Barack Obama's French kiss-off  —  Obama's public reactions to the attacks in Paris have been muted.  —  Barack Obama n'est pas Charlie — or at least, he wasn't this weekend.  —  Don't look for the president or vice president among the photos of 44 heads of state who locked arms and marched down Boulevard Voltaire in Paris.

Democrats, in a stark shift in messaging, to make big tax-break pitch for middle class  —  Senior Democrats, dissatisfied with the party's tepid prescriptions for combating income inequality, are drafting an “action plan” that calls for a massive transfer of wealth from the super-rich …

Santorum Criticizes Potential G.O.P. Rivals as ‘Bomb Throwers’  —  WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum sharply criticized a group of potential rivals for the Republican presidential nomination in an interview that indicated he intends to reclaim conservative primary voters ahead of another White House bid in 2016.

Dianne Feinstein Urges Government Not To Indict Petraeus: ‘This Man Has Suffered Enough’  —  DiFi thinks poor David Petraeus has ‘suffered enough’ already because he lost his job as head of the CIA.  —  Someone please let me know if this woman has ever shown this much deference for ordinary citizens …

Valerie Jarrett, Obama's ‘Berlin Wall’  —  It's high time the news media paid more attention to Valerie Jarrett.  An old Chicago friend of both Barack and Michelle Obama's, she exercises unusual influence in the White House as a “senior adviser.”  Many in Washington believe that she is at the heart …

Health reform a plus for Dems, at last  —  People with broken arms, patients recently recovered from emergency surgery — President Obama needs to put Americans benefitting from ObamaCare next to the First Lady when he makes his Jan. 20 State of the Union address.

Jay Leno: Hillary Clinton ‘seems very slow’  —  While on the HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Jay Leno said Hillary Clinton seems “very slow” and appears to be older than Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren despite their 18-month age difference.  —  “I don't see the fire,” …

Afghanistan rally hails Charlie Hebdo attackers as ‘heroes’  —  Reuters 13 hrs ago  —  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds in southern Afghanistan rallied to praise the killing of 12 people at the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, calling the two gunmen “heroes” who meted out punishment …

Pop Music Critic Leaves The New Yorker to Annotate Lyrics for a Start-Up  —  Sasha Frere-Jones, the longtime pop music critic for The New Yorker, has left the magazine to join Genius, a website mounting an ambitious expansion after starting as a forum for annotated rap lyrics online.