIVE: Sandra Fluke, noted advocate for government-subsidized birth control, is auctioning off one hour of her time for an online “strategy session” at the site BiddingForGood.com.  —  According to the auction page …

In U.S., Majority Now Against Gov't Healthcare Guarantee  —  Views of healthcare system overall more positive in some respects  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the first time in Gallup trends since 2000, a majority of Americans say it is not the federal government's responsibility to make sure all Americans have healthcare coverage.

Apple Said to Fire Maps Manager as Flaws Hurt IPhone 5  —  Behind Apple's iPhone Map Manager Shakeup  —  Apple Inc. (AAPL) has fired the manager responsible for its troubled mapping software, seeking to win back the trust of users disappointed after the program debuted in September, according to people familiar with the move.

AP EXCLUSIVE: GRAPH SUGGESTS IRAN WORKING ON BOMB  —  You are here  —  Home » Vienna » AP Exclusive: Graph suggests Iran working on bomb … VIENNA (AP) — Iranian scientists have run computer simulations for a nuclear weapon that would produce more than triple the explosive force …

Exclusive: Nokia seeks to block sale of some RIM products  —  Nokia wants a US court to enforce an arbitration agreement that could affect most of RIM's smartphones  —  Nokia has asked a California court to enforce an arbitration award that would prevent Research In Motion from selling products …

Bob Wirch's Payoff  —  The latest drama among Wisconsin's senate Democrats brings to mind one of the more memorable lines from “A Man for All Seasons.”  Sir Thomas More confronts a man who has betrayed him after he was bought off with the Attorney Generalship of Wales.

OHIO SENATE PUTS END TO ‘HEARTBEAT’ ABORTION BILL  —  You are here  —  Home » Julie Carr » Ohio Senate puts end to ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The leader of the Ohio Senate put a stop Tuesday to a bill that would have imposed the most stringent restriction on abortions in the nation.

The President is bluffing  —  I think the President is bluffing on his veto threat.  —  Conventional wisdom: To achieve his desired fiscal policy outcome (big tax rate increases on the rich), the President is willing to risk tax increases on all income tax filers.

Naked Protesters Occupy John Boehner's House Office  —  (Image Credit: Susan Walshe / AP Photo)  —  Some protesters dropped trou to launch a protest at House Speaker John Boehner's office in the Longworth House Office building in Washington.  —  U.S. Capitol Police public information …

CEOs Looking To ‘Fix The Debt’ By Cutting Social Security Sit On Huge Retirement Accounts  —  Several CEOs — under the guise of a campaign known as “Fix the Debt” — have recently called for cuts to Social Security and other entitlements.  Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, for instance …

A Struggling CNN Worldwide Is Said to Be Drawn to Jeffrey Zucker  —  In the days to come, when Time Warner appoints a new leader of CNN Worldwide for the first time in a decade, that person will face an identity crisis unlike any other in corporate America.  —  Though CNN over all is on track …

‘I want you to leave me alone:’ Gennifer Flowers claims Bill Clinton tried contacting her as recently as 2005  —  The lounge singer also said she spoke with the then-Democratic presidential candidate in 1992 about how he wanted ‘name recognition.’ She said she helped him become a ‘household name overnight.’

Obama quietly signs bill shielding airlines from carbon fees in Europe  —  President Obama has signed into law a bill that requires U.S. airlines be excluded from European carbon emissions fees.  —  Environmentalists had framed the bill as the first test of the president's commitment …

Federal Student Lending Swells  —  The federal lending program designed to make college education available to everyone is creating a pile of debt so large it is fanning worries that it has become too easy to borrow too much.  —  U.S. student-loan debt rose by $42 billion, or 4.6% …

Bill Bolling to exit Virginia governor race  —  Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is expected to drop out of next year's gubernatorial race Wednesday morning, leaving Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli with a clear path to the GOP nomination next year, two Virginia Republicans tell POLITICO.