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.

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 …

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.

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 …

Earmark Nation  —  Newly minted presidential nominee John McCain stepped into the Rose Garden this week to receive President Bush's blessing.  What the cameras didn't catch were pork-addicted congressional Republicans blowing raspberries from their offices.

Party Donations Show G.O.P. Edge  —  WASHINGTON — For all the success that Democratic presidential candidates have had in raising money — taking in a combined total of over $500 million in the current race — the Republicans are beating them in one crucial area of fund-raising: the money being raised by the parties themselves.

The Great Non Sequitur  —  WASHINGTON — She threw the kitchen sink at him.  Accused Barack Obama of plagiarism.  Mocked his eloquence.  Questioned his truthfulness about NAFTA.  —  Wasn't enough.  Hillary Clinton still faced extinction in Ohio and Texas.  So what do you do when you have thrown the kitchen sink?

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 …

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 …

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 …

FALLON ON HIS WAY OUT?  —  Via ThinkProgress, Thomas Barnett suggests that Admiral William Fallon may be on his way out as CENTCOM chief. … There was much gnashing of teeth in the lefty blogosphere when Fallon was hired; why would we need a Navy admiral in CENTCOM unless we wanted to attack Iran?