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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a savvy politician whose vote-counting prowess will be tested in the off-year elections fueled by voter anger, said recently that as the calendar turns to 2010, she was in campaign mode and would focus almost exclusively on the issue of most concern to voters: jobs.

So it was not too much of a surprise this morning when the San Francisco Democrat, joined by 20 other members of Congress, arrived in Copenhagen for a climate change summit announcing that the visit is really meant to create jobs.

"We see Copenhagen as a meeting about job creation," she said. "How do we move forward to create millions of clean energy jobs and new technologies to keep America No. 1?" 

The House Speaker also didn't hesitate to throw her own president and party leader under the bus, distancing herself and her Dem colleagues from Obama's decision to increase troop levels in Afghanistan:

In keeping with her pledge to focus on jobs, Pelosi also signaled to the White House that President Obama is on his own when it comes to funding for the troop surge in Afghanistan. "The president's going to have to make his case," she said, making clear that she is done asking colleagues to back wars they do not support.

Middle-income voters are more likely than others to say that passing no legislation is the better option.

One reason for this is that most Americans now believe they will be worse off if reform passes. Fifty-four percent (54%) hold that view while just 25% believe they would be better off.

Senior citizens are more pessimistic than younger voters. Just 16% of seniors think they’ll be better off if the legislation passes while 59% have the opposite view.

During the festive holiday season, it’s become common to criticize the commercialization of Christmas. Cynics suggest that there’s something unseemly and shallow about so many Americans running around frantically and spending huge sums to purchase gifts that the recipients may not even welcome. From a deeper perspective, however, the surge of commercial activity in the Christmas season strengthens the connections of inter-dependence and mutual reward that make community possible. The seasonal spending not only connects those who give and receive gifts to one another, but ties together buyers and sellers in webs of service, prosperity and gain. If retailers enjoy good business during the holidays it’s a sign of strength and prosperity for the larger society, just as disappointing results indicate widespread hardship. All the buying and selling is altogether voluntary, demonstrating the operation of a free market that functions best when there’s peace on earth to men of good will. The market, in fact, encourages precisely that sort of cooperation and respect. What’s negative about the prospect of hundreds of millions of Americans taking great pains to select gifts to express their affection for friends and family? In fact, the kind instincts demonstrated by the giving mania, and by the ubiquitous figure of Santa Claus, may at least bring us closer to the message of higher love that’s part of the holiday’s religious core.

This year, that strategy did wonders for Creigh Deeds in Virginia and Jon Corzine in New Jersey.

Schumer asked if he could finish his call. The attendant said "no" because the plane was waiting for him to finish so it could take off.

The state's senior senator ended his call, but then launched into an argument with her, claiming he was entitled to continue his chat until the cabin door was closed.

"She said she doesn't make the rules, she just followed them," the aide said, according to Politco.com.

"B****!" Schumer remarked to Gillibrand after the attendant walked away.