Lisa Murkowski: Sarah Palin Lacks “Intellectual Curiosity” to be President  —  Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowki told CBS News' Katie Couric today that she would not support Sarah Palin for president because Palin lacks the “leadership qualities” and “intellectual curiosity” to craft great policy.

GOP frosh: Where's my health care?  —  A conservative Maryland physician elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform surprised fellow freshmen at a Monday orientation session by demanding to know why his government-subsidized health care plan from the government takes a month to kick in.

2 Dems claim Arianna Huffington stole website idea  —  Two Democratic consultants are accusing Arianna Huffington and her business partner of stealing their idea for the powerhouse liberal website Huffington Post.  —  Peter Daou and James Boyce charge that Huffington and partner Ken Lerer designed …

Apple Finally Snares Beatles  —  Steve Jobs is nearing the end of his long and winding pursuit of the Beatles catalog.  —  Apple Inc. is preparing to disclose that its iTunes Store will soon start carrying music by the Beatles, according to people familiar with the situation …

Powell: Advocates Should Not Pressure Congress To Repeal DADT Before It Is Ready, Study Completed  —  This evening, during an interview on CNN's Larry King Live, Gen. Colin Powell reiterated his belief that repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell must “take into account the views of our military leaders …

Congressional Black Caucus Witholds Support For Pelosi  —  Washington (CNN) - The Congressional Black Caucus has decided to withhold its approval for the House Democratic leadership team, denying Speaker Nancy Pelosi full support of the 42-member organization as she campaigns to remain leader.

The Full-Body Backlash  —  As full-body scanners come into more widespread use in American airports (they will be phased in soon at the three major airports in the New York City metro region), they are also coming under more frequent criticism.  —  The objections are coming from many different quarters:

Gingrich: Obama should take off most of the rest of the year  —  President Obama should take off most of the rest of the year to concentrate on the lessons of the 2010 election, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Tuesday.  —  Gingrich urged the president to take some time away …

Dejected House Dems wipe away tears as GOP celebrates victory  —  Dejected Democrats wiped away tears on the House floor Monday night while Republicans congratulated themselves on winning back control of the lower chamber.  —  House members returned to the nation's capital …

Wow!  HUNDREDS OF RIDERS WITH US FLAGS Escort Cody Alicea to School Today (Video)  —  Hundreds of American Legion Riders and fellow patriots escorted Cody Alicea to Denair Middle School this morning.  They all had American Flags on their bikes.  —  A veteran brings Cody to tears when he gives …

The big disconnect: D.C. elites think Obama will be re-elected, the public doubts it  —  The midterms not only dealt a big shock to the Democrats, but also sent a message to President Obama.  According to the new POLITICO “Power and the People” poll, only 26 percent of the public believes he will now be re-elected as President in 2012.

Two Full-Time Obama Opponents Say Obama Should Pledge Not to Run Again  —  What would really help President Barack Obama through the current tough political spell?  If he just gave up his foolish desire to be president and announced he would not seek reelection.

Don't Tread On Meat: Tea Partying Singer Pat Boone Launches Mail-Order Steak Business  —  If you like steak but wish it were more conservative, then Tea Partier and 50s crooner Pat Boone has a new line of mail order meats that you should probably take a look at.

Left, Right and Wrong on Taxes  —  GIVEN the furor from both the left and the right, one would be tempted to think that the initial proposal from the co-chairmen of President Obama's fiscal commission, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, must offer an excellent starting point for a discussion of deficit reduction.

Government to compensate ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees  —  UK resident Binyam Mohamed had sought compensation following his release  —  Around a dozen men who accused British security forces of colluding in their torture overseas are to get millions in compensation from the UK government.

OUP USA 2010 Word of the Year: Refudiate … Refudiate  —  has been named the New Oxford American Dictionary's 2010 Word of the Year!  —  refudiate verb used loosely to mean “reject”: she called on them to refudiate the proposal to build a mosque.  —  [origin — blend of refute and repudiate]

Angry left to Obama: Stop caving on agenda  —  Liberals furious with a White House they view as constantly telegraphing compromise with Republicans are pressuring President Obama to get tougher, arguing that is the only way he will win both progressives and independents in 2012.

Contagion hits Portugal as Ireland dithers on rescue  —  The EU authorities have begun to vent their fury against Ireland over its refusal to accept a financial rescue, fearing that the crisis will engulf Portugal and Spain unless confidence is restored immediately to eurozone bond markets.

Washington's Equal Pay Obsession  —  There's no epidemic of gender discrimination.  So why is Congress proposing another law?  —  Women in the workplace don't face rampant pay discrimination, and yet the Senate may soon pass a bill—already passed in the House—premised on the erroneous charge that they do.

Congressional freshmen vow not to party like it's 1994  —  The sprawling new class of House Republicans — 84 at last count — arrived in Washington only Sunday, but they're already discussing how they can avoid being seduced by the capital.  —  They only have to look back 16 years for a primer on what not to do.

Vander Plaats to lead Iowa group with 2012 endorsement plans  —  Former Republican candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats will lead a reorganized conservative policy and political advocacy group aimed in part at becoming an influential player in the campaign for Iowa's 2012 Republican presidential caucuses.