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Idiot. Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania is among the most seasoned of politicians. So when he commits a gaffe, it is often a powerful one. His comments about Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, caught by an open microphone, were just vague enough to offend, well, just about everyone. We’ve found at least four different groups so far. Apparently not realizing the microphone was live, Mr.

"Nonpolitical office" indeed. No class at all. At a gala dinner hosted by the American Spectator Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. cracked wise at Vice President-elect Joe Biden's expense, raising the Delaware senator's past brushes with academic dishonesty to the delight of his conservative audience. Recalling an incident in which an article he submitted to the Spectator

Unless we're real lucky: Minnesota's red ink totals $5.2 billion State budget officials this morning said falling tax revenue from struggling businesses and workers will push the deficit to nearly 14 percent of the state's total budget. Expecting falling tax revenue from struggling businesses and workers in a recession, state budget officials today projected a $4.8 billion deficit over two

Unless we're real lucky: Minnesota's red ink totals $5.2 billion State budget officials this morning said falling tax revenue from struggling businesses and workers will push the deficit to nearly 14 percent of the state's total budget. Expecting falling tax revenue from struggling businesses and workers in a recession, state budget officials today projected a $4.8 billion deficit over two

It's a word more easily understood by French or Spanish speakers. But now everyone in Canada knows it. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has obtained Governor-General Michaëlle Jean's consent to temporarily shut down Parliament, a move that allows him to avoid a confidence vote next week that he was expected to lose. It's a blow for the Liberal-NDP coalition, backed by the separatist Bloc

Add Kay Bailey Hutchison to the list. Although the paperwork doesn’t mean Hutchison has officially declared she’s running, it allows her to raise money in anticipation of challenging Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican. Early chatter: She’ll endeavor to raise millions of dollars by the end of the 2009 legislative session so that her state kitty looks as strong as the one held by Perry. The

He never connects on TV the way he does in person. And he's one hell of an interview.

Oh yeah. And race.

He says it's already occurred. He also claims that Hillary first discovered she was being considered for SOS in the papers.

Well, under ordinary circumstances, it's "Thomas Friedman is off today." But this piece gets it about right on Pakistan.

Can I get an amen?

Insider Advantage: Based on our early evaluation of turnout in the Georgia runoff, it appears Republicans have successfully defended Saxby Chambliss’ U.S. Senate seat against Democrat Jim Martin. The four-week campaign focused national attention on the Peach State and brought John McCain, Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton and Al Gore to the state to help their parties' respective candidates drive up

Can Harper fire the Governor General before she fires him?

And in this corner, Lisa "Big OIl" Murkowski : Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has some Republican-to-Republican advice for Gov. Sarah Palin: If you want to make a run at the White House, keep your hands off my Senate seat. Murkowski, up for reelection in 2010, is nervously awaiting word on whether John McCain’s former running mate will run against her in the GOP primary. But she says Palin is the

Why Harper's number is up. It's not that the Naderite NDP finally stopped playing footsie with the right. Together they didn't have the votes to take over. In the end the BQ was dispositive: Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said his party is ready to support the coalition because the Conservatives chose partisan games based on ideological beliefs instead of considering the interests of

Stéphane Dion will be Prime Minister of Canada. Congratulations to the NDP's thin moustached Jack Layton for finally doing the right thing. And then there's the Bloc Québécois' Gilles Duceppe, who will back the Dion government for 18 rather than 30 months and then play both sides against one another. Smart. Three big winners today: Canada. The Bloc. And Stéphane Dion, a poor politician who

David Gregory is the next host of Meet the Press. Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow or, yes, even alleged contender Katie Couric would have been better. But John King, Gwen Ifill, Andrea Greenspan or Chris Matthews would have been worse. That said, I'm not sure he'll survive the year.

Post 70 and post-Edwards Brooke, good old Bawa can still inspire debate.

Minnesota's still up in the air and may end up being decided by the U.S. Senate. That leaves tomorrow's runoff in Georgia, where chickenhawk slanderer Saxby Chambliss looks to ride low black turnout to a second victory.

At the press conference, the President-elect speaks: "Let there be no mistake about it: I will be setting policy as president. [They] will be implementing my vision.... The buck stops with me."