Criticized as Weak in Past Talks, Obama Takes Harder Line  —  WASHINGTON — Amid demands from Republicans that President Obama propose detailed new spending cuts to avert the year-end fiscal crisis, his answer boils down to this: you first.  —  Mr. Obama, scarred by failed negotiations …

Narcissist in chief: President Obama honors Rosa Parks anniversary with picture of himself; Update: Adam Baldwin with the win  —  Just when you think President Obama's impossibly large ego can't grow further, he makes it happen!  —  President Obama loves to insert himself in other people's biographies.

Hillary is Running: A Dispatch from the Saban Forum  —  Hillary Clinton is running for President.  And the Israeli political class is a full-blown train wreck.  These are two conclusions, for whatever they are worth, based on a three-day conference I attended this weekend at the annual Saban Forum, in Washington, D.C.

2016 contenders court mega-donors  —  A week after Election Day, three Republican governors mentioned as 2016 presidential candidates — Bobby Jindal, John Kasich and Bob McDonnell — each stopped by the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino to meet privately with its owner Sheldon Adelson …

Congress Retains Low Honesty Rating  —  Nurses have highest honesty rating; car salespeople, lowest  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As Congress remains involved in protracted negotiations over the pending “fiscal cliff” that could disrupt the nation's economy if not addressed by Jan. 1 …

Vatican discloses Pope's Twitter handle: @pontifex … VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - It's official.  Pope Benedict's handle on Twitter will be @pontifex.  —  He already has 1.2 billion “followers” in the standard sense of the word but next week he will have another type when he enters …

Singer Alanis Morissette defies boycott, threats over Israel concert  —  Pop singer Alanis Morissette arrived in Israel today for a concert at Tel Aviv's Nokia Theater; she last performed there in 2000. … Alanis Morissette in Israel  —  The usual voices of intolerance are protesting the Grammy Award-winning songwriter's visit.

Kid Rock: Obama and I have ‘no hard feelings’  —  Washington (CNN) - Musician Kid Rock, who was a celebrity surrogate for Mitt Romney, said President Barack Obama wasted no time in jokingly acknowledging their campaign rivalry Sunday.  —  “It was nice.  I saw the president tonight.

Does clinical legal education really have to be about left-liberal politics?  —  For my many and manifold sins, I have been assigned to the law school's appointment committee.  I'm grateful for the assignment, since I figure St Peter will credit it against my stint in Purgatory.

The Full McConnell  —  In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mitch McConnell finally mentioned a few sort-of specifics about what spending cuts the GOP wants: raising the Medicare age, charging higher premiums to affluent Medicare recipients, and changing the price indexing of Social Security.

Abbas ‘Victory Speech’: Jerusalem ‘Eternal Capital of Palestine’  —  PA Chairman promises that someday the PA flag will fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.”  —  PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Sunday promised someday the PA flag would fly over “Jerusalem, eternal capital of the state of Palestine.”