SUMMARY: The Truth-O-Meter is out of commission for routine maintenance, but we'll bring it back in January to fact-check the White House and other players in Washington.

The 2008 campaign was grueling for everyone involved, but especially for our Truth-O-Meter.

It made more than 750 rulings over the past 15 months, including 49 Pants on Fires. They really take a toll on the meter because, as you can see from our home page, it spontaneously bursts into flames. (And the building manager really hates it when we set off the fire alarm.)

So during November and December we'll give the Truth-O-Meter a rest and perform some routine maintenance (oil and lube, flush the transmission, a new flux capacitor).

But PolitiFact will be back in late January. We'll put the Meter to work checking President Obama, members of his administration, the Congress, lobbyists, special interest groups and anyone else who speaks up in Washington.

We'll be unveiling some new features and a new design on PolitiFact, but the heart of the site will still be the Truth-O-Meter. So check back in late January and we'll help you sort out the truth about Washington.