Palin derided by top McCain aide, book  —  Sarah Palin was an unprepared, uninformed vice presidential candidate who repeatedly made false statements in public, according to a top McCain campaign aide.  —  In a “60 Minutes” segment based on John Heilemann and Mark Halperin's new book …

Harry Reid's History of Racial Posturing  —  Amidst the brouhaha over Harry Reid's comments, some people are defending Reid by saying that he told the truth, however . . . awkwardly.  See, for example, Robert Stacy McCain, who declares: “Harry Reid is no more a racist than I am.”

The mini ice age starts here  —  The bitter winter afflicting much of the Northern Hemisphere is only the start of a global trend towards cooler weather that is likely to last for 20 or 30 years, say some of the world's most eminent climate scientists.  —  Their predictions …

Same-sex marriage set for big day in federal court  —  LOS ANGELES — After a run of setbacks at the state level, gay rights advocates will take the campaign for same-sex marriage into a federal courtroom on Monday, starting down a treacherous avenue that ends at a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives.

Boehner chief of staff dies at 46  —  Paula Nowakowski, the longtime chief of staff to House Republican Leader John Boehner, died suddenly Saturday night, according to the leader's office.  She was 46.  —  “It is with profound sadness and shock that I announce the passing of Paula Nowakowski …

Captain Obvious Learns the Limits of Cool  —  Our president came down from the mountaintop.  —  He had applied the freshness of his independent thought to the critical matters at hand.  He had convened his seminar, reviewed the reviews, analyzed the intelligence every which way …

White House Economic Adviser: Jobs Picture is ‘Still Terrible’  —  Council of Economic Advisers chief Christina Romer said it's devastating that some workers have been unemployed for two years and that job losses were continuing nearly a year after passage of the so-called stimulus bill.

Let's Take Bureaucracy Out of Intelligence  —  Groupthink products like National Intelligence Estimates make us vulnerable.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Although the U.S. intelligence community (IC) has been stung by failures relating to the Christmas terrorist attack, these failures are symptomatic of far larger problems.

‘Jihad’ jitters at Met  —  Mohammed art gone  —  Is the Met afraid of Mohammed?  —  The Metropolitan Museum of Art quietly pulled images of the Prophet Mohammed from its Islamic collection and may not include them in a renovated exhibition area slated to open in 2011, The Post has learned.

Insurance Mandate Feeds GOP Attack  —  WASHINGTON — As congressional Democrats try to iron out differences in the House and Senate health-care bills, Republicans are attacking the legal premise of the legislation, saying Congress has no power to make people carry health insurance or pay a penalty or tax.

Mass Confusion: Brown Up a Point in One Poll, Coakley Up 15 in Another  —  I was a bit skeptical over the buzz surrounding the PPP poll last night that has Scott Brown up a point over Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts special election to fill Ted Kennedy's seat.  —  For good reason.