The Hill News

Gene Dodaro easily gained the support of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday to become the next comptroller general of the Government Accountability Office.

For the past two years, Dodaro has served as the acting head of the agency, which serves as Congress’ investigative arm. President Obama nominated him in September to carry out the 15-year appointment.

The full Senate could hold a vote on Dodaro’s confirmation as early as this week.

Both the committee chairman, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.), and ranking member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) issued strong support for Dodaro earlier this month in a hearing where they posed questions of concern to him.

For the past year, The Hill has published a series of articles chronicling the resitance against the GAO from federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice and the Health and Human Services Department. Dodaro told The Hill earlier ! this month that access at these agencies has improved and he remains optimistic that it will continue to get better in the near future.

The GAO contains about 3,000 staff members and has received about 1,000 requests for studies and reports from members of Congress over the past several years, Dodaro said.

The GOP lawmaker who loudly voiced his displeasure over being denied an opportunity to speak said Tuesday the House has become "dark, mismanaged" and "undemocratic."

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), the outgoing GOP lawmaker and ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said he could have been more "civil" when he unleashed a tirade on the acting House Speaker after she denied him an opportunity to speak on the floor.

"Listening to myself â€" I was pretty upset yesterday," he said on the conservative Sean Hannity radio show.

Video of Buyer's tirade went viral and was picked up by news outlets and websites, and he broadly blamed Democrats' management of the House for his outburst.

"Congress has become a dark, mismanaged and disorganized institution," he said, arguing the management of the h! ealthcare and stimulus bills as an example. "And undemocratic."

Buyer stopped short of an apology for his actions â€" Hannity urged him against apologizing â€" but did seem to express regret.

"We all try to control ourselves. I am pugnacious," he said. "But I also believe we have to be very civil. I was dumbfounded that I would not have been recognized to speak."

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) mentioned the three Kardashian sisters Tuesday on Twitter after they pulled support for a prepaid debit card bearing their photos that was revealed to include hidden fees.

"Good for @kimkardashian, @kourtneykardash & @Khloekardashian for protecting their fans from hidden prepaid debit card fees," Menendez said.

He followed up by encouraging the sisters, known for their reality show "Keeping up with the Kardashians," to support legislation to raise disclosure requirements for the cards' terms of use.

The additional payments required by the Kardashian card would have totaled nearly $100 for 12 months, according to the New York Daily News. This revelation prompted Connecticut's attorney general to threaten an investigation against its parent company, citing potential violation of state laws and the Dodd-Frank Act.

A family lawyer told the Daily News that the girls hoped the fiasco would not damage their "honest, ethical, and fun-loving" brand.

Former President Jimmy Carter paid a surprise visit to President Obama while at the White House on Tuesday. 

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily press briefing that Obama invited the 39th president to "stop in" after his scheduled meeting with National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.

When asked if the meeting was regarding North Korea, where Carter has traveled to on humanitarian missions, Gibbs said he did not know.

Carter went to North Korea in July and has encouraged the U.S. to engage in direct talks with the communist nation, which carried out a missile attack on a South Korean island last week, killing four people.

In an interview with CBS News that aired Tuesday, Carter encouraged Obama to "be more independent" and not f! eel obligated to reach out to Republicans.

"In the next two years, President Obama will be much more independent in fighting hard to prevail and not trying to reach out, which turned out to be fruitlessly, to get two or three Republican votes for this and that," the one-term president said. "I think he'll be a much more tough proponent of what he stands for in the future, giving up on Republicans support and taking his case to the American public."

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) tweeted on Tuesday to point out a possible resemblance between Miss Florida 2010, who was visiting his Senate office, and his daughter, Nan Ellen.

"Some folks tell me Miss Florida looks a lot like … who?" he said, linking to a page on his Senate website that displayed photos of the two. 

"It's a tradition for the reigning Miss Florida to visit the state's senators," a release explains. "But it wasn’t until after the meeting with Nelson that some on the senator’s staff noted what they thought was a striking resemblance between Miss Florida ... and Nelson's daughter Nan Ellen (below)."

It added, "Nelson wasn't so sure that they're such look-alikes, but said he's mighty proud of both Floridians."

Jaclyn Raulerson, or Miss Florida, is a student at the University of Central Florida. Nelson, formerly a coordinator with the Peace Corps, runs a leadership training firm.

Courtesy of Sen. Nelson's Senate website

The third-ranking Democrat in the House, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), said Tuesday he would oppose a censure of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) for ethics violations.

“I will not vote for censure,” Clyburn, the majority whip, told reporters. “I don’t think the violations that he admitted to were that egregious that censure would be in order. A reprimand I thought was more appropriate.”

The House Ethics Committee voted to recommend a censure of Rangel, a veteran New York congressman and former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. A full vote of the House could come as early as Wednesday.

Clyburn's announcement came on the same day the House ethics committee released hundreds! of pages of documents pertaining to Rangel's charges and subsequent trial.

Rangel and his allies had pushed for a reprimand, a less serious punishment than an official censure resolution.

“I know you hold his position to a higher standard, and I do, but I still don’t think they get to censure,” Clyburn said. He said he thought other members would also vote against the resolution, but he said he was not lobbying against the punishment.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who, like Rangel and Clyburn, is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has also said he will vote against censure. 

Jordan Fabian contributed to this post.

A top Republican lawmaker accused the White House of playing presidential politics in the tax cut debate.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican member of the Joint Economic Committee, accused the Obama administration of delaying the inevitable when it came to the debate over expiring Bush-era tax cuts.

"The truth is, every member of Congress knows how they would vote today," Brady said on the Fox Business Network. "I think they're trying to set up some politics, maybe for the presidential election two years down the road, or to try a last, final gasp of a liberal, Democrat Congress."

Brady's jab comes on the heels of what was an otherwise cordial meeting between President Obama and congressional Democrats and Republicans from both chambers on Tuesday morning.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to appoint high-level negotiators from both parties to meet with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Office of Management a! nd Budget (OMB) Director Jack Lew to hash out the fate of the tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

Both Obama and top Republicans expressed optimism that they could reach an agreement in the end, though GOP leaders are insistent that all the expiring cuts be extended across all income brackets for at least a few years, if not longer.

Obama even addressed the specter of the 2012 elections on his administration's ability to work with congressional Republicans in the coming months.

"As I told the leaders at the beginning of the meeting, the next election is two years away and there will be plenty of time for campaigning," he said following the meeting. "But right now, we're facing some very serious challenges. We share an obligation to meet them, and that will require choosing the best of our ideas over the worst of our politics."

But Brady suggested he was dissatisfied by the negotiations, and accused the administration! of playing "games."

"What we're lacking is, one, l! eadershi p from the White House, and two, a simple up or down vote," he said. "Right now they just seem intent on playing games, and I don't think the damage that they are ready to inflict."

Retiring Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) gave farewell remarks on the Senate floor on Tuesday, and along with colleagues, marked the event on Twitter.

Dodd said, in two tweets:

Soon I'll be heading to the Senate floor to deliver my farewell address after serving the people of Connecticut for over 30 years. There are no words strong enough to describe what an honor and privilege it has been. 

His fellow senator from Connecticut, Joe Lieberman (I), said:

Heading to the Senate floor to deliver farewell remarks in honor of my longtime friend and colleague @SenChrisDodd.

Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) said:

Thank you @SenChrisDodd for your service to #Connecticut and our nation 

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) said:!

Tremendous final floor speech by @SenChrisDodd. Stirring end of another chapter in his lifetime of public service.

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said:

On Senate floor w/delauro, larson, murphy, courtney as dodd gives farewell speech.

Dodd was elected to the Senate in 1980 after serving six years in the House.

â€"This post will be updated as necessary.

The Republican and Democratic chairmen of their parties'  Senate campaign committees on Tuesday traded light jabs over the recent Democratic leadership elections.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) called "odd" the re-election by Senate Democrats of Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) was also announced Tuesday as the new head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a job she held in 2002.

While avoiding direct criticism of the Democratic leaders or Murray, Cornyn noted that Republicans won six Senate seats in the recent election. However, he also said the GOP is on "probation," and acknowledged that GOP gains were not necessarily an endorsement of Republican candidates, but rather a repudiation of Democrats.

"The Democratic leadership looks a whole lot like it did befo! re this election, both in the House and the Senate," Cornyn said. "It strikes me as odd. In no other area of life, in sports or in business, do you have the kind of result they had â€" in the president's words, a 'shellacking' â€" and still expect to see the same team, the same leadership on the field. But I'll let other people draw their conclusions."

In response, Murray defended the result of the Democratic leadership elections.

"Our caucus is very dynamic and comes from very diverse parts of the country and has very diverse opinions," she said. "We elected the leadership because they're looking for people to move forward on an agenda that works for all of them, and that's what part of my job will be too."

Former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell (R) hasn't abandoned Twitter since her 16-point defeat Nov. 2.

She used her account Monday to commend Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her speech at a press conference about WikiLeaks and its release of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables over the weekend.

"Some may cringe when I say this," O'Donnell tweeted," but Hillary-You Go Girl! She's no Reagan yet her verbal lashing against wikileak is tough-watch out Obama!"

O'Donnell has expressed admiration for Clinton in the past, naming her among the "senators" she most admires and most recently, saying she would support her for president.

"I hope she [Clinton] runs for president," O'Donnell said as a guest on Tuesday's "Good Morning America." "I would love to see her take out O! bama in the primary, I would even be tempted to change my registration so that I could vote for her in the Democratic primary."

Asked later if she preferred Clinton as an easier GOP target, O'Donnell countered with a strong "no."

"Right now, I think anybody is better than Obama," O'Donnell said. 

"I thought she was tough. I said that she's no Reagan because I'd like to see her take it even a step further, to say that these leaks [sic] are going to be charged with treason."

A top, outgoing Republican said Tuesday that Congress should punt on "Don't ask, don't tell" until next year.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.), the top Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee, said that lawmakers shouldn't push forward with legislation repealing the military's prohibition on gay and lesbian service members until they have a chance to study the Defense Department's new study on the matter.

"I think it's going to take a period of time," Hoekstra said during an appearance on MSNBC. "This is something that should move over to the next Congress."

The Pentagon is releasing its report this afternoon, which is expected to show few objections from within the military to dropping the ban on openly gay or lesbian members of the armed forces.

Republicans have blocked efforts to move forward with legislation to do away with the ban, reasoning that the military must first issue its report.

But top GOP fi! gures have started to suggest elsewhere that it would be inappropriate to tackle such an issue during the lame-duck session.

"I would point out that the election was about tax cuts, the economy and jobs," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on ABC. "It wasn't about the Dream Act, 'Don't ask, don't tell.'"

If a vote on the policy were delayed until the next Congress, legislation to repeal it could face significantly tougher obstacles to passage, particularly in the House, where Republicans will have control.

President Obama said it's his preference that Congress pursue legislation to do away with "Don't ask, don't tell," rather than issuing an order to enact a change.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) echoed his floor remarks about outgoing Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) on Twitter Tuesday, calling him his "friend and colleague."

The two worked together to pass landmark campaign finance reform in 2002.

"I will ... miss the daily experience of Russ Feingold's friendship, and the qualities that distinguish his friendship â€" his thoughtfulness, kindness, humor and loyalty," McCain said. "I have treasured that friendship all the years we have served together, and while friendship does not end with a Senate career, I will sorely miss his! presence here. I will miss seeing him every day. I will miss traveling with him. I will miss the daily reminder of what a blessing it is to have a true friend in Washington."

“Our first encounter with one another," McCain continued, "was in a Senate debate in which we argued about an aircraft carrier, somewhat heatedly, if memory serves. Russ thought the United States Navy had one too many. I thought we didn't have enough. It was, I'm sorry to admit, not a very considerate welcome on my part to a new colleague, whom I would soon have many reasons to admire. But to Russ's credit, he didn't let my discourtesy stand in the way of working together on issues where we were in agreement. And to my good fortune, he didn't let it stand in the way of our friendship either."

Feingold will be replaced by Ron Johnson, a Tea Party challenger.

McCain's full floor remarks can be found here.

Eight Republican senators on Tuesday voted to preserve earmark spending despite pressure from the Tea Party movement.

Sens. Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), James Inhofe (Okla.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Richard Shelby (Ala.) voted against an amendment to food-safety legislation that would have enacted a two-year ban on the spending items. Retiring Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) and defeated Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah) also voted! against it. 

{mosads}Senate Republican had already passed a voluntary earmark ban, but Tuesday's vote shows that the conference is still divided over the issue. The overall Senate proposal failed 39-56.

Even though earmarks represent a small portion of overall discretionary spending, Tea Party activists have pressured lawmakers to outlaw the practice, saying it is a good way to start reining in high spending. 

Of the senators who voted against it, only Lugar faces reelection in 2012. Most observers anticipate that the veteran senator will receive a conservative primary challenger. Four other GOP senators in danger of facing a serious primary challenge â€" Bob Corker (Miss.), Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas), Orrin Hatch (Utah) and Olympia Snowe (Maine) â€" all voted in favor of banning earmarks. 

Snowe vote against a similar proposal in March.

Bennett was forced out of power by a Tea Party-backed challenger. He lost his bid to be ! re-nominated at the Utah GOP convention in May.

T! wo Democ rats facing potentially tough reelection battles in 2012 also voted for the earmark moratorium: Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) and Bill Nelson (Fla.)

Retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and defeated Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) also voted for the earmark ban, as did Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet (D) and Mark Udall (D) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

GOP Sen. John McCain lavished praise on his soon-to-be former colleague and ally, Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold, during a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday.

McCain reminded his Senate colleagues of how Feingold and he worked together to pass landmark campaign finance reform legislation in 2002, saying the defeated Wisconsin senator always "had the courage of his convictions."

{mosads}"Without intending it as a commentary on his successor, I have to confess I think the Senate will be a much poorer place without Russ Feingold in it," McCain said. 

Even though McCain has been viewed as a more partisan senator since his 2008 presidential campaign, he has reserved a soft spot for Feingold, who lost Nov. 2 to Tea Party challenger Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

On Election Day, McCain called Feingold a "friend" even though he went after other vulnerable Democratic senators such as Barbara Boxer (Calif.) and Patty Murray (Wash.)

The Arizona senator said it was a pleasure to work alongside Feingold, who was also a hero to liberal activists.

"We are of different parties, and our political views are often opposed. We’ve had many debates on many issues. But where we agreed â€" on wasteful spending, ethics reform, campaign finance reform and other issues â€" it was a privilege to fight alongside and not against Russ Feingold," McCain said Tuesday.

"I have treasured that friendship all the years we have served together, and while friendship does not end with a Senate career, I will sorely miss his presence here," he added. "I will miss seeing him every day. I will miss traveling with him. I will miss the daily reminder of what a blessing it is to have a true friend in Wa! shington."

I wanted to share with you some thoughts on the WikiLeaks material on the U.S. and Iran that was released yesterday.
 
First of all, the leaks don’t change realities on the ground as much as they reveal the direness of the situation in the Middle East. In spite of the Obama administration’s disinclination to use military force against Iran, the geopolitical realities of the region have not changed much since the Bush years. This is still a region on the verge of a major war, and neither the new sanctions on Iran or the Obama administration’s limited engagement has changed this reality.

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Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on Tuesday that he's hopeful that the Senate could ratify the New START treaty by the end of this year.

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he thought that negotiations between the Obama administration and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) were moving forward such that they could get a vote on the nuclear arms deal with Russia before the end of December.

"I believe that we could move forward with the START treaty and satisfy Sen. Kyl's concerns and mine about missile defense and others, and I would hope that we can do that," McCain said Tuesday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

"I would hope so," he said when asked if negotiations had advanced to the extent that a vote could be held by the end of the year. "But Sen. Kyl's concerns are very legitimate, and I think that attempts are being made to address them."

Hopes had faded for some time after Kyl, the GOP point man on the nuclear arms reduction pact, had raised concerns about the agreement's effects on missile defense systems, and other ares of U.S. national security.

President Obama has made the New START treaty a top priority of his administration during the closing month of the lame-duck Congress, and has tasked Vice President Biden with rounding up the 67 Senate votes necessary to secure ratification. In the Senate, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) has led the effort to ratify the treaty with Russia.

McCain said that he hoped additional common ground on the matter could be found when congressional leaders in both parties meet at the White House on Tuesday morning.

"What I would hope that we could do is we could do is agree to the extension of tax cuts at all levels and also reach ! some agreement on moving forward with the START treaty as well! ," he sa id. "I think that is a serious result that could ensue from the meeting today."

There's a lot of criticism swirling around in Washington these days over President Obama and how he seems to have lost his mojo. Sworn in as the greatest communicator since Ronald Reagan, many expected this political wunderkind to step right in and clean up the messes both parties have made through the years, chief among them the spending orgies of years gone by.
 
Fast-forward two short years and it looks like the dorm RA that was Obama turned into just another freshman away from home drinking everything he could get his hands on â€" including the aftershave his parents gave him â€" in search of that eternal spending buzz you get when you cross the Potomac.

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Republicans are prepared to vote down a bill extending all but the top-end tax cuts, the second-ranking GOP leader in the House said Tuesday.

Incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said that he was ready to instruct GOP members to vote down legislation Democrats plan to bring to the floor that would extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts only for the middle class.

"Yes," Cantor said on Bloomberg Television when asked if he ! was prepared to tell Republican lawmakers to vote against such a measure.

Democrats in both the House and the Senate have signaled that they would bring up for a vote this week bills that would extend tax cuts for all households earning under $250,000 per year and all individuals under $200,000 per year. That limited extension had been the preference of President Obama and Democrats, while Republicans have insisted on extending all tax cuts, even for the wealthy, for two years or even permanently.

"One of two things is going to happen in January. Either taxes go up, or they stay the same," Cantor said on NBC's "Today" show, framing the tax debate, which is set to top a meeting of leaders of both parties at the White House on Tuesday morning.

Democrats appear intent on forcing a vote on the more limited tax cuts extension if nothing more than to make a point. Many polls have shown that most voters would prefer that the tax breaks for high e! arners be allowed to expire. It's not clear whether those vote! s will s ucceed, given the number of Democrats who have publicly backed extending all the tax cuts for some time. Failing that, Senate Democrats plan a "grab bag" of possible compromises, according to a report in the Huffington Post.

Cantor said that if lawmakers fail to pass an extension of all the tax cuts, one of the first moves to be made by the incoming GOP majority in the House would be to pass a bill to retroactively extend all tax cuts.

"If he says no to us on taxes I will tell you right now that the first bill we'll put on the floor as a new majority in January is a bill to retroactively ensure no one gets a tax hike," Cantor said of the White House meeting last night on Fox News.

The top two Republicans in Congress took shots at their Democratic counterparts in a newspaper op-ed published hours before their bipartisan meeting with President Obama on Tuesday. 

Despite what they described as positive overtures from Obama, Democrats in Congress have not yet received the message that voters want less spending and government intervention in the economy following their Election Day losses, according to House Speaker-designate John Boehner (Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.)

{mosads}"Despite what some Democrats in Congress have suggested, voters did not signal they wanted more cooperation on the Democrats' big-government policies that most Americans oppose," the two leaders wrote in Tuesday's Washington Po! st. On the contrary, they want both parties to work together on policies that will help create the conditions for private-sector job growth. They want us to stop the spending binge, cut the deficit and send a clear message on taxes and regulations so small businesses can start hiring again."

Republicans believe they can use the meeting to seize on their momentum from the midterm elections, when they picked up over 60 House seats, with them the majority, and six Senate seats. 

The two leaders held their ground on the expiring Bush era tax cuts, indicating they plan to push for a permanent extension of all the cuts, including those for higher income earners that Democrats want to end.

"We made a pledge to America to cut spending, rein in government, and permanently extend the current tax rates so small-business owners won't get hit with a massive tax hike at the end of December," they wrote. "That's what Americans want. And that's the me! ssage Republicans will bring to the meeting today. In other wo! rds, you 'll have a voice at that table." 

Democrats are expected to stage a showdown with Republicans on the cuts by holding a vote on extending only the middle-class provisions this week, washing away previous talk of a compromise. 

But before that, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are set to huddle Tuesday morning in the Roosevelt Room with Boehner, incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), current Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), current House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), McConnell, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) 

Political posturing had already overshadowed the widely-expected ! meeting. Democrats criticized Republican leaders earlier this month for not being serious about bipartisanship when meeting had to be postponed due to a scheduling conflict for the GOP lawmakers.

Boehner and McConnell said they are serious about working with Democrats if they move away from their liberal base to the center.

"We can work together and accomplish these things, but the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress first will have to prioritize," they wrote. "It's time to choose struggling middle-class families and small businesses over the demands of the liberal base. It's time to get serious."

Racism is a funny thing, even though few find the humor in it. Publicly, everyone rebukes its, yet privately most unwittingly endorse it while thinking, "I'm not a racist."

A friend of mine from the Midwest told me how he was talking to an acquaintance from Southern California. "I can't believe how the Midwest and South treat African-Americans. It's a disgrace." The enlightened Californian followed that with, "All these damn wetbacks are ruining America." Of course, the man didn't think what he said was racist because in his mind racism is only between blacks and whites; plus, he was simply "stating the truth" about Hispanics.

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The American Dream has long meant the opportunity to buy a home, save for retirement, go to college, start a business and build an economic future for oneself and one’s family. Small wonder that the federal government plans to spend $4 trillion during the coming decade to try to help us invest in our future.  But, as noted by the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, we’re pursuing this shared dream in ways that have become wasteful, regressive and ineffective.  We recommend rebalancing our budget. We could cut the national debt by $500 billion or more over a decade, provide more effective subsidies for middle- and low-income families, boost private saving and reduce the demands on our welfare system. We could be on our way to a true “save and invest” economy.

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We are being told by our government that they can prevent the next great depression. In fact, they would say they already have with the recovery from the greatest downturn since the Great Depression in the early 1930s. So, why has this recovery been the weakest from a strong downturn in decades? Why has unemployment remained near 10% despite the greatest stimulus program in history with the longer term unemployed rising to unprecedented rates? Why have home prices rebounded only marginally despite the lowest mortgage rates in history? Why have more mortgages continued to fall into negative equity with endlessly rising defaults and foreclosures? Why are businesses not borrowing or investing despite growing cash balances? Why do most consumers not see a growing economy again until sometime in 2012? And why are they suddenly voting Republican in 2010 after suddenly voting Democratic in 2008?

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Despite all the fuss from the State Department about the leaking of a quarter of a million U.S. diplomatic cables, the Obama administration should be grateful, because the body of evidence will add to the pressure on Iran by revealing that its neighbors have been pleading for military action over its nuclear program.

Since 2008, the Saudi monarch has privately urged the U.S. to go to war on Iran, telling President Bush to “cut off the head of the snake,” according to cables published by The Guardian on the U.K. newspaper’s website. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain do not believe Iran will back down and are also calling for military action, according to more recent cables.

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I received an invitation to celebrate the new Tea Party victory with some old line conservatives, namely Dick Armey and former Virginia Gov. George Allen, who might be considered Vengeance Demons from the Reagan period. At the beginning of the Tea Party I warned against this and so encouraged the wise, the joyful and the competent to join and some of them, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Rick Perry, did. Because the Tea Party could save America or it could destroy it.

Allen’s was one of the most corrupt and incompetent administrations in the history of Virginia and possibly in the history of America. That Virginians want him back now as senator in such numbers suggests that in spite of some positive steps toward self-reliance by some state legislators, generally in the Midwest, the mainstream, at least in Virginia, wants only revenge.

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Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) made a little-noticed debut on Twitter recently under the handle @RepMikeMcIntyre.

"Just arrived in SENC," his first tweet read. "Getting ready for a big weekend as Wilmington hosts the commissioning of the USS Gravely!"

McIntyre released a statement on Monday promoting the account.

"Follow me on Twitter and keep up to date on the work I am doing to help Southeastern North Carolina," he said. "In this technology age, it is important that folks have the opportunity to communicate and dialogue with their elected officials. This is another tool that we will be using to do just that!"

He also weighed in on WikiLeaks's most recent move, tweeting that "disclosure of c! lassified documents is harmful 2 US diplomacy& allies. I encourage DOJ 2 hold those responsible 4 leaks accountable."

He currently has 47 followers.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) expressed doubts on Twitter on Monday about what the lame-duck session may accomplish.

"Uncertainty on the Hill on what Reid will tee up," he said, retweeting a message from follower @unicornmajik: "Lameduck Congress: when everything is a priority, nothing is a priority." 

The Senate is expected to vote on a food safety bill when it returns Monday. It will hold hearings Thursday and Friday on a Pentagon report about the potential consequences of repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," which may also prompt a floor vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has also promised a vote on the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for young people living in the countr! y illegally who attend college or join the military.

Congress might remain in session until just days before Christmas.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) faces low approval numbers going into his 2012 reelection effort, a new poll found Monday.

Thirty-one percent of New Jersey's registered voters say they have a favorable opinion of Menendez, while 25 percent have an unfavorable opinion of the first-term Democrat.

A full 29 percent of the state's voters were unsure of their feelings toward Menendez, a new Fairleigh Dickinson/PublicMind poll found, and 15 percent of New Jersey voters said they hadn't heard of Menendez.

New Jersey is seen as a reliably Democratic state, and incumbents in the state don't always have the highest approval numbers anyway. But Republicans are hoping that an Senate electoral map in 2012 that tips in their favor will allow them to go on offense in the Garden State, where Republican Chris Christie won the gov! ernorship in 2009.

One sign of trouble might rest in Menendez's numbers with independents. Twenty-four percent of independent voters view him favorably, while 27 percent have an unfavorable opinion.

By comparison, New Jersey's veteran senator, Frank Lautenberg (D), has a 42-31 percent favorability rating among all registered voters.

The poll, conducted Nov. 15-21, has a 3.5 percent margin of error.

The second-ranking House Democrat said Monday that President Obama’s move to freeze the pay of civilian federal employees should also be extended to military personnel.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said including the military would have increased savings and add “an element of fairness." He made the comments in a statement about he president’s announcement of a two-year pay freeze. 

“While I appreciate that the president reduced the length of his proposed pay freeze from three to two years,” Hoyer said in a statement, “it would have produced significantly more savings had that sacrifice been shared between federal civilian and military personnel â€" with a strong exception for the members of our military and civilian employees risking their lives on our behalf in Afghanistan, Iraq, and anywhere else they are serving in harm's way.”

Hoyer will become minority whip in the 112th Congress. He has made budgetary reform a signa! ture issue, and he said he would review Obama’s proposal “for its balance between fiscal responsibility and the need to recruit and retain a federal workforce able to provide the level of service that the American people expect.”

The Maryland Democrat also urged the administration to back a more comprehensive program to reduce the nation’s soaring deficit, along the lines of proposals from the president’s fiscal commission and a separate debt panel.

Illinois Rep. Peter Roskam was chosen Monday as Republican chief deputy whip, the final spot on the roster of House Republican leaders in the next Congress.

Majority Whip-designate Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Roskam, a second-term lawmaker, would help bring "fresh ideas" to the table in the 112th Congress, which begins in January. 

"My good friend Peter Roskam is a bold leader whose fresh ideas will continue to help energize the Republican Party as we move forward in the majority," he said in a statement.

Roskam's elevation to deputy whip could put him on a fast-track for higher leadership positions in the future: Both McCarthy and incoming Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) have held the position.

Roskam could help the GOP better reach out to President Obama: He served with the president when he was an Illinois state senator and is one of the few House Republicans who has a personal relationship with Obama.

The Illinois lawmaker is accompanied by Speaker-designate John Boehner (Ohio), Cantor, McCarthy, conference chairman Jeb Hensarling (Texas), vice chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.), leadership chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (Texas) in the GOP leadership.

Republicans also selected freshmen Kristi Noem (S.D.) and Tim Scott (S.C.) to fill two newly created leadership posts for first-term members.

The Supreme Court denied a man's request for a hearing on his lawsuit challenging President Obama's citizenship.

The high court refused without explanation an appeal seeking a hearing on a lawsuit challenging whether the president is a legal U.S. citizen, and thus eligible to be president.

The court denied the petition for a writ of certiorari in a list of orders released Monday.

The decision leaves in place a circuit court decision upholding a lower court judge's dismissal of a "birther" lawsuit, which! sought to force the president to "conclusively prove" he was born in the United States.

Obama long ago released a copy of his legal birth certificate. The Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact has a copy of it here.

Interestingly, the court made a decision to allow for an organization called the "Western Center for Journalism" to file an amicus curiae â€" "friend of the court" â€" briefing in the case. According to that group's website, it was founded by Joseph Farah, who now runs the conservative website WorldNetDaily.

President Obama took a page out of Speaker-designate John Boehner's book when he called on Monday for a temporary freeze on federal civilian pay.

Obama announced a two-year halt on worker pay increases in an effort to reduce deep budget deficits. The cuts are projected to save $2 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year and could save $28 billion over the next five years.

{mosads}But Boehner (R-Ohio) went further earlier this month when he called for a federal hiring moratorium in addition to a freeze on civilian pay.

"There ought to be a freeze on the hiring of new federal employees, and frankly, we ought to freeze the pay," Boehner said on Nov. 10.

Following the midterm election in which Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans, a loss Obama described as a "shellacking," he pledged to work with Republicans moving forward, but named few specific policy areas where they agree.

Just over a week after the election, Boehner bolstered his idea by saying that the average federal worker earns more than twice as much as his average civilian counterpart.

The claim is based on a report that uses government data to show that federal workers on average take in more than $123,000 a year in salary and benefits compared to just over! $61,000 for a private-sector worker.

Ben Stein, an actor and former White House official, on Monday became one of the few Republicans to defend convicted Rep. Charles Rangel.

Stein wrote in an op-ed that Rangel (D-N.Y.), who was convicted of violating 11 counts of House ethics rules, built a heroic record of service during his four decades and Congress and Army service in the Korean War. 

"! Just for me, I hope that history will record that a truly great man, Charlie Rangel, a hero of the first rank, was laid low by trivial, no-account matters, censured by people who mostly have no clue of what true courage, fighting, blood and frostbite mean," Stein wrote on CBSNews.com. "Charlie Rangel does know, and to me, he is still a hero."

Rangel, 80, has asked his fellow members of Congress to formally reprimand him instead of following through with a censure vote, which was recommended by the House ethics committee.

Censure is the highest ethics punishment a lawmaker can receive outside of expulsion. A majority of House members is required vote to enact the sanction. Republican members of the ethics committee criticized Rangel for playing fast and loose! with House rules dictating proper use of Congressional privil! ege and financial disclosure rules.

Stein served as a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and later had roles in films such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

Glenn Fine, the Justice Department’s top internal watchdog, will step down at the end of January, the department announced Monday.

Fine served as Justice’s inspector general for 10 years during a time of intense public scrutiny of the department. He will leave just as Republicans in Congress are gearing up to launch an aggressive series of investigations of the Obama administration that will no doubt keep the Justice Department and its internal watchdog busy.

“Through our audits, investigations, inspections and special reviews, we have sought to improve the department’s performance, promote economy and efficiency in its programs and detect and deter waste,” Fine, the inspector general, wrote in a letter Monday to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Fine, 54, did not shy away from criticizing the Bush administration and then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s tenure. In 2008, he issued a report that said Gonzales mishandled highly classified documents on highly sensitive intelligence programs. Last year he charged former Justice official Bradley Schlozman of improperly taking politics and ideology into account when hiring career lawyers.

Holder praised Fine’s “integrity and professionalism” and said it has been a privilege to work with him for his 15 years at the Justice Department.

“In the Justice Department’s most critical operations and practices, especially our efforts to combat corruption, fraud, waste and abuse, the work done by the Office of the Inspector General is essential,” Holder said. “Thanks to Glenn’s outstanding leadership, this office has never been stronger.”

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) singled out Fine’s work during the investigation of former President George W. Bush’s firing of nine U.S. attorneys.

“I particularly applaud his work to shed light on improper political influence in hiring and prosecutions, which helped bring the Department through a particularly dark chapter in its history,” Leahy said.

House Republicans shared their congratulations for incoming Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) on Twitter on Monday following the announcement of his appointment.

House Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio) said:

Congrats to America #SpeakingOut policy director @PeterRoskam on being named as new House GOP Chief Deputy Whip. #pledge

Current GOP Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said:

Having once served in the position, I know @PeterRoskam is an excellent choice by Kevin McCarthy to serve as the next @Chief! DeputyWhip

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who will chair the House's Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said:

Congrats to @PeterRoskam RT Looking forward to renewing job creation+innovation w/ McCarthy as his Chief Deputy Whip http://ow.ly/3gWWe

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) said:

It's a good day for Illinois. Roskam named Chief Deputy Whip & Kirk is going to be sworn in as a Senator tonight.Congratulations to both!

Roskam himself said:

Looking forward to renewing job creation+innovation w/ Majority Whip McCarthy as his Chief Deputy Whip http://ow.ly/3gWWe

Read more about the appointment here.

â€"This post will be updated as necessary.

Capitol Hill's newest arrival is already hip to the tweeting trend.

This year's Christmas tree â€" a three-ton, six-story-tall Engelmann spruce â€" updated followers from @TrackTheTree along its route to Washington, D.C., from Wyoming, where it was felled Nov. 6.

The tree arrived on the Capitol grounds on Monday, according to a tweet from Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

The tree is the first to hail from Wyoming since the beloved Capitol Christmas tradition started in 1969. Every year, says a release, the Forest Service recommends six to eight trees from around the country to the Superintendent of the Capitol Grounds, who makes the final decision.

According to its blog and Facebook page, this year's spruce will now be "lowered into a 5-foot deep hole, strung with lights, and decorated with thousands of handcrafted ornaments made by Wyomingites." The lighting ceremony, conducted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), is scheduled for Dec. 7, and after that its lights will be turned off every night at 11.

The tree's official song is "Cowboy Christmas Tree" by Bryan Ragsdale.

Courtesy of Sen. Barrasso's TwitPic feed

Courtesy of the blog, "Capitol Christmas Tree 2010"

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) solicited questions for his occasional "Ask Chuck" webcast on Twitter Monday, telling constituents to reach out on both Twitter and Facebook.

In his last video, posted in late September, a constituent named Shirley asked: "OK so who is really posting these Facebook messages??? I just can't see Mr. Grassley doing it!?"

Grassley responded that he was glad for the chance to "set the record straight."

"I do all the posting on my UberTwitter and from there it goes to Facebook," he said. "I gave you my locations and my activites over the weekend particulary when I was at the Iowa State-Oklahoma volleyball game. Obviously there wasn't staff with me. I ! did it all by myself. I find it quite easy to tweet."

"I appreciate your asking the question," he continued, "because I ran into someone recently who said something to me similar to what you said. 'Well who does that for you?' So I whip out my Blackberry and say what's your name. And so I put in the Blackberry and on UberTwitter that I am here in a conversation with so-and-so. So it's an opportunity for me to show people that I do tweet."

Grassley's Twitter handle is @ChuckGrassley. He has 23,195 followers.

The video series is featured on his Senate website and YouTube account.

President Obama appeared to take a page out of the House Republican playbook when he called on Monday for a temporary freeze on federal civilian pay.

Obama announced a two-year halt on worker pay increases in an effort to reduce deep budget deficits. The cuts are projected to save $2 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year and could save $28 billion over the next five years.

{mosads}But Boehner (R-Ohio) went further earlier this month when he called for a federal hiring moratorium in addition to a freeze on civilian pay.

"There ought to be a freeze on the hiring of new federal employees, and frankly, we ought to freeze the pay," Boehner said on Nov. 10.

Following the midterm election in which Democrats lost control of the House to Republicans, a loss Obama described as a "shellacking," he pledged to work with Republicans moving forward, but named few specific policy areas where they agree. 

A spokesman for House Majority Leader-designate Eric Cantor (R-Va.) pointed out that the congressman introduced a measure in May 2010 that would have eliminated the next scheduled round of nonmilitary government pay increases.

Just over a week after the election, Boehner bolstered his idea by saying that the average federal worker earns more than twice as much as his average civilian counterpart.

The claim is b ased on a report that uses government data to show that federal workers on average take in more than $123,000 a year in salary and benefits compared to just over $61,000 for a private-sector worker.

This post was updated at 1:18 p.m.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) called the leak of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables "treasonous" on Monday and wondered why the government could not prevent it.

"Inexplicable," she tweeted of the situation. "I recently won in court to stop my book 'America by Heart' from being leaked, but US Govt can't stop Wikileaks' treasonous act?"

Palin joins several lawmakers â€" Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) â€" who have already condemned the leaks and called for the prosecution of those responsible. 

U.S. Army Pvt. Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst, was arrested in May 2010 in connection with a previous leak of Pentagon documents and is suspected to have participated in Sunday's release. WikiLeaks has previously denied any connection to him.

Palin's own lawsuit, which she references in her tweet, was won by publishing house HarperCollins and directed Gawker Media to remove leaked images of America by Heart ahead of its release. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) ran into her top possible GOP foe on Monday, who acknowledged he was thinking of challenging her in two years.

McCaskill tweeted that she had an unplanned conversation this morning with former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), whom she defeated in her 2006 election to the Senate.

McCaskill tweeted Monday:

Just ran into Jim Talent at Lambert. Nice friendly conversation. Asked him if it was gonna be a rematch. He said he "was working through it"

The run-in for the pair is serendipitous. The Associated Press quoted Talent as saying he is ! "seriously considering" a rematch with McCaskill in 2012, and reported that former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman (R) was also considering a run.

Republicans have targeted McCaskill for defeat in 2012. While she won election in the Democratic wave election of 2006, Republicans have maintained their footing in the state over the past two election cycles.

The West Virginia governor took strides to distance himself from Washington Democrats as he tries to revive his flagging campaign.

Read more...

A top incoming House GOP chairman asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday evening to review whether Wikileaks can be declared a foreign terrorist organization (FTO).

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called for U.S. officials to get aggressive against Wikileaks after the website published highly-sensitive, classified diplomatic cables that reveal frank assessments of foreign leaders and the war on terror.

"I am calling on the attorney general and supporting his efforts to fully prosecute Wikileaks and its founder for violating the Espionage Act. And I'm also calling on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare Wikileaks a foreign terrorist organization," King said on WNIS radio on Sunday evening.

"By doing that, we will be able to seize their funds and go after anyone who provides them bay help or contributions or assistance whatsoever," he said. "To me, they are a clear and present danger to America."

Wikileaks finally released a large chunk of the private correspondences it was allegedly leaked by an Army private now in military custody. The cables reveal some embarrassing comments about foreign leaders and U.S. operations abroad, and has forced the White House and Clinton to conduct an outreach campaign to smooth the waters.

The Obama administration hasn't taken legal action against Wikileaks, but has cond! emned the release in the harshest terms. But the clamor for legal action by lawmakers in both parties increased the pressure for prosecution based on the leaks.

Clinton has the authority to designate an organization an FTO, a formal designation that allows the U.S. government some leeway in their actions against any formally-named terrorist organization. The current list of 47 FTOs includes al-Qaeda and its various offshoots, HAMAS, and a variety of other groups.

King expressed confidence that other lawmakers in both parties would rally to his strategy toward Wikileaks. The website ! CNET published excerpts of King's letter to Clinton on Sunday.

"I'm confident you'll find many people in the Congress, the House and Senate, who will support my demand for the prosecution, and also the declaring of Wikileaks to be a foreign terrorist organization," he said.

Obama, who won last year's Peace Prize, noted "many others who have received the award [have] sacrificed" much more than he has.

Read more...

Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) is a former employee of Salazar’s who is also one of the more vulnerable Democratic incumbents.

Read more...

Former CIA Director Michael Hayden also commended the administration for its "sober and somber" on Pakistan just presented to Congress.

Read more...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Spanish-language television that Obama is "vaguely a socialist in the European sense."

Read more...

The Democratic Party upped its ante against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads, a conservative advocacy group.

Read more...

The Arab League backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to back out of talks over an expired settlement moratorium.

Read more...

Attorney General Eric Holder said that states must spend less on incarcerating criminals in the wake of recession.

Read more...

Vice president says his party has reversed its slide toward a wave election that would hand the GOP control of the House.

Read more...

Early leaks included a cable noting Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has "none of the bravado" of "Alpha Male" Vladimir Putin.

Read more...

"I think that anybody who has the visibility that Sarah has is obviously going to have some divisiveness," he said.

Read more...

"We do not want an air diaster because we have gone too far in bending toward some poll," he said.

Read more...

"We are currently under a mass distributed denial of service attack," WikiLeaks tweeted midday Sunday.

Read more...

A magazine has put President Obama at No. 3 on its list of the 100 Top Global Thinkers.

Foreign Policy magazine ranked billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, who have pledged to give away half their wealth through global causes, first on the list.

Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shortly into his term for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," made it to No. 3 on the Foreign Policy list "for charting a course through criticism."

"Sure, the brainy young American president has had a tough sophomore year, with a stubbornly sluggish economy, worsening conditions in Afghanistan, an electoral backlash at home, and the surprise challenge of more than 4 million barrels of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico," the magazine wrote. "His sweeping plans to overhaul immigration and reinvent the way Americans use energy never got off the ground, and he can boast of neither Middle East peace nor mastery over the restive Republicans at home rising up against what they bemoan as the advent of European-style socialism."

Yet he's arguably the world's most popular leader, the magazine argues, "and he is slowly but surely inventing a new kind of U.S. leadership to go along with his vision of an America that once again projects its power through the force of its ideas."

"In many ways, he's the most realist of recent U.S. presidents, determined to focus on the terrible challenges, from Afghanistan to climate change, that he's been dealt," the magazine reasoned. "The world may yet thank him for it."

No. 5 on the list is Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, No. 8 is Gen. David Petraeus, and No. 9 is Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) will not run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee (RNC), he said in a recent interview.

Coleman was rumored to be considering a bid for the post currently held by Michael Steele.

"I am not here to do any battle with our chairman," Coleman told C-SPAN. "He [Steele] is a friend."

Steele, a controversial figure among Republicans, has not indicated whether he will seek a second term as chairman. He has faced criticism throughout his tenure for his handling of the RNC's finances and his frequent verbal blunders.

Coleman meanwhile defended Steele to the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Friday.

"I don't think he [Steele] has gotten enough credit for the work he's done bringing the tea party and the Republi! can Party together," he said.

The C-SPAN interview is scheduled to air on Sunday.

Rep. Ben Chandler (Ky.), who won reelection by only 648 votes, said in a recent interview that he blames outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Democrats' deep defeats in the midterms.

Chandler said that the fault also belongs to President Obama, whom he endorsed in 2008.

"If not there, where else does the responsibility lie?" Chandler told McClatchy. "You're talking about the loss of 60 or something seats held by capable public servants. There had to be something going on at a level above them."

He added, "If that isn't the lesson, I don't know what is."

Chandler, a member of the moderate Blug Dog Coalition, voted against Pelosi for caucus leader, saying that her opponent, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), was a "! better fit" for his district.

"It baffles me that you can suffer the largest defeat since 1938 and still maintain the leadership of your caucus," Chandler said of Pelosi.

"[T]he way she has been portrayed by Republican attack ads against conservative Democrats, is as a San Francisco liberal. That doesn't go over well in my district."

Read more here.

A magazine has put President Obama at No. 3 on its list of the 100 Top Global Thinkers.

Foreign Policy magazine ranked billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, who have pledged to give away half their wealth through global causes, first on the list.

Obama, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize shortly into his term for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," made it to No. 3 on the Foreign Policy list "for charting a course through criticism."

"Sure, the brainy young American president has had a tough sophomore year, with a stubbornly sluggish economy, worsening conditions in Afghanistan, an electoral backlash at home, and the surprise challenge of more than 4 million barrels of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico," the magazine wrote. "His sweeping plans to overhaul immigration and reinvent the way Americans use energy never got off the ground, and he can boast of neither Middle East peace nor mastery over the restive Republicans at home rising up against what they bemoan as the advent of European-style socialism."

Yet he's arguably the world's most popular leader, the magazine argues, "and he is slowly but surely inventing a new kind of U.S. leadership to go along with his vision of an America that once again projects its power through the force of its ideas."

"In many ways, he's the most realist of recent U.S. presidents, determined to focus on the terrible challenges, from Afghanistan to climate change, that he's been dealt," the magazine reasoned. "The world may yet thank him for it."

No. 5 on the list is Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, No. 8 is Gen. David Petraeus, and No. 9 is Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Sarah Palin avoided questions about her presidential aspirations on Saturday during a book event in Des Moines, Iowa.

The former Alaska governor's latest visit to the state â€" her third since 2008 â€" has prompted speculation that she is working to establish herself there before 2012.

According to the New York Times, however, Saturday's three-hour book event saw no hints from Palin about her plans.

Asked whether she would run for president, she said "Oh my goodness!" and thanked an autograph-seeker for helping her "change the subject."

She held no media interviews, according to the AP. 

The book tour itself has been called untraditional because it will forgo major coastal cities.

Palin has tweeted favorably about her experiences in the "Heartland" so far:

America by Heart book signing in Tulsa tonight!Thankful 4 Thanksgiving break so my girls can meet & greet great Americans w/me on book tour

Thank you Oklahoma!We appreciate you! Just landed in crisp & cool Nebraska;look forward to tomorrow's America by Heart book event in Norfolk

Nebraska was great...talk about great! , down-t o-earth patriots who value hard work!Thank u for the refreshing Heartland visit. Next - Iowa!

Her book, "America by Heart," was released Tuesday. She will be back in Iowa for another event next Thursday.