SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:15 P.M. ET: 

HILLARY ASSERTS – Hillary Clinton has now said definitively that she will get out of politics at the end of Obama's term, no matter who is elected president.  Now, she's said this before and we have the right to be skeptical.  But, look, maybe she's tired, and maybe she wants to make as much money as Bill has (tens of millions).  If Obama is re-elected (my heart just skipped four beats) his choice of a new secretary will be a key signal as to his direction in a second term.  And why do I think Hillary might be back in four years if there's no other logical candidate for president in 2016?

A GRIM CHARGE – A drama with potential political implications is being played out in New York.  Greg Kelly, the son of New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and a Fox News personality, is being investigated on a rape charge.  A woman alleges that she was sexually assaulted by Kelly, became pregnant, and had the baby aborted.  Ray Kelly is the highest profile police commissioner in the country and has been talked about for higher office.  If the charge turns out to be true then, obviously, our first thoughts must go to the traumatized victim.  But there can then be political effects down the line.  But it is only a charge, and thus far we've seen no specific evidence.  We take no stand.

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE – Last week the Obama administration was riding high on news that jobless claims had gone way down.  What a difference a week makes.  Jobless claims were up again this week, and creeping toward the 400,000 mark that economists see as a serious danger point.  In addition, new home sales slumped, adding to worries that the housing market has years to go before it recovers from its burst bubble.  A full court press is underway to convince us that the economy is on the rebound, and that, to quote another president, "prosperity is just around the corner."  But the corner looks far away once again.

HEY, IT'S THE ARAB SPRING – Six Americans, including the son of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, are being detained in Egypt.  The six have been working on behalf of Egyptian democracy.  The administration has expressed understandable outrage, but this is a very poor omen for the Arab spring, which is turning winter-like faster than expected.  And yet, as we reported this morning, the Obamans want to increase aid to Egypt, despite the fact that the anti-Christian and anti-Jewish Muslim Brotherhood will now be in control of the country.

January 26, 2012