The Hijacked Commission  —  Count me among those who always believed that President Obama made a big mistake when he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform — a supposedly bipartisan panel charged with coming up with solutions to the nation's long-run fiscal problems.

Pelosi: 'We Didn't Lose Because of Me'  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has the “overwhelming support” of fellow Democrats in her bid to become minority leader in the next Congress, and says she's not to blame for the Democrats' mid-term debacle.  —  “We didn't lose the election because of me …

Murkowski confident as write-in tally grows  —  WRITE-INS: Miller camp steps up challenges, threatens new lawsuit.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  The Division of Elections has reviewed write-in ballots for almost half the precincts in Alaska and is counting nearly 98 percent of them for Lisa Murkowski.

Supreme Court lets 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy remain in place  —  The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Friday to pause enforcement of the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service members while that policy faces a legal challenge.  —  The high court sided against the Log Cabin Republicans …

Why I'm Running for RNC Chairman  —  FROM: Saul Anuzis, MI-NCM  —  RE: Announcement for RNC Chairman  —  DATE: November 12, 2010  —  Congratulations on your success, nationwide and state-by-state.

Top Palin aide is on Soros' payroll  —  Glenn Beck spent the past week denouncing the liberal billionaire and philanthropist George Soros as a “puppet master” who is orchestrating a coup “to bring America to her knees.”  —  Given Soros' alleged role plotting to destroy the United States …

Cindy McCain does video opposing DADT, accuses ‘our government’ of sending signal that bullying is okay - her hubbie is the lead defender of DADT  —  John McCain is leading the filibuster against the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” “repeal” legislation in the Senate (it's not an actual repeal, but we'll leave that for another time).

In An ‘Unusual’ Meeting, Cantor Tells Netanyahu The GOP Majority ‘Will Serve As A Check’ On Obama's Israel Policy  —  Earlier this week, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharply criticized the Israeli government after it announced plans to build more than 1,000 Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem.

IF IT'S SUNDAY.... Mark Halperin called the guest list for Sunday's “Meet the Press” an “all-star lineup.”  That's not quite the description I'd use.  —  We'll first see an interview with Senior White House Adviser David Axelrod.  That makes sense.  —  Then viewers will see an “exclusive!” interview with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

At 52%, Palin's Unfavorable Score Hits a New High  —  Americans remain split in their reactions to Tea Party movement  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More than half of Americans, 52%, now view Sarah Palin unfavorably, the highest percentage holding a negative opinion of the former Alaska governor …

School Makes Boy Take American Flag Off Bike  —  DENAIR -  —  13-year-old Cody Alicea rides with an American flag on the back of his bike.  He says he does this to be patriotic and to honor veterans, like his own grandfather, Robert.  He's had the flag on his bike for two months but Monday, was told to take it down.

Rick Perry to lead Republican Governors Association  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be tapped as the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association when the organization meets next week in San Diego, GOP sources tell POLITICO.  —  Perry recently released a book taking aim …

Eliminating Earmarks is a Phony Issue  —  Americans — especially conservatives — are being taken with a fiscal sleight of hand.  Rightly concerned about the future of our country and the out-of-control spending taking place in Washington, these concerned citizens are being duped by the earmark debate.

Chris Christie, the Justin Bieber of Political Media  —  This might be an obvious point about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but I haven't seen anyone make it yet.  The man's political operation is extraordinary.  The legend of Christie as blunt-talking master of truth and invective …

The 2012 Presidential Line!  —  The wait is over!  —  After two years of behind-the-scenes jockeying, the 2012 Republican presidential race has broken out into the open with several candidates openly acknowledging their interest in the job of late.  (As Politico's Jonathan Martin and Ben Smith point out …

Daily Beast, Newsweek to Wed!  —  Some weddings take longer to plan than others.  The union of The Daily Beast and Newsweek magazine finally took place with a coffee-mug toast between all parties Tuesday evening, in a conference room atop Beast headquarters, the IAC building on Manhattan's West 18th Street.

National Greatness Agenda  —  Elections come and go, but the United States is still careening toward bankruptcy.  By 2020, the U.S. will be spending $1 trillion a year just to pay the interest on the national debt.  Sometime between now and then the catastrophe will come.  —  It will come with amazing swiftness.

Bobby Jindal hammers Barack Obama in new book  —  NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal uses a new book to portray President Obama as disconnected from the Gulf oil spill, charging that he was more focused on the political aftermath than the actual impact of the crisis.

Unexplored Revenues  —  The flipside of the Simpson-Bowles document's unsound aggregate cap on revenue is that they were very uncreative in their exploration of revenue options.  For example, what about a tax on greenhouse gas emissions?  The mere fact that the conservative movement …

Reid asked Bennet to lead DSCC  —  A senior Senate Democratic source told POLITICO this afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has asked Colorado Freshman Michael Bennet to head the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.  —  Bennet, who won an uphill battle for election to his appointed seat …

Your Child Left Behind  —  For years, poor performance by students in America relative to those in other countries has been explained away as a consequence of our nationwide diversity.  But what if you looked more closely, breaking down our results by state and searching not for an average, but for excellence?

Sarah Palin E-mail Hacker Sentenced to 1 Year in Custody  —  David Kernell, the former Tennessee student convicted of hacking into Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account, was sentenced on Friday to one year in custody.  —  Kernell, 22, was convicted earlier this year of misdemeanor computer intrusion …

Conservative Leaders Threaten Critics Of Sen. Jim DeMint  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:  —  Prominent conservative leaders are putting critics of Sen. Jim DeMint on notice: Stop blaming the South Carolina Republican for the GOP's failure to take back the majority in the Senate — or else.