
(CNN) - Hillary Clinton isn't the only former candidate still fundraising long after Election Day: an analysis released this week found that one out of every four prospective officeholders this year ended the campaign season in the red.
The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics found that 665 out of 2,339 candidates for political office still don't have enough to pay off their campaign debts - a combined deficit of roughly $144 million.
But many won't face much pressure from their creditors: $125 million of that debt is money candidates lent their own campaigns. "Eight out of the top 10 debtors reached into their own pockets for more than 40 percent of their campaign funds," CRP reported.
Watch: CNN's Barbara Starr reports on the challenges facing Barack Obama's pick as director of national intelligence
President Bush ordered one of 19 presidential pardons issued this week to be re-examined. CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.
(CNN) - Big sections in the heart of Washington, D.C. will be converted into giant parking lots next month, with District officials are now planning to allow as many as 10,000 charter buses - carrying an estimated 200,000 passengers - to park in the city itself for the presidential inauguration, the Washington Post reported Thursday.
The move - which represents a dramatic shift from earlier plans that would have placed most of these buses at sites outside Washington - comes amid concerns the Metro system would be overwhelmed by the massive wave of visitors, and thousands stranded in parking lots miles from the city.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Christmas came a few hours early for two dozen White House officials and supporters Wednesday, who were appointed to three- to six-year positions on government committees and councils.
The full list released by the White House – which includes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Karl Rove deputy Israel Hernandez – after the jump.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) - which has tracked Santa's travels for more than half a century - partnered with Google Maps to offer curious children a chance to follow St. Nick's journey around the globe this year.
The military command, which monitors potential threats over North American airspace, said Santa's 2008 trip began Wednesday at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Above: a map of this year's journey, now complete, on the agency's Santa Tracker Web site.
How do you celebrate the Christmas season? A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll found most Americans fit into four basic groups:
GUNG-HO (27 percent): These are the people who go all-out for the holidays. Past surveys indicate that nearly all of the people in this group have a Christmas tree and put up Christmas lights or other decorations on the outside of their homes. They consider Christmas the best time of the year and most of them attend church weekly. If you have kids under 18 in your household, you're probably in this group.
HO-HO-HO (32 percent): This group definitely has the Christmas spirit, but may not go all-out during the holidays. Polls in previous years show that the people in this group are the most likely to indulge in cookies and other holiday goodies. They're not weekly church attenders but they're fairly religious. Half are married but only one in three have young children.


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