Obama to GOP: I'm done negotiating with myself  —  Republican aides are circulating their summary of the White House's opening bid on the fiscal cliff.  They're circulating it because they believe it fleshes out Speaker John Boehner's complaint that “the White House has to get serious.”

Exclusive: The Internal Polls That Made Mitt Romney Think He'd Win  —  It's no secret that the Romney campaign believed it was headed for victory on Election Day.  A handful of outlets have reported that Team Romney's internal polling showed North Carolina, Florida, and Virginia moving safely …

Self-Awareness Matters  —  In politics, self-awareness matters.  It does.  When I was a political consultant, I told my clients my first two rules.  The first was to know when you were in the minority, even when you thought you were right.  The second was to know yourself as others see you.

No action on same-sex marriage  —  The Supreme Court, after taking most of the day to prepare new orders, took no action Friday on the ten same-sex marriage pleas now on the docket.  It did agree to rule on whether taking a human gene out of the body for research is a process that can be patented.

Complaints Aside, Most Face Lower Tax Burden Than in the Reagan '80s  —  What Is Fair?:  —  BELLEVILLE, Ill. — Alan Hicks divides long days between the insurance business he started in the late 1970s and the barbecue restaurant he opened with his sons three years ago.

Down and Out With Ted Cruz and the GOP  —  As Republicans regroup from electoral disaster, some — including a rising star in the Senate — insist conservatism was not to blame.  —  Associated Press  —  Why did Republicans lose the 2012 election?  Ask Ted Cruz, the newly elected Republican senator from Texas.

Noonan: The Drawn-Out Crisis—It's the Obama Way  —  The president seems to prefer frustration to good-faith negotiation.  —  The president's inviting Mitt Romney for lunch is a small thing but a brilliant move.  It makes Mr. Obama look big, gracious.  It implies the weakened …

For Secretary of State, G.O.P. Pushes Old Hand  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama's potential nominee for secretary of state, Susan E. Rice, comes under increasing fire, Congressional Republicans appear to be coalescing around a familiar name as an alternative candidate …

The Death of ‘Mediscare’  —  Fighting Democrats to a draw on Medicare reform may be a pivotal moment in American politics.  —  Since Nov. 6, Republicans have, for perfectly understandable reasons, expressed their deep disappointment with the election results.

Class Wars of 2012  —  On Election Day, The Boston Globe reported, Logan International Airport in Boston was running short of parking spaces.  Not for cars — for private jets.  Big donors were flooding into the city to attend Mitt Romney's victory party.  —  They were, it turned out, misinformed about political reality.

Pot legalization support hits record high, poll shows  —  Support for marijuana legalization has edged up recently and is now tied with the oppposition, according to a CBS poll released Friday — the first time since that survey started keeping track of the issue.

Tom Cole: Obama Fiscal Cliff Plan ‘Laughable’  —  Speaking Friday afternoon with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Oklahoma congressman Tom Cole, a Republican who has emerged this week as an advocate of compromising on taxes, panned President Obama's proposal to avert the fiscal cliff.

Costco's Dividend Tax Epiphany  —  Obama's fans in the 1% vote to beat Obama's tax increase.  —  When President Obama needed a business executive to come to his campaign defense, Jim Sinegal was there.  The Costco co-founder, director and former CEO even made a prime-time speech at the Democratic Party convention in Charlotte.

How Two Presidents Helped Me Deal With Love, Guilt, and Fatherhood  —  Guidance from Bill Clinton and George W. Bush taught the author how to accept and understand his son's Asperger's syndrome.  —  Ron Fournier, left, and his son Tyler.  —  Our noses were practically touching the wall.

High stakes in Google outcome - Today: House votes on STEM bill - W.H. circulating draft executive cyber order - Addressing the labor shortage in STEM fields - Tech groups cheer ECPA decision  —  With help from Alex Byers, Eliza Krigman, Tony Romm and Steve Friess

Pat Robertson challenges creationism  —  Washington (CNN) - Televangelist Pat Robertson challenged the idea that Earth is 6,000 years old this week, saying the man who many credit with conceiving the idea, former Archbishop of Ireland James Ussher, “wasn't inspired by the Lord when he said that it all took 6,000 years.”