Obama meets with liberal columnists  —  Obama held a meeting with several columnists and liberal commentators this morning, following up on last night's dinner with conservative writers, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting.  —  The group included the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne …

Cheney On Whether Iraq War Was Worth The 4,500 Americans Killed: ‘I Think So’  —  In an interview airing tonight on PBS's Newshour, host Jim Lehrer asks Vice President Cheney about the U.S. soldiers who have lost their lives in the war in Iraq.  Cheney shows little remorse:

Geithner's Hearing Is Postponed  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate Finance Committee for a second time postponed a hearing for Treasury Secretary-nominee Timothy Geithner following revelations about his failure to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes while working for the International Monetary Fund, among other tax infractions.

WARREN COUNTY, N.J. NEWS  —  Real-time news for Belvidere, Phillipsburg and more  —  Boy named Adolf Hitler, his sisters removed from parents' home by New Jersey authorities … State authorities have removed Adolf Hilter Campbell and his two sisters from their parents' home in Holland Township …

U.S. military report warns ‘sudden collapse’ of Mexico is possible  —  President-elect Barack Obama listens as Mexico's President Felipe Calderon makes a statement to reporters in Washington, Monday, Jan. 12, 2009.  Mexico is one of two countries that “bear consideration for a rapid and sudden collapse …

The Surpassing Significance of Herring  —  By way of full disclosure, I was one of the defendant's lawyers in the Herring case, though my involvement in it was very limited.  I am not an expert on the Fourth Amendment, but my preliminary reaction is that we will at some point soon regard …

Kennedy Fades As New Yorkers Back Cuomo For Senate, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Voters Don't Think Kennedy Is Qualified  —  New York State voters have cooled on Caroline Kennedy and more voters now prefer State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo 31 - 24 percent for Hillary Clinton's U.S. Senate seat …

Afghan Schoolgirls Undeterred by Attack  —  KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — One morning two months ago, Shamsia Husseini and her sister were walking through the muddy streets to the local girls school when a man pulled alongside them on a motorcycle and posed what seemed like an ordinary question.

Bush Presidency Closes With 34% Approval, 61% Disapproval  —  Three-quarters of Republicans approve of Bush, up slightly from recent months  — USA - Democrats - Government and Politics - Independents - Presidential Job Approval - Republicans - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America

Why Israel Can't Make Peace With Hamas  —  IN the summer of 2006, at a moment when Hezbollah rockets were falling virtually without pause on northern Israel, Nizar Rayyan, husband of four, father of 12, scholar of Islam and unblushing executioner, confessed to me one of his frustrations.

It's an injustice to NOT marry girls aged 10, says Saudi cleric … Saudi Arabia's most senior cleric has told followers it is permissible for ten-year-old girls to marry and anyone who think they are too young are doing the youngsters ‘an injustice’.  —  Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh …

Inauguration declared ‘emergency’  —  Unprecedented action helps D.C. cover costs  —  Dan Leaderman and Jon Ward THE WASHINGTON TIMES  —  President Bush on Tuesday declared the District a federal emergency area, clearing the way for the city to receive federal money to help cover …

The House Republicans Propose A Stimulus Alternative  —  There is no pride of authorship, President-elect Barack Obama said last week.  His economic team is open to and all ideas, regardless of progenitor.  —  So — the Republican Study Committee in the House has come out with an all-tax, no spending variant.

House Votes to Expand Children's Health Care  —  WASHINGTON — With enthusiastic support from President-elect Barack Obama, the House on Wednesday passed a bill to expand the Children's Health Insurance Program.  President Bush twice had vetoed similar legislation.

Friedman to Palestinians: Suck on This  —  America's leading foreign affairs columnist once again endorses collective punishment of Arabs.  I wish he would stick to climate change: … This in much the same way that Osama bin Laden sought to “educate” American civilians about the price …

Ex-Bush aide takes blame for ‘Mission Accomplished’  —  (CNN) - It's a moment President Bush has repeatedly called a mistake: Delivering a speech on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Spring of 2003 with a “Mission Accomplished” banner featured prominently behind him.

GOP could win 3 key Senate seats  —  Despite the shock of three recent Senate retirements in battleground states, Republicans find themselves unusually well-positioned to weather the loss and compete for those open seats in 2010 — a stark contrast from the dismal early recruiting environment in 2008.

Current, Future Justice Officials Clash Over OLC Proposal  —  In a revealing conflict of views between outgoing and incoming Justice Department officials, Attorney General Michael Mukasey recently told Congress that a proposal that was conceived by Prof. Dawn Johnsen to require expanded reporting …

Senate takes oath as Blagojevich impeachment jurors  —  SPRINGFIELD—The Illinois Senate took an oath today to be sworn in as jurors in the historic impeachment trial of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, hours after he made his first Capitol appearance since his arrest last month on federal corruption charges.

Nick Fury no more?  Samuel L. Jackson says 'Maybe I won't be Nick Fury'  —  EXCLUSIVE AND UPDATED  —  Samuel L. Jackson, clearly bristling, said today that negotiations to put him in the role of Nick Fury have broken down because “there seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world.”

BART officer arrested on murder warrant in NY Day shooting  —  (01-14) 00:13 PST Oakland — The BART police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man on an Oakland train platform and then refused to explain his actions to investigators was arrested Tuesday in Nevada on suspicion of murder, authorities said.

Joe the Plumber—Out of His Depth  —  Previously in this space I remarked that PJTV's sending Joe The Plumber to Israel felt like a shark-jumping publicity stunt and it was a risk that could put PJTV's credibility at risk.  —  After watching a few reports , I felt Joe was fine, when he related things as the average Joe that he is.

Carnahan is early front runner in Missouri  —  Democrat Robin Carnahan would be the early favorite for Missouri's open Senate seat if she decides to enter the field, Public Policy Polling's newest survey finds.  —  Carnahan leads three potential Republican opponents in hypothetical contests.