Playing by Clinton Rules  —  Barack Obama had a theory.  It was that the voters are tired of the partisan paralysis of the past 20 years.  The theory was that if Obama could inspire a grass-roots movement with a new kind of leadership, he could ride it to the White House and end gridlock in Washington.

Archivists block release of Clinton papers  —  LITTLE ROCK — Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich.

Employment Situation Summary  —  Technical information:  —  Household data: (202) 691-6378 USDL 08-0294  —  Establishment data:(202) 691-6555 Transmission of material in this release  —  http://www.bls.gov/ces/ is embargoed until 8:30 A.M. (EST), Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, March 7, 2008.

Go Already!  —  Hillary Clinton, fratricidal maniac.  —  The morning after Tuesday's primaries, Hillary Clinton's campaign released a memo titled “The Path to the Presidency.”  I eagerly dug into the paper, figuring it would explain how Clinton would obtain the Democratic nomination despite an enormous deficit in delegates.

Dumb and Dumber: An Essay and Its Editors  —  I've never watched Oprah Winfrey's show, bought a Celine Dion CD, read “Eat, Pray, Love,” or fainted at an Obama rally, although he is my preferred candidate.  According to Charlotte Allen, that makes me an “outlier,” an exception that proves the rule that women …

Freedom Means Responsibility  —  Nearly 16 years ago in these very pages, I wrote that “'one-size-fits all' rules for business ignore the reality of the market place.”  Today I'm watching some broad rules evolve on individual decisions that are even worse.  —  Under the guise of protecting us …

On the Red Phone  —  Here's an idea for an Obama ad: a montage of Clinton's Sybillish personalities that have surfaced during the campaign with a solemn voiceover at the end saying, “Does anyone want this nut answering the phone?”  —  How is it that she became the one who's perceived …

Housing, Bank Troubles Deepen  —  Foreclosures Reach  —  A New Record;  —  Home Equity Falls  —  Two crucial barometers of the nation's housing market have worsened markedly in recent months, ratcheting up pressure on policy makers in Washington for action to stem the growing housing crisis …

Power on Obama's Iraq plan: “best case scenario”  —  For all the chatter about Obama adviser Samantha Power's calling Clinton a “monster,” another set of remarks made on her book tour in the United Kingdom may be equally threatening to the Obama campaign: Comments in a BBC interview that express …

Fired U.S. attorney says colleague told him politics was behind his ouster  —  WASHINGTON — A longtime protege of President Bush told former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias that he was fired for political reasons and that he shouldn't fight his ouster, Iglesias says in a new book.

Over the Top  —  An overview:  —  From the first voting in Iowa on Jan. 3 she had to prove that Clintons Are Magic.  She wound up losing 11 in a row.  Meaning Clintons aren't magic.  He had to take her out in New Hampshire, on Super Tuesday or Junior Tuesday.  He didn't.  Meaning Obama isn't magic.

Officials Lean Toward Keeping Next Iraq Assessment Secret  —  A new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq is scheduled to be completed this month, according to U.S. intelligence officials.  But leaders of the intelligence community have not decided whether to make its key judgments public …