Ron Paul’s Fed-Bashing Wins Over Lawmakers.

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- For U.S. Representative Ron Paul, the ninth time may be the charm. After fighting for decades to increase scrutiny of the Federal Reserve or abolish it, the Texas Republican’s proposal requiring audits of the central bank’s interest-rate decisions is getting traction...Link

Nobel Peace Prize as War President......

There is a bit of irony that just 10 days after announcing the deployment of 30,000 more American troops to Afghanistan, President Obama will accept the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize tomorrow in Oslo, Norway. The award, which the Nobel committee said was for Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," comes as he presides over wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and faces an American public that is increasingly skeptical about the U.S.-led efforts there. Obama will walk a delicate line in his acceptance speech, and the White House said he will acknowledge that he accepts the peace prize as a war president. Aides said he will address Afghanistan and the decision to add troops there and present it in the overall context of the award he is accepting...Link