The Finite World  —  Oil is back above $90 a barrel.  Copper and cotton have hit record highs.  Wheat and corn prices are way up.  Over all, world commodity prices have risen by a quarter in the past six months.  —  So what's the meaning of this surge?  —  Is it speculation run amok?

Miller says he'll keep fighting for Senate seat  —  CHALLENGE: But GOP candidate won't oppose Murkowksi certification.  —  Anchorage Daily News / adn.com  —  Republican Senate candidate Joe Miller announced late Sunday that he would continue his challenge in federal court of the write …

Juan Williams: Palin not on same ‘intellectual stage’ as Obama  —  Fox News contributor Juan Williams said Sunday that Sarah Palin “can't stand on the intellectual stage” with President Obama.  —  Williams, in his role as an analyst on Fox News Sunday, was breaking down the Republican presidential field, which he saw as weak.

Bailed-Out Banks Slip Toward Failure  —  Number of Shaky Lenders Rises to 98 as Bad Loans Pile Up; Smaller Institutions Hit Hardest  —  Nearly 100 U.S. banks that got bailout funds from the federal government show signs they are in jeopardy of failing.  —  The total, based on an analysis …

The Economy in 2011  —  After the passage of the tax cut deal, many economic forecasters raised their projections for 2011.  Recent economic indicators, including a reduction in weekly initial unemployment claims, an increase in industrial production, factory orders and consumer sentiment …

In ‘Daily Show’ Role on 9/11 Bill, Echoes of Murrow  —  Did the bill pledging federal funds for the health care of 9/11 responders become law in the waning hours of the 111th Congress only because a comedian took it up as a personal cause?  —  And does that make that comedian, Jon Stewart …

‘Lame ducks can still fly,’ Daniels says of his last 2 years  —  Lame duck?  Hardly.  —  With only two years left as governor, Gov. Mitch Daniels feels more charged up than ever.  —  The November election gave him solid Republican majorities in both the Senate and House …

Surveying the field of RNC race: Priebus out front, but it's anyone's guess  —  Uncertainty reigns in the race for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee despite the election being less than a month away.  —  Conversations with a number of strategists close to the RNC …

BROKAW: 'WE'LL SEE' IF OBAMA CAN LEARN ON THE JOB — HE DIDN'T HAVE HARD POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AS A GOV LIKE REAGAN DID  —  CATB  —  LOL .. all we heard was how Palin wasn't qualified .. she is much more qualified than “their” Obama!  —  Report Post »  —  Log in to Reply  —  TXPILOT

Liberals fear failure on spending bill may come back to haunt Obama  —  Left-leaning think tanks already disappointed with President Obama's tax-cut compromise fear its political and economic benefits will be wiped out by budget cuts in the next Congress.  —  They argue Obama …

NYT: “Bundle Up, It's Global Warming”  —  Manhattan seems to be filled with foolish people who bitterly cling to their pagan religion.  —  From the New York Times: “Bundle Up, It's Global Warming.”  —  The headline is attached to a bizarre article by Judah Cohen.

WikiLeaks founder baffled by sex assault claims  —  ONE of the women claiming she was sexually assaulted by Julian Assange took a “trophy photo” of him lying naked in her bed, he says.  —  The white-haired computer impresario had been invited to stay in her empty flat when he visited Stockholm …

The Big (Military) Taboo  —  We face wrenching budget cutting in the years ahead, but there's one huge area of government spending that Democrats and Republicans alike have so far treated as sacrosanct.  —  It's the military/security world, and it's time to bust that taboo.  A few facts:

Janet Napolitano: Director Of National Intelligence Did Not “Need” To Know About London Terror Plot  —  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appeared on CNN's State of the Union and was eager to defend Director of National Intelligece James Clapper's embarrassing ordeal of being unaware …

Julian Assange Signs $1.3 Million Book Deal  —  WikiLeaks Founder's Deal Will Cover Legal Costs for Himself and Website  —  WikiLeaks.org founder Julian Assange has inked a $1.3 million book deal to cover legal costs relating to his arrest and any lawsuits aimed at his controversial whistle-blowing website.