Ron Paul Ad Blasts Newt Gingrich for ‘Serial Hypocrisy’  —  Texas Rep. Ron Paul is tearing into Republican presidential rival Newt Gingrich with a new web ad that ranks among the most scathing of the year.  —  Hitting similar themes that the Democrats used earlier this week …

Occupy Protesters Mobilize for Obama's Visit  —  Updated More than 100 Occupy Wall Street protesters marched to a Midtown hotel on Wednesday night to protest a fund-raising event for President Obama.  —  Escorted by police vehicles as they helped snarl traffic across the Times Square area …

Islamists Claim Egypt's Mandate in Early Voting  —  CAIRO — Islamists claimed a decisive victory on Wednesday as early election results put them on track to win a dominant majority in Egypt's first Parliament since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the most significant step yet …

TPM2012  —  Bachmann: I Would Close Our (Non-Existent) Embassy In Iran  —  Michele Bachmann has had her fair share of foreign policy stumbles, but she just hit a whole new level.  —  According to a tweet from NBC News' Jamie Novogrod, Bachmann responded to the recent raiding of the British embassy …

Shockingly, Morning Joe Transcript Actually Worth Five Minutes of Your Time  —  But only five minutes.  —  Down on Obama, and that includes the liberals, who are beginning to get as distracted and depressed as he is, over the burden of having to spin his failures.  —  Video at the link, but here's some good parts.

A Banker Speaks, With Regret  —  If you want to understand why the Occupy movement has found such traction, it helps to listen to a former banker like James Theckston.  He fully acknowledges that he and other bankers are mostly responsible for the country's housing mess.

Stocks & Bonds: Markets Surge on Action By Several Central Banks  —  A move announced by central bankers on Wednesday to contain the European debt crisis resulted in euphoria in global stock markets, but it also prompted skeptics to wonder: will this time be different?

Occupy L.A.: 30 tons of debris left behind at City Hall tent city  —  Sanitation officials said Wednesday that they expect to haul away 30 tons of debris from the Occupy L.A. encampment — everything from clothing to heaps of garbage to oddball curiosities left behind by the protesters …

Dem Recruit Attacks GOP Congressman for Backing Obama  —  Here's a telling sign of how much President Obama's fortunes have changed since 2008 — a leading Democratic Congressional recruit is now attacking a Republican congressman for supporting the president.

China's Superior Economic Model  —  The free-market fundamentalist economic model is being thrown onto the trash heap of history.  —  Andy Grove, the founder and chairman of Intel, provocatively wrote in Businessweek last year that, “Our fundamental economic beliefs, which we have elevated …

Mike Huckabee won't endorse before Iowa-and maybe not at all  —  With Iowa's Republican presidential caucus up for grabs, all eyes have been on Mike Huckabee, the contest's 2008 GOP winner whose potential endorsement in the race would surely be a game changer for any of the aspiring presidential hopefuls.

In New Hampshire, Herman Cain vows 'it ain't over yet'  —  Herman Cain reacts to supporters at his campaign headquarters in Manchester, N.H., on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011.  (Elise Amendola / Associated Press)  —  Reporting from Manchester, N.H.— Stridently denying allegations of an extramarital affair …

Barack Obama and blue-collar Pennsylvania voters : Take 2  —  SCRANTON, Pa. — They were never a natural fit.  —  President Barack Obama lost white working-class voters in this Rust Belt state during the 2008 Democratic primary, after describing them as bitter people who “cling” to God and guns.

Schumer: Democrats can gain Senate seats in 2012 election  —  Sen. Charles Schumer says the political landscape has shifted dramatically from the 2010 election and predicts that Senate Democrats will hold their majority and might even expand it next year.  —  In an interview with The Hill …

Google rips Senate's online piracy bill: ‘This is what is wrong with Washington’  —  Google is exhorting senators to oppose an online piracy bill, arguing it would threaten national security, shackle the Internet with regulations and imperil free speech, according to a document obtained by The Hill.

Richardson Feels New Heat  —  Grand Jury Looks at Whether Former Governor Arranged Payments to Woman  —  A federal grand jury is investigating former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson over possible campaign-finance violations stemming from his 2008 presidential run, including allegations …

Barney the bully: Congressman Frank's other legacy  —  The morning after his retirement announcement, Rep. Barney Frank scored an interview on NBC's “Today” show, gaining the opportunity to act as an elder statesman in front of a TV audience of millions.  Instead, the Massachusetts Democrat chose to quarrel with the interviewer.

Congressional incumbents start attracting ‘super PACs:’ The Influence Industry  —  Each of the top presidential candidates already has at least one super PAC raising unlimited funds to support his or her campaign.  Now some members of Congress are getting in on the action, too.

Clinton offers Myanmar first rewards for political reform  —  (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered Myanmar the first rewards for reform on Thursday, saying the United States would back more aid for the reclusive country and consider returning an ambassador after an absence of some two decades.

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  —  In response to this letter, written by former general partner of Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and current Investment Fund Manager at Omega Advisors …

Obama, Congress restore horse-slaughter industry  —  President Obama last month quietly signed into law a spending bill that restores the American horse-slaughter industry, just a few months after a government investigation said the ban on slaughtering was backfiring.