Obama, GOP clash on Benghazi, Rice

An angry President Obama on Wednesday demanded his congressional critics "go after me" rather than snipe at his top aides, after two top Republican senators said U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice's inaccurate account of the cause of the terrorist attacks in Benghazi makes her unfit to be promoted.

Agencies warn politicians:  Credit ratings on the line

Wall Street ratings agencies are skeptical of the resolve of political leaders to tame the nation's debts, and are raising the likelihood that at least one of the three top agencies will add to the turmoil in financial markets at the end of the year by further downgrading the U.S. credit rating.

Israel prepares for retaliation after killing terrorist leader

Israel braced Wednesday for retaliation from Palestinian militants, including possible suicide bombings within the Jewish state, after killing Hamas' military chief in an airstrike in Gaza City.

D.C. Mayor Gray seeks to move on after probes

U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. followed a public shaming of the former D.C. Council chairman this week with a vow to "ensure public trust" — a pledge sure to be tested as he resolves his probe into Mayor Vincent C. Gray's 2010 campaign, the last in a trio of investigations that blazed a path this year from city hall to the federal courthouse.

Libya timeline suggests cover-up in attack

The Obama administration's public versions of events in the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya have been riddled with discrepancies, starting soon after the American dead and survivors left behind a charred diplomatic compound and bullet-scarred CIA building in Benghazi.

Obama: No evidence Petraeus scandal harmed national security

President Obama said he had seen "no evidence" that classified information had been compromised in the wake of David H. Petraeus' stunning decision to resign as CIA director after admitting to an extramarital affair late last week.

Obama urges Israel, Egypt leaders to 'de-escalate' Gaza violence

With Middle East tensions rising as Israel launched a major offensive against Palestinian militants, President Obama appealed Wednesday to Israel's prime minister to avoid civilian casualties and asked Egypt's president for help in calming the situation.

Hamas military chief topped Israel's wanted list

The shadowy Hamas military chief killed in an Israeli missile strike Wednesday had long topped the Jewish state's most-wanted list for masterminding a string of deadly attacks.

Obama: GOP resistance may trigger second recession

As he prepares to meet Friday with congressional leaders on finding a way to avert the looming "fiscal cliff," President Obama warned that the U.S. will plunge into a second recession if the GOP refuses to go along with his proposal to raise taxes only on wealthier Americans.

New U.S. legalized marijuana laws have 'profound impact' in Mexico

The Mexican ambassador to the United States said Wednesday the decision by Colorado and Washington state to legalize marijuana for recreational use has had a "profound impact" on the public's perception of his country's efforts to halt drug smuggling across the southwestern border.

Inside the Beltway: Herding Republicans

The liberal media are "shamelessly" using President Obama's re-election to steer the Republican Party away from the conservative mindset, says a pithy new Media Research Center study on recent national news coverage. Indeed, conservatives have been painted as a moldering, deranged bunch in the last week.

Liberals to distraught conservatives: It gets better

On the morning after the presidential election, David Goodfriend was crushed. Dumbfounded. He sat in his Toyota Corolla in a parking lot next to a hiking trail in Bethesda, listening to talk radio, alone and inert, wondering where it all went wrong.

Veteran lawmaker: Contraception a human right

The newly re-elected Obama administration should promote contraception as a human right, domestically and throughout the world, a veteran House member said Wednesday as a new report on global family-planning was released.

Israeli defense chief: Rebels take Syrian villages

The Israeli defense minister says "almost all" Syrian villages near the frontier with Israel have fallen into rebel hands.

Stocks slide as impasse over budget deficit looms

Investors drew little hope Wednesday for a quick compromise in U.S. budget talks after President Obama insisted that higher taxes on wealthy Americans would have to be part of any deal.

Maine's Angus King to caucus with Senate Democrats

Independent Senator-elect Angus King of Maine says he has decided to caucus with Democrats, which will add to the party's voting edge. His decision ends months of speculation about which party he would align with.

Commentary

DECKER: 5 Questions with Robert Agostinelli

Robert F. Agostinelli is the co-founder of Rhone, a private-equity firm based in New York, Paris and London. He previously was senior managing director at Lazard Freres, with responsibility for its international-banking business. Before that, he founded Goldman Sachs' international mergers-and-acquisitions operation in London and worked for Jacob Rothschild. A generous philanthropist, Mr. Agostinelli is active in charities that support military veterans, especially the wounded, and their families. He is on the board of directors of National Review, among other respected institutions.

MILLER: Obama's massive tax hike

Now that he never has to run for election again, President Obama can show his true colors. Mr. Obama made it clear Wednesday he wants to whack Americans with $1.6 trillion in tax increases so that an obese Uncle Sam won't have to go on a diet. The only thing that can slow down his sharp turn to the left is the House GOP.

NAPOLITANO: Silencing General David Petraeus

The evidence that Gen. David H. Petraeus, formerly the commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, the author of the current Army field manual, Princeton Ph.D. and, until last week, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, was forced to resign from the CIA to silence him is far stronger than is the version of events that the Obama administration has given us.

GHEI: Kick the spending addiction

The United States is headed over the "fiscal cliff" while European capitals face austerity riots. Whether it's in Washington, Madrid, Rome or Athens, the heads of state will deny excessive public spending has anything to do with the ongoing malaise. Without accurately identifying the cause, the right solutions can't be implemented. So Europe's "austerity measures" invariably turn out to be tax increases, and the same misguided proposals are gaining momentum here.

CLEGG AND THOMPSON: Overturn unconstitutional Voting Rights Act

The Supreme Court granted review last week in Shelby County v. Holder, a case challenging the constitutionality of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.