Tuesday's Daily Brief

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 Arianna Huffington: 2011: The Year the Power Went Off in Washington Arianna Huffington: Again and again in 2011, as the country sat mired in crises and the long-term effects of joblessness, declining wages, and downward mobility, the response by the governing class could not have been more disproportionate to the problems. Like a terrible reality show, each week brought some fresh, completely made-up five-alarm crisis. And the media would dutifully follow suit, breathlessly giving its attention to the latest make or break negotiations in Washington. And then would come the front-page breakthrough deal that would essentially maintain the status quo. Instead of this manufactured Beltway clown show, there are very real and growing problems the media could be putting the spotlight on. Maybe we need to take Rick Perry's suggestion of making Congress part-time seriously in order to free up some media oxygen that can be used to focus on the real solutions -- the real creativity and innovation -- being summoned to meet our challenges around the country. POLITICS Gingrich Praised Rival For Plan He Now Attacks WORLD After Days Of Attacks, Syria Pulls Tanks From Homs POLITICS GOP Candidates Making Final Iowa Push SPORTS Drew Brees Makes NFL History BUSINESS Major Retailer To Close At Least 100 Stores BLOG POSTS James Moore: Last Lap Around Iowa As Iowa approaches, it has to be said: The fact that Rick Perry is given any type of consideration by Republican voters is a condemnation of their party and the American electoral process. And Perry owes Texans millions for the money he has wasted on traveling security. Lyric Hughes Hale: The Coming Accidental War with Iran Now that America's withdrawal from Iraq has been formalized, and Osama bin Laden and a host of autocrats have been vanquished, after a year of unbelievable changes throughout the Middle East, my prediction is that Iran is about to regain center stage in the region. Larry Magid: Big 2011 Tech Stories About People, Not Products There were plenty of gadgets shipped in 2011, but the big stories of the year were about the people who made them and used them to change the world. Jean Fain, L.I.C.S.W., M.S.W.: New Year's Resolutions: Eating Experts Wish You a Diet-Free New Year Before you make yet another New Year's resolution to lose weight for good, now might be a good time to ask yourself Dr. Phil's quintessential question: "How's that working for you?" Keli Goff: The Best and Worst Presidential Campaign Ads of the Year While Hollywood is gearing up for the Golden Globes on January 15th, the political world, or "Hollywood for ugly people" as it is sometimes jokingly called, is gearing up for its own Golden Globes.

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