SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:09 P.M. ET: 

OUR TERMINALLY OBNOXIOUS PRESIDENT – FROM FOX:   President Obama suggested in an exit interview with his former top adviser that, had he been able to run, he could have won a third term in the White House.  Describing his confidence in an America that is “tolerant” and “full of energy,” Obama said: “I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that … if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it.”  President-elect Donald Trump fired back Monday in a tweet: "He should say that but I say NO WAY!" He cited the rise of the Islamic State terror group and trouble with Obama administration agenda items including ObamaCare.  There is no end to Obama's ego.  He makes Trump look modest.  I'm sure Hillary Clinton will appreciate Obama's comments, contrasting his political prowess with hers.  I wonder if they'll ever talk again.

PREACH IT, DONALD, PREACH IT! – FROM AP:  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Days after the United Nations voted to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Donald Trump questioned its effectiveness Monday, saying it's just a club for people to "have a good time."  The president-elect wrote on Twitter that the U.N. has "such great potential," but it has become "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"  On Friday, Trump warned, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," referring to the day he takes office.  The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday's U.N. vote brushed aside Trump's demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel's leadership.  Of course, the usual suspects are coming to the UN's defense, with arguments about as logical as the claim that Mussolini made the trains run on time.  On the big issues, the UN is as much a failure as the League of Nations.  If we drastically cut our "contributions," a good signal would be sent.

AMERICANS TURN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT 2017 – FROM AP:   A look at the key findings of the Associated Press-Times Square Alliance poll:  Americans weren't thrilled with 2016. Only 18 percent said things for the country got better, 33 percent said things got worse, and 47 percent said it was unchanged from 2015.  On a personal level, they were optimistic about 2017.  Fifty-five percent said they believe things will be better for them in the coming year than in the year that just concluded. That's a 12-point improvement from last year's poll.  Americans interviewed about the poll's results expressed some of that optimism."Next year will be better than this year, because people will have more jobs and they'll have more money to spend," said Bourema Tamboura, a Harlem resident behind the wheel of a New York car service.  "I'm hoping 2017 will be better," added Elizabeth Flynn, 62, an elementary schoolteacher from Peabody, Massachusetts. "You've got to be optimistic, and I'm going to try."  Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say 2016 was worse for the country than 2015. And Republicans are especially likely to feel that 2017 will be even better for them personally.  University of Miami professor Benjamin Alsup said he needed only three words to explain why 2016 felt worse for him: "Trump, Trump, Trump!"   Trump's election is driving a new optimism.  I hope it's justified, and that the media doesn't disparage any progress that Trump brings.

December 26,  2016