Gary Johnson, the Libertarian-minded former two-term Governor of New Mexico, is raising his profile as he looks at a possible 2012 run for the GOP presidential nomination. In October, Governor Johnson, who remains popular in the Land of Enchantment but largely unknown outside it, told the Santa Fe New Mexican that he will be launching a political action committee called Our America PAC to promote his libertarian, small-government ideas. He would neither confirm nor deny, however, that he is entertaining a presidential run.

Big process news: White House Communications Director Anita Dunn is resigning. Deputy Dan Pfeiffer will take over. This is not a rebuke for Dunn; she made it clear from the get-go that her job was a temporary one.

The holiday season is a wonderful time for family, friends and good cheer, but all the visiting can leave us feeling a bit frazzled by the time it's over. It can also play havoc on our children's sleep schedules and turn a once-sleeping baby into an overtired zombie!

So much for the notion that the Republican Party is on the rebound. Per the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll (.pdf), part of which was teased earlier, finds that the GOP’s rating matches an all-time low in the survey, with just 25 percent viewing the party positively (including a paltry 6 percent viewing it very positively) and 46 percent viewing the party negatively. The Democratic Party is viewed significantly more favorably, earning a 42 percent positive rating and a 36 percent negative rating.