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 …

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 …

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.

Sarah in the Springs  —  We had frigid weather and several inches of Goreflakes on the ground here in Colorado Springs, but Sarah Palin lit up the town for a Borders signing earlier this evening that drew yet another massive crowd on her nationwide “Going Rogue” book tour.

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 …

Cheney: Obama ‘more radical’ than seen  —  President Barack Obama, bowing to other leaders of the world, fails to understand the concept of “American exceptionalism,” former Vice President Dick Cheney contends.  —  “There's never been a nation like the United States of America in world history …

$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.

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 …

FDA opposes Senate drug importation amendment offered to healthcare bill  —  A proposal to enable the importation of cheaper prescription drugs could endanger the U.S. medicine supply and would be difficult to implement, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday

Virginia Veteran Wins Battle to Keep His Flagpole in Yard  —  RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner's association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.

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.

Audit Finds TARP Program Effective  —  WASHINGTON — The independent panel that oversees the government's financial bailout program concluded in a year-end review that, despite flaws and lingering problems, the program “can be credited with stopping an economic panic.”