Obama's key nonappointment: Bernanke (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Where's a good deflation-fighter when you need one? US consumer prices fell in October at the steepest rate since 1938. If that starts a self-reinforcing downward spiral in prices, Barack Obama will need Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke more than ever. The former Princeton scholar is an expert on deflation, a pernicious destroyer of wealth.

What to do with Guantánamo's detainees (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - One of President-elect Barack Obama's top priorities will be to rethink the "war on terror" from the ground up. That means following through on his campaign promises to close the US military prison at Guantánamo, which would be a major symbolic achievement.

Venezuela's fork in the road: socialism or capitalism? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - As the dust settles after the US presidential vote, there is another important election that the world should watch. Venezuelan citizens head to the polls Nov. 23. At stake is the selection of governors for each of the country's 22 states, as well as mayors for 338 of the largest cities.

It's Time for a War on War on the "War on Christmas" (HuffingtonPost.com)
HuffingtonPost.com - After enduring eight years of a president who was determined to impose his religious beliefs on the country, I've just about had it with people trying to shove religion down my throat.

Left Out (The Nation)
The Nation - The Nation -- I've been trying to avoid commenting on specific personnel for the Obama administration, because it's hard to know what's real and what's rumor, and because it's also difficult to get my head around what the proper evaluative criteria is.

The New Senate (The Nation)
The Nation - The Nation -- The NY Times is reporting that Hillary Clinton will accept the job of Secretary of State.

Oligopoly And the Fall of the American Automobile Industry (RealClearPolitics.com)
RealClearPolitics.com - GM, Ford, and Chrysler, who embodied industrial excellence and manufactured much of the equipment that defeated Japan and Germany more than sixty years ago, are reduced to begging the federal government to prevent their bankruptcy.

'Fairness Doctrine' All Hot Air? (RealClearPolitics.com)
RealClearPolitics.com - That's the argument Marin Cogan makes in her New Republic piece. Specifically, says Cogan, the supposed effort by Democrats to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine is a "manufactured controversy." She writes:

Letters to the Editor (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Return to the gold standard would stabilize US economyIn regard to the Nov. 17 Opinion article, "Forget Bretton Woods II ? we need a gold standard": I completely agree with this commentary. Gold is a durable precious commodity that protects its value because its quantity is not subject to whim or vote. It is not possible to pretend there is more than there physically is.

To turn the tide on piracy in Somalia, bring justice to its fisheries (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - In the past few weeks, a failed state that was forgotten for more than a decade once again made the world take notice. While Somalia's weak transitional government fails to assert control on land, a band of highly organized pirates have taken firm control of the country's sea lanes.

Welcome to America (Linda Chavez)
Linda Chavez - Republicans are finally worried that their failure to attract Hispanic voters in this year's election spells trouble — perhaps for decades.

The Legal Road Ahead (Susan Estrich)
Susan Estrich - The California Supreme Court's decision to hear argument as an "original" matter in three of the lawsuits challenging the adoption of Proposition 8 means the issue of gay marriage will soon be back in the courts.

Who Killed Detroit? (Pat Buchanan)
Pat Buchanan - Who killed the U.S. auto industry?

Hollywood's Ridiculous Lawyers (Brent Bozell III)
Brent Bozell III - Both Time and Newsweek magazines are giggling at the Supreme Court oral arguments on the fleeting-TV-profanity case of FCC vs. Fox Television Stations. The court is considering if it has the authority to regulate obscene language on the public airwaves.

Thoughtful Warriors (Mona Charen)
Mona Charen - Unlike some who shall, in the interests of comity, remain nameless — conservatives do not cry foul when they lose elections. They do not whine that the election was stolen, or secured through dirty campaign tricks, or otherwise illegitimately won. Instead, they ask themselves where they went wrong.

The eHarmony Shakedown (Michelle Malkin)
Michelle Malkin - Congratulations, tolerance mau-mauers: Your shakedown of a Christian-targeted dating website worked. Homosexuals will no longer be denied the inalienable "right" to hook up with same-sex partners on eHarmony. What a landmark triumph for social progress, eh?

CONSCIOUSNESS OF A CONSERVATIVE (Ted Rall)
Ted Rall - A Philosophy Without a Party

OBAMA APPOINTMENTS SO FAR ARE DISAPPOINTINGLY FAMILIAR (Georgie Anne Geyer)
Georgie Anne Geyer - WASHINGTON -- For yea these last two years, the picture we have had of our president-elect has been, without exception, that of a gentleman, proud yet humble, with an inner centeredness and an outer composure that have fascinated and often mystified the nation. Where, we kept asking ourselves, did such a man come from? What elements of fate and nature merged in him to create this preternaturally poised leader?

GENIUS, THY NAME IS OBAMA (Ann Coulter)
Ann Coulter - With Time magazine comparing Obama to Jesus, I guess we should be relieved that, this week, liberals are only comparing him to Abraham Lincoln.

NO MORE BAILOUTS (Maggie Gallagher)
Maggie Gallagher - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson looks like an investment banker.