10 Bush pardons to watch for  —  As the clock ticks down on his presidency, George W. Bush has shown few signs he plans to indulge in the frenzy of last-minute pardons that marked Bill Clinton's final hours in the Oval Office.  —  But Bush could quickly leap back into the spotlight in the next …

Most blacks say MLK's vision fulfilled, poll finds  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — More than two-thirds of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for race relations has been fulfilled, a CNN poll found — a figure up sharply from a survey in early 2008.

Wall Street Voodoo  —  Old-fashioned voodoo economics — the belief in tax-cut magic — has been banished from civilized discourse.  The supply-side cult has shrunk to the point that it contains only cranks, charlatans, and Republicans.  —  But recent news reports suggest that many influential people …

Obama Reaches Out for McCain's Counsel  —  WASHINGTON — Not long after Senator John McCain returned last month from an official trip to Iraq and Pakistan, he received a phone call from President-elect Barack Obama.  —  As contenders for the presidency, the two had hammered each …

The Next War President  —  In synagogue on Saturday, before saying the customary prayer for our country, the rabbi asked us to reflect on the fact that a new president would be inaugurated on Tuesday, and urged us to focus a little more intently than usual on the prayer.

OBAMA'S READING LIST.... Barack Obama, it is safe to say, likes books more than his predecessor did.  We know that much because he has written a couple of good ones — most notably, the well-received memoir Dreams From My Father, which launched him into the public sphere as a writer …

Parsing Gains of Gaza War  —  GAZA — The Parliament building here has been reduced to rubble.  The five-story engineering department of the Islamic University is a pile of folded concrete.  Police stations, mosques and hundreds of homes have been blown away.

NAZIS NEEDED  —  Via Nilk, images of yesterday's Hamas rally in Melbourne:  —  AAP merely describes people “carrying placards calling for an end to what was described as a ‘massacre’”.  Meanwhile, in Paris: … Jews haven't been so vilified since Islamists attacked the US on 9/11.  —  Have Your Say

Likud, Kadima escalate mutual attacks  —  The Likud and Kadima parties intensified their attacks against each other on Sunday after the cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, formally ending Operation Cast Lead and restarting the election campaign.  —  The first polls taken …

INAUGURAL COSTS.... This week, inaugural festivities are a pretty big deal — in D.C., throughout the country, and even around the world — but it appears some news outlets have found a way to find fault with the celebration.  —  The AP, for example, reported, “Unemployment is up.  The stock market is down.

More Joining American Military as Jobs Dwindle  —  As the number of jobs across the nation dwindles, more Americans are joining the military, lured by a steady paycheck, benefits and training.  —  The last fiscal year was a banner one for the military, with all active-duty and reserve forces meeting …

Rulings of Improper Detentions as the Bush Era Closes  —  For nearly six years, Haji Bismullah, an Afghan detainee at Guantánamo Bay, has insisted that he was no terrorist, but had actually fought the Taliban and had later been part of the pro-American Afghan government.

36 Hours in Washington, D.C.  —  WASHINGTON is suddenly hip again, infused with the heady double-barreled combination of a new crowd of idealistic young political worker bees, who actually believe they can change the world, and the arrival of America's first black president.

The Scene at the Lincoln Memorial  —  Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to gather at the Lincoln Memorial today for the “We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration.”  Times reporters are at the event and will regularly update this post throughout the day.