GOP Rep. rips ‘reprehensible’ video  —  At least one Republican doesn't think it's OK to compare Nancy Pelosi to Pussy Galore.  —  After viewing an RNC video that juxtaposed the speaker with the James Bond villainess, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told POLITICO Saturday:

Some Obama Enemies Are Made Totally of Straw  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats often complained about President George W. Bush's frequent use of a rhetorical device as old as rhetoric itself: creating the illusion of refuting an opponent's argument by mischaracterizing it and then knocking down that mischaracterization.

Let Them Go Bankrupt, Soon  —  Solving Social Security and Medicare.  —  From the magazine issue dated Jun 1, 2009  —  When the trustees of Social Security and Medicare recently reported on the economic outlook for these programs, the news coverage was universally glum.  The recession had made everything worse.

U.S. Presses Israel to End Expansion of Settlements; Bush Pact Complicates Issue  —  Settlement Issue Is Complicated by Bush Agreement  —  The Obama administration is pressing the Israeli government to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements in Palestinian areas, U.S. and Israeli officials said …

U.S. Relies More on Allies in Questioning Terror Suspects  —  WASHINGTON — The United States is now relying heavily on foreign intelligence services to capture, interrogate and detain all but the highest-level terrorist suspects seized outside the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan …

FBI ‘lured dimwits’ into terror plot  —  The arrest of petty crooks over a plan to target Jews has put the use of sting operations under fire  —  ON the steps of New York city hall on Friday, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor, praised the police officers and federal agents who helped disrupt …

China bridge jumper ‘gets a push’  —  A man threatening to commit suicide by jumping from a Chinese bridge was approached by a passer-by who shoved him over the edge, local media say.  —  Lai Jiansheng, 66, said he was fed up with the desperate man's “selfish activity” which caused huge traffic jams in Guangzhou, southern China.

La Cage aux Democrats  —  THE most potent word in our new president's lexicon — change — has been heard much less since his inspiring campaign gave way to the hard realities of governing.  But on Tuesday night, the irresistible Obama brand made an unexpected and pointed cameo appearance …

Amid Housing Bust, Phoenix Begins a New Frenzy  —  PHOENIX — Every weekday morning, Lou Jarvis drives the sun-baked suburban streets looking for investment gold: a family that will lose its house in a foreclosure auction within a few hours.  —  If the property looks promising …

'WE'RE OUT OF MONEY'  —  In a sobering holiday interview with C-SPAN, President Obama boldly told Americans: “We are out of money.”  —  C-SPAN host Steve Scully broke from a meek Washington press corps with probing questions for the new president.  —  SCULLY: You know the numbers …

Al Qaeda recruits back in Europe, but why?  —  Four men say their training experience in Pakistan wasn't what they hoped for.  Anti-terrorism officials wonder if they're just biding their time, ready to strike in Europe.  —  Reporting from Brussels — Determined to die as martyrs …