Rather's Lawsuit Shows Role of G.O.P. in Inquiry  —  When Dan Rather filed suit against CBS 14 months ago — claiming, among other things, that his former employer had commissioned a politically biased investigation into his work on a “60 Minutes” segment about President Bush's National Guard service …

George W. Hoover?  —  Last week, assembled at Miami's InterContinental Hotel for a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, the governors seemed cheerful.  The G.O.P. had lost only one statehouse on Election Day.  The prospects for a Republican pickup in Virginia in 2009 were decent …

Bill Clinton's Global Reach Would Have Pluses and Minuses for a Secretary of State Hillary Clinton  —  In Ex-President's Global Reach, Pluses, Minuses for a Wife at State  —  If Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is named the next secretary of state, she and her husband could be positioned to lead …

Obama On Economic Crisis, Transition  —  Also Discusses National Security, Iraq, And His Cabinet In 60 Minutes Interview  —  (CBS) The full video version of tonight's broadcast will be made available online at 11 p.m. EST.  —  Since Barack Obama was elected the 44th president …

What's the matter with Missouri?  —  Nearly two weeks after Election Day, Americans know who their next president will be.  But voters in Missouri still aren't quite sure which candidate their state preferred.  —  With John McCain leading Barack Obama there by fewer than 5,000 votes …

Scoop: Palin book deal could rake in $7 million  —  Plus: Kanye West defends himself, stars don't help ‘30 Rock’ ratings  —  One McCain-Palin ad tried to paint Barack Obama as a celebrity, but it's Palin who's on the verge of a celeb-sized book deal.  —  The Scoop  —  msnbc.com

Republicans ask: Just how bad is it?  —  Party leaders agree that the GOP has had a rough go of it at the polls in recent years.  —  How could they not?  —  Since 2004, they've gone from 55 Senate seats to no more than 43 once this year's last winners are determined …

For Obama, a Scouting Report on Athletic Heads of State  —  Barack Obama still moves with the ease of an athlete and has the left-handed jump shot to prove it, along with a state high school basketball championship to his credit, as a senior at Punahou School in Hawaii in 1979.

Pig Ignorant Religious Nuts  —  The American Family Association has really topped themselves: … Yes, thanks to the AFA, Christians everywhere can have their very own burning cross in their front yard for a mere $81.85, plus shipping and handling.  Oddly enough, this does not seem to be a big seller in African American communities.

A Giddy Sense of Boosterism  —  Perhaps it was the announcement that NBC News is coming out with a DVD titled “Yes We Can: The Barack Obama Story.”  Or that ABC and USA Today are rushing out a book on the election.  Or that HBO has snapped up a documentary on Obama's campaign.

Why Bankruptcy Is the Best Option for GM  —  Chapter 11 would better preserve the valuable parts of the company than an ad hoc bailout.  —  General Motors is a once-great company caught in a web of relationships designed for another era.  It should not be fed while still caught …

If Detroit Falls, Foreign Makers Could Be Buffer  —  The failure of one or more of Detroit's Big Three automakers would put a huge initial dent in American manufacturing, but in time foreign car companies would pick up the slack by stepping up production in their plants here, many industry experts and economists say.

Obama Courted Federal Employees With Letters Before Election  —  Workers at Seven Agencies Got Detailed Letters Before Election  —  In wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election, Barack Obama wrote a series of letters to workers that offer detailed descriptions of how he intends …