KANSAS: Dems Lose Another Top Recruit. “Whatever new ruling paradigm Democrats may have thought they were going to build on Obama’s shoulders after 2008 has collapsed. But it was bound to happen. Obama is way to the Left and the party was recruiting centrists.”

ATOMIC UNDERGROUND: Deep inside ORNL’s Holifield research facility.

IS EXECUTION MORE IMPORTANT THAN DESIGN? Kenneth Anderson revisits Richard Posner on counterterrorism.

And while we’re revisiting Posner, here’s our podcast interview of Posner focusing on his book, Not A Suicide Pact: The Constitution In A Time Of National Emergency.

I MENTIONED SARAH HOYT’S DarkShip Thieves earlier, and reader Amanda Green writes to note that Sarah blogged the book’s rather convoluted route to publication.

MILES O’BRIEN: Captain Underpants And The Illusion Of Security. “Here is what any moron can see as plain as day: our $40 billion dollar post-9/11 airline security net is a total joke – a White Elephant of epic (and potentially tragic) proportions. The truth is the only aspect of our post 9/11 defense that has turned out to be 100% effective are the passengers themselves. Without really thinking about it we have become an airborne militia – all watching and ready to kick al Qaeda butt at the drop of… a pair of trousers. It began in Shanksville – it effectively thwarted the shoe-bomber – and now Captain Underpants.”

TOBY BUCKELL: “I’m glad the year’s over. 2010 is going to rock.” I’ve had years like that. This wasn’t one of them. Not such a great year for the country, but a pretty good year for me personally, getting better as it went along. I have every intent of seeing 2010 rock, too, though. And I hope you feel the same way!

YEAH, BUT WITHOUT ANDREW SULLIVAN’S ANTI-TORTURE BLOGGING IT WOULD HAVE BEEN 56%: 58% Favor Waterboarding of Plane Terrorist To Get Information.

UPDATE: “My conclusion: the debate is over, and Dick Cheney won it.”

Reader Michael Gebert blames Andrew: “If fighting terrorists creates terrorists, surely being an endless hypocritical scold about waterboarding creates Dick Cheneys.” Yeah, I actually agree with Andrew on torture, but the more I read his stuff, the weaker my sentiments on the subject get . . . .

HMM: No Rise of Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Fraction in Past 160 Years, New Research Finds. You could still get ocean acidification, but this means that global warming, if any, can’t be because of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, if there isn’t any.

UPDATE: Looking at the abstract in Geophysical Research Letters, I think I’m wrong, above — I believe the “fraction” that’s constant isn’t the fraction of CO₂ in the air, but the fraction of emitted CO₂ that remains in the air. So atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could still be rising, just not as rapidly as models predict. Sorry — the news story was confusing, at least to me.

LOSING WEIGHT the Taco Bell way.

IN THE MAIL: From Sarah Hoyt, DarkShip Thieves. Eric S. Raymond says it’s like old-style space opera, but with better world-building.

OBAMACARE unites left and right.

NINE BIG STORIES the Mainstream Media Missed in 2009.

ABA ACCREDITATION MISCHIEF? “Without further clarification, the ABA could easily threaten the accreditation of a law school if a substantial percentage of the faculty signed a brief opposing Grutter–like diversity admissions.”

IT’S HARD TO GET BY, just upon a smile.

BEST OF 2009: The Boob Czar.

CHRIS DODD TOPS THE LIST of most corrupt politicians of 2009.

UPDATE: Oops, didn’t notice that the list he’s topping is alphabetical. But hey, I’d give him top billing even if his name were Zwilnik!

BEST DIRECTOR OF THE DECADE? Clint Eastwood.

UPDATE: Col. Douglas Mortimer — who you’d expect to be a fan — writes: “The best thing about Clint Eastwood? Every film he has ever made. Every single one. Has been brought in by him on time and under budget. Would that he had been President.” Well, a man’s got to know his limitations. . . .

BUREAUCRATS ALWAYS DO A GOOD JOB. JUST ASK THEM. TSA Salutes a ‘Very Good Year’ Despite 2009 Security Failures. “The message made no mention of TSA snafus over 2009, including several highly critical reports by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security and the inadvertent posting on the internet of confidential documents revealing airport security procedures.”

ANOTHER MASSACRE in gun-free Europe.

UPDATE: Reader Eric Brandel says that Finland is less gun-free than most of Europe: “Due to their history of having been attacked by, and successfully defending against, both the Germans and Russians in WWII (something they are very proud of), the Finns have been a little more reluctant to give up their firearms than the rest of Europe. In fact, obtaining firearms in Finland is easier than it is in some places in the US. Personal firearms of all types are legal, and obtainable, assuming you do not have a history of mental illness or committed a serious crime. The biggest difference between their laws and ours is that you must be licensed to own guns, and then have a license for each gun you own.”

OBAMACARE CAN ONLY HELP: New growth industry: Medical tourism.

DAMON ROOT: New York’s Decade of Debt.

ANTIAGING AND MORE: The year in biomedicine.

PREACHING TOLERANCE, but practicing bigotry.

MORE ON TSA VS. BLOGGERS, from Wired. Plus, a contrarian take at Aviation Week.

UPDATE: Reader Wayne Duncan emails:

This is the money quote from the story:

A former federal prosecutor who asked not to be identified told Threat Level that the TSA is being heavy-handed in how it’s handling the matter.

“It strikes me that someone at TSA is apoplectic that somehow there’s a sense that they’re not doing their job right,” he told Threat level. “To go into this one reporter’s house and copy his computer files and threaten him, it strikes me that they’re more aggressive with this reporter than with the guy who got on this flight.”

Threatening public safety — wrong. Making bureaucrats look bad — unforgivable!

AT REASON, the best and worst things of the decade.