By Steve Clemons

I’m just back to Washington after a fun holiday. Happy New Year to everyone — but it’s back to the real world tomorrow, and it’s a messy place.

Later today, Josh Marshall will be announcing the winners of his spoofy “Golden Duke Awards” — named for the now-in-jail scion of the corrupt fringe of America’s military industrial complex, former California Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

Greetings all. It’s quite early in the morning here in Carson City, Nevada — and am now off to Reno Airport, then to New York City where I’ll be saluting the new year with friends. Consider this an open thread. All best and more later.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy Former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski spent some time educating the nation — and Joe Scarborough — about the way to frame the current Gaza tragedy and what needs to be done to move forward.

I do not follow the whole “awards for blogging” business, but I may need to NOW as The Washington Note just made the cut for “Best Very Large Blog (Authority between 501 and 1000)”. Cool!! But I sort of feel like TWN just doesn’t fit in many of the cool categories very well.

Roland Burris has few detractors and may be a very interesting, somewhat unassailable choice to fill Barack Obama’s Senate seat. Burris — a former Attorney General and Comptroller of Illinois — seems to be a decent guy.

A friend sent me this pic of her dad’s dog looking wistfully out the window after reading a good chunk of Barton Gellman‘s much acclaimed Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency.

This is a guest post written by Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the Palestinian National Initiative. These comments and views are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Washington Note or Huffington Post.

This is a guest post by New America Foundation Middle East Task Force Co-Director Daniel Levy For many people, what has happened today between Gaza and Israel may have all too familiar a ring to it – Israel warns and then retaliates to an alleged or real Palestinian escalation of violence, there is Arab condemnation…

One of the most important and sensible comments made during the last stretch of the campaign came from the straight-talking Joe Biden. The then Democratic vice-presidential nominee said that Barack Obama would be “tested” by crisis early in his presidency.