Obama’s stimulus plan has creeped its way to almost $800 billion. The President-elect is reacting to news of an ever-worsening economy and projections that 3.5 million people could lose their jobs in the next year. Some are fearing the stimulus plan could open the door to Congressional pet projects rather than programs that will really drive economic recovery. Vice President-elect Joe Biden defended the plan with a staid response: only bold moves will rescue the economy.

For what it’s worth, Washington hospitality workers will have jobs. With numerous inauguration events planned, the need for waiters and bartenders is up. Probably no consolation for the actors and artists in Los Angeles who make their living the same way.

Biden and Cheney aren’t getting along as well as Bush and Obama. In a bout of back-and-forth criticism, Biden has called Cheney the most dangerous Vice President in history, and in a Fox News interview (below, about halfway through), Cheney responded by criticizing Biden’s knowledge of the Constitution. Christmas cheer, anyone?

Blago’s “Individual D” revealed, and seeks immunity. There have been no accusations of wrongdoing from the authorities, but businessman Raghuveer P. Nayak has apparently sought legal protection in exchange for cooperating in the ongoing investigation into Governor Rod Blagojevich’s alleged scheme to sell President-elect Barack Obama’s now-vacant Senate seat. Blago apparently wanted to appoint Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and pressured Nayak to pony up campaign money. The Chicago drama is getting more interesting by the day.

VHS: An Obituary. Before the entertainment industry was panicking over competition from DVD sales, there was the videocassette. It revolutionized the entertainment industry, and this Christmas will likely be the last one you’ll be able to find one anywhere other than a 99-cent store, as the L.A. Times reports. So, a big THANK YOU to VHS for ushering in the era of movies-on-demand and personal movie libraries. I wonder how long Blu-ray will last.

In preparation for Christmas, an homage to the Man Behind the Story. If you haven’t seen A Christmas Story, you can catch it during the annual marathon on Dec. 25. For now, you can learn everything you ever wanted to know about Jean Shepherd, the writer, radio personality and narrator from the movie who wrote the stories on which the film was based.

Is “Palin-ized” the hot political put-down? Politicians have said New York Senate candidate Caroline Kennedy is “Sarah Palin-ized” because of the way she and her team are handling the media, including asking reporters to submit questions in writing first. Somehow Palin has managed to leave a permanent mark on American politics.

Michael Ramirez cartoon from Investor's Business Daily - 12/16/08

Dennis Miller rips into Barack Obama over the Chicago corruption scandal. Talk show host Bill O’Reilly tries to play it neutral, but Miller takes the President-elect to task for being either oblivious or disingenuous. Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin at National Review assesses just how involved disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s wife was in all the backdoor shenanigans, in her piece The Real Housewives of Crook County.

Newsweek’s cover story “hero” isn’t much of a hero, writes Scott Johnson at Powerlines blog. The Newsweek story puts a positive spin on Thomas Tamm, the whistle blower who played a prominent role in tipping off the New York Times to a Pulitzer-Prize winning story about the government’s secret wiretapping of Americans and others living inside the borders. Apparently, the government has hounded Tamm ever since, but Johnson suggests both Tamm and the Times could be liable to criminal prosecution for breaking espionage laws.

America must protect us from Muslim fanatics (and shoe attacks). After an Iraqi journalist threw both of his shoes at President Bush at a press conference, a sign of serious disrespect in the Muslim world (no kidding), conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly insists we need tough but smart policies to protect Americans.

Better not make hasty decisions in an economic crisis, writes Jonah Goldberg at National Review. We’ve learned a lot from past mistakes and we shouldn’t make them again. He’s referring to the Fed tightening the money supply.

Ann Coulter defends her reference to the President-elect as B. Hussein Obama, taking on Alan Colmes and Pat Caddell. The squabbling began when Obama announced he would use his middle name for the Inauguration.

Michael Ramirez cartoon from Investor's Business Daily, Dec. 4

Democrats value politics more than the success of the U.S. auto industry, argue the editors at National Review. The deal is more about preserving union jobs and subsidizing hybrid vehicles, and stipulations such as the one that prevents automakers from seeking injunctions against states like California, which has stricter emissions standards than the national average, will make it difficult for the industry to survive. Automakers argue that, after all, they can’t afford to make different cars for different states.

The Blagojevich corruption scandal marks just one of many for Democrats this year, writes Michelle Malkin at National Review. Now it’s Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was arrested on suspicion of numerous counts of pay-to-play deals, including one that would have sold President-elect Barack Obama’s vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. But this year other Dems were caught in the act: Democratic Representatives William Jefferson and Charlie Rangel, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, and Massachusetts State Senator Diane Wilkerson, to name a few. The important question for right wing radio personality Hugh Hewitt: how far Obama will be willing to let U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald pursue the Illinois corruption case.

Newsweek’s political agenda is showing, and it’s all rainbow-y. Married writers Mark and Mollie Hemingway tag team the weekly publication, where the cover story makes the “religious case for gay marriage.” Both Hemingways bash the Lisa Miller article for getting the Scripture wrong, and Mr. Hemingway points out that the editor’s response to the backlash further demonstrates the magazine’s decision to take a solid political stance.

Obama’s speechwriter would have lost his career if he were Republican, argues Andrew Breitbart at The Washington Times. The image above, which was posted briefly on Facebook, shows 27-year-old Jon Favreau and a buddy groping a cardboard cutout of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dee Dee Myers, who worked for the sex-scandal-stained Clinton administration, expressed outrage at the denigration and humiliation of women, though Ed Morrissey at Hot Air downplayed the whole incident as a joke.

Thanks for the wiretaps! Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges that he attempted to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama and illegally withheld assistance for the Tribune Co. until editorial board members from the Chicago Tribune critical of him were fired. The 76-page FBI affidavit is a thing of beauty. It includes Blagojevich and his wife dropping the F-bomb 18 times. For example, Blagojevich says the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.” The FBI began investigating Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, in 2003.

Riots continue in Greece … after Tuesday’s funeral for a teenager who was killed by police on Saturday. Protesters marched in Athens, railing against the government, which holds a one-seat majority in parliament. During the worst riots on Monday night, youths tossed concrete slabs and police officers and destroyed storefronts. Gasoline bombs have been the weapons of choice. Tensions are expected to ease on Wednesday, when a general strike is planned.

Rescuers search for fourth victim in plane crash … The pilot of an F/A-18 fighter jet evacuated safely, but at least three people on the ground were killed when the plane crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in San Diego Monday. The three known victims were a son, mother and grandmother from one family. Rescuers are looking for another infant son. The crash destroyed two houses and damaged three others.

Last place calls for desperation … or is it genius? Jay Leno is taking his show to the 10 p.m. time slot for NBC. This means the struggling network, which has been stuck in fourth place in the ratings, will have to produce five fewer hours of original programming each week. Conan O’Brien is taking over Tonight Show duties in June. But Nikki Finke highlights some of the potential problems with the move: 4.8 million viewers isn’t that great for a prime time audience, and will Leno cannibalize O’Brien’s show at 11:30 p.m.?

Don’t have anything nice to say about Bush? Then read this cheat-sheet. The Los Angeles Times reports the White House sent out a two-page memo to Cabinet and other high-ranking officials that highlighted the Bush administration’s accomplishments. It conveniently doesn’t mention the bungling of the Iraq War or the thousands stranded after Hurricane Katrina.