The Deal  —  So the tax deal is out.  Obama extracted some concessions, with the big surprise being a payroll tax cut.  How much better do these concessions make the thing?  —  Well, for starters we have the two-year extension of the Bush tax cuts.  As I pointed out yesterday …

Senior White House Official: ‘We Wanted a Fight,’ too.  Congressional Dems 'Wouldn't Throw a Punch'  —  Vice President Biden heads to Capitol Hill today to lobby Senate Democrats to support the tax cut compromise, as President Obama faces criticism from congressional Democrats …

Obama sells out the left: a Republican win on taxes  —  There really is no other way to say it: the Republicans won, the liberal Democrats lost, and the president sided with the Republicans.  The subject, of course, is an agreement to extend all the Bust tax cuts.

Sen. Durbin: Dems could ‘walk out’ on tax cut deal  —  A bloc of Senate Democrats could decide not to support a White House-brokered deal on tax cuts and unemployment benefits, thereby putting the plan in danger, according to the second-ranking Senate Democrat.

Wonkbook: Everything you need to know about the Bush tax cut deal  —  I'll admit it: I didn't think they had it in them.  A temporary extension of the Bush tax cuts?  Sure, they could manage that.  Fear is a powerful motivator in Washington, and nothing scares politicians like the threat of a tax hike on their constituents.

Tax Deal Suggests New Path for Obama  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama announced a tentative deal with Congressional Republicans on Monday to extend the Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels for two years as part of a package that would also keep benefits flowing to the long-term unemployed …

Obama Seeks to Deflect Anger in Party Over Tax Deal  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama, facing a Democratic revolt over his tax accord with Republicans, defended the package on Tuesday, saying his party's lawmakers ought to support it as a “good deal for the American people” …

Bush tax cuts just 37 percent of the total deal  —  From msnbc.com's Tom Curry: Despite being billed as a great debate over the Bush tax cuts, the struggle between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans appears to have ended with an extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts representing …

Tax deal a good, not great, bargain for Republicans  —  It's victory!  It's defeat!  It's the end of Obama!  It's the end of the world!  The deal to keep the current tax rates in place has received soaring praise and bitter criticism on the Right, but the truth is that the deal winds …

The Wikileaks sex files: How two one-night stands sparked a worldwide hunt for Julian Assange  —  A winter morning in backwoods Scandinavia and the chime of a church bell drifts across the snowbound town of Enkoping.  Does it also toll for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange?

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London  —  Julian Assange denies sexually assaulting the two women  —  The founder of the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been arrested by police in London.  —  The 39-year-old Australian, who was the subject of a European arrest warrant …

Anti-WikiLeaks lies and propaganda - from TNR, Lauer, Feinstein and more  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  (1) In The New Republic today, Todd Gitlin writes an entire anti-WikiLeaks column that is based on an absolute factual falsehood.  Anyone listening to most media accounts would believe …