On a working Saturday night for Congress, two votes on Democratic measures in the Senate failed to extend the Bush tax cuts.

That means, for the time being anyway, the measure isn't going anywhere.

Bush-era bigshot Karl Rove took a poke at fellow Republicans Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee Friday, telling a national audience, if this pair think they can do a better job than the Bushes, they should get into the presidential race officially and prove it.

Interviewed on Laura Ingraham's radio show, the former political consultant to George W. Bush said it isn't doing Palin or Huckabee any good to criticize a family within their party that has produced two presidents.

Gov.-elect Rick Scott Thursday named what amounts to a star-studded education transition team -- particularly in terms of reform and innovation.

Heading his team is outspoken reformer Michelle Rhee, until October chancellor of the Washington, D.C., school district. Rhee made the news when she stood up to teachers unions and pushed hard for charter schools and expanding the district's voucher program.

Up-and-coming Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to take over as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, according to a story in Politico Tuesday. When confirmed, the DGA will have a proven, prolific fund-raiser to jump in and gear up a year early for the 2012 elections.

The popular former Baltimore mayor is expected to be announced as chairman Wednesday in Washington.

He'll have to start drumming up money for 2011 campaigns almost immediately.

Is anybody telling the truth on the Bush tax cuts? Politico may come closest.

Certainly, in the lily-white-and-purity department, neither political party walks with the angels.

According to a Politico story Tuesday,the Democrats merrily skirt around the fact that, while the GOP-backed across-the-board tax cuts would cost $6 trillion over 10 years, the middle-class-only cuts wouldn't come cheap either. Estimated cost for the Democrat-backed cuts: $4 trillion.

With championship expectations and mediocre results, the University of Miami unceremoniously fired Head Football Coach Randy Shannon Saturday night, hours after the Hurricanes finished a 7-5 regular season.

In a press release, Kirby Hocutt, 'Canes athletic director, said, "We have made a decision to seek new leadership for our football program. Our expectations are to compete for championships and return to the top of the college football world."

This was a costly decision for the university. Earlier this year Shannon received a four-year contract extension.

Before the midterm elections, Democrats crowed that Hispanic voters would flock to the polls to deliver a blistering anti-Arizona-immigration-law thus anti-GOP statement, sending Republican candidates to defeat across the nation.

But, guess what? Democrats were off the mark. On Nov. 2, in record numbers, Hispanic voters helped elect Republicans.

In Politico's "Open Mike, Thanksgiving Weekend Edition," Democratic media consultant Peter Fenn takes after Congressman-elect Allen West of Florida with something of a passive-aggressive flourish.

What, you ask, has the controversial Broward County Republican and tea-party darling done now?

It was one thing to agree to an exhumation and removal of Native American remains -- mostly bits of teeth and bones. They were supposed to be relocated respectfully, in all dignity, in a site safely away from the Everglades restoration works, south of Lake Okeechobee.

That was according to an agreement made in 2008 between the government and the Miccousukee and Seminole tribes.