Good riddance, Mr. DeMint  —  Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is leaving the Senate to take over the Heritage Foundation.  He will replace Ed Feulner as the conservative think tank's president.  He expressed no qualms about leaving the Senate before his term is up, nor did he reflect on his legislative achievements, of which none come to mind.

Mark Sanford Mulls Second Act in South Carolina  —  So could Sen. Jim DeMint be followed by...Sen. Mark Sanford?  —  Don't rule it out.  In an interview, the former South Carolina governor said he'd been by bombarded Thursday by calls and emails from former donors and allies encouraging …

Democrats watch in awe as McConnell filibusters himself  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling on Thursday, apparently with the intent of showing that even Democrats would not support such a bill.  —  However, McConnell's plan backfired …

At Boehner's Request, He and Obama Negotiate Alone  —  WASHINGTON — At House Speaker John A. Boehner's request, Senate leaders and Representative Nancy Pelosi have been excluded from talks to avert a fiscal crisis, leaving it to Mr. Boehner and President Obama alone to find a deal, Congressional aides say.

McConnell Filibusters His Own Bill To Lift Debt Ceiling  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to prove on Thursday that Democrats don't have the votes to weaken Congress' authority on the debt limit.  Instead they called his bluff, and he ended up filibustering his own bill.

Romney campaign raised $85.9M in final weeks  —  The final days of Mitt Romney's campaign were a prosperous ones for the Republican presidential candidate, even if the funds raised didn't translate to success at the polls.  —  Romney raised $85.9 million in the period from October 18 to November 26, the campaign announced Thursday.