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) …

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 …

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 …

Runway Cleared For Ken Cuccinelli's VA-GOV Takeoff  —  In the first major GOP primary fight after the 2012 race, it seems the right wing of the Republican Party has prevailed once again.  —  As their party wrestles nationally with how to appeal to a broader electorate …

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.

Romney To Meet With Obama Thursday  —  No cameras allowed.  —  Image by Jason Reed / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — Defeated Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will have lunch with President Barack Obama at the White House tomorrow, the administration announced Wednesday.

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.

RG3 on playing football in a political town, his dream pick-up game with Obama and more: The Yahoo News interview  —  The Berlin Wall had already fallen by the time Robert Griffin III was born.  —  Today, the son of two Army sergeants has grown into one of the most hyped young football stars on the national scene.

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 …

Two-thirds of millionaires left Britain to avoid 50p tax rate  —  Almost two-thirds of the country's million-pound earners disappeared from Britain after the introduction of the 50p top rate of tax, figures have disclosed.  —  George Osborne, the Chancellor, announced in the Budget earlier …

The [bipartisian joy] Terrible Threat of Sequestration, … Shortly after their (deserved) victory lap in an election they had no business winning the media began reporting on upcoming “fiscal cliff”  —  The press is all full of the need for a deal to be made because of the disastrous consequences that will come on Jan 1st.

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.

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 …

Romney at 47 Percent  —  It seemed only fair to Mitt Romney to wait on this one.  His share of the popular vote, which stuck around 49 percent on election night, continued to fall as votes came in.  Last week Greg Sargent rang the alarm, warning/gloating that Romney might sink below 47.5 percent of the vote.

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.