Dems agree to drop gov't-run insurance option  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic senators say they have a tentative deal to drop a government-run insurance option from health care legislation.  No further details were immediately available.  —  But liberals and moderates have been discussing an alternative …

Copenhagen's political science  —  With the publication of damaging e-mails from a climate research center in Britain, the radical environmental movement appears to face a tipping point.  The revelation of appalling actions by so-called climate change experts allows the American public …

Public Option Grand Compromise Becomes a Grand Big Nothing  —  Well, that did not take long.  Earlier today, I wrote how closely the new “grand compromise” on the public option at least seemed to closely resemble the theoretical alternative I wrote about several months ago based on several smart ideas.

Massive TSA Security Breach As Agency Gives Away Its Secrets  —  Online Posting Reveals a “How To” for Terrorists to Get Through Airport Security  —  In a massive security breach, the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) inadvertently posted online its entire airport screening procedures manual …

My friend the president  —  Over the past couple of days, Andrew Sullivan has linked to and published protests from various individuals who are quite angry that people “on the left” are being so mean to President Obama, and several of them are so upset that they have decided they are “leaving the left,” whatever that might mean.

Coakley, Brown win primaries for US Senate seat  —  Attorney General Martha Coakley easily captured the Democratic nomination for the US Senate tonight and took a giant step toward smashing the state's political glass ceiling, as she parlayed her straightforward style and strong appeal among women …

Copenhagen talks in chaos after leak  —  Developing countries react furiously to leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations, sideline the UN's negotiating role and abandon the Kyoto protocol  —  The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today …

Gibbs Bashes Gallup Daily Tracking Poll  —  ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report:  —  President Obama's presidential job approval rating in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update is 47% — a record low.  —  The president's job approval rating is below 50% in several other polls …

White House wants suit against Yoo dismissed  —  (12-07) 11:33 PST SAN FRANCISCO — The Obama administration has asked an appeals court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing former Bush administration attorney John Yoo of authorizing the torture of a terrorism suspect, saying federal law does …

Looking at Huck  —  After Mike Huckabee's bad news week his poll numbers must be completely shattered, right?  —  Not so much.  Our monthly look at the 2012 Presidential race, due out Thursday, will show Huckabee's favorability at 35/35, pretty much unchanged from 36/37 on our November poll.

The President's Job's Initiative Doesn't Measure Up  —  Barack Obama is trying once again for balance.  On the one hand, he wants enough government spending to offset the timid spending of consumers and businesses.  Otherwise, the jobs and wage recession could drag on for years.

$446.8B ‘minibus’ moves forward  —  Appropriators moved forward on Tuesday with a $446.8 billion “minibus” that includes spending bills Congress has yet to approve.  —  The package, presented as a conference report, leaves out unrelated contentious items, and leaves the Defense spending bill as the likely vehicle for the minibus.