At 9:15 pm EST, I will be discussing Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke’s soon to be made appointment as Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the just released USIP report on Afghanistan and its indictment of US policy there with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

This post was written anonymously by a journalist in Syria. A few biographical facts have been changed to protect the people mentioned. DAMASCUS — Ahmed, an Iraqi in his early 30s, crossed the Iraqi-Syrian border in late November. With him were his wife and his two young sons.

I am at the Geneva Airport preparing for a day of flying home to Washington. Excuse me if I accidentally tzpe a “z” where a “y” should be. . .as I just did. Geneva was great. Free transportation on all public transport lines for visitors who come through the airport and all hotel guests.

I don’t think that Barack Obama’s election signifies the coming of a new liberal era any more than I think the United States was a center-right country during the majority of the Bush years. But it doesn’t matter what I think.

Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of US Senators including Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Kerry (D-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jack Reed (D-RI) are leaving soon on the last CODEL (Congressional Delegation trip) that the soon-to-be-but-not-yet Vice President will make in his career as a Senator.

Calling all readers and commenters — POA, Linda, WigWag, Tahoe, Paul Norheim, …, Dan Kervick, JohnH, JohnM, JohnS, John, Bil, BillS, TonyForesta, jonst, easy e, Spunkmeyer, erichwwk, all of you……and ALL others who happen by. . .

I have always liked Leon Panetta. He’s human, smart, generally straightforward. I dealt with him a number of times when I was working in the Senate for Senator Jeff Bingaman — and Leon never steered me wrong.

Norm Coleman will no doubt soon be joining a lobbying firm, or a conservative think tank like the American Enterprise Institute or Heritage Foundation. Coleman described himself as John Bolton’s best friend in the US Senate during the failed bid(s) to secure Senate affirmation of Bolton as US Ambassador to the United Nations.

Geneva, Switzerland. Monday through Thursday.

I only have time for a short comment as I’m heading to the airport to fly to Europe, but Commerce Secretary nominee Bill Richardson has withdrawn from his appointment because of an ongoing grand jury investigation into whether he traded New Mexico government contracts for campaign contributions.