Romer and Bernstein on stimulus  —  Is this enough?  —  OK, Christina Romer and Jared Bernstein have put out the official (?) Obama estimates of what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan would accomplish.  The figure above summarizes the key result.

Revealed: the environmental impact of Google searches  —  Physicist Alex Wissner-Gross says that performing two Google searches uses up as much energy as boiling the kettle for a cup of tea  —  Performing two Google searches from a desktop computer can generate about the same amount …

IDF: Whole Hamas battalions wiped out  —  Is Hamas falling apart?  Senior IDF officer says roughly 300 Hamas men killed since army launched ground incursion, whole Hamas battalions wiped out in dozens of clashes with troops over weekend; terror group also hit by wave of desertions, official says

U.S. Rejected Aid for Israeli Raid on Iranian Nuclear Site  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended …

Prince's apology for racist term  —  Prince Harry has apologised for using offensive language to describe a member of his army platoon.  —  The News of the World said it had a video of the army lieutenant calling a colleague a “Paki” while pretending to make a phonecall to the Queen.

President Gulliver's Lawyer  —  A nominee who wants to tie down the executive branch.  —  Barack Obama's cabinet choices are understandably getting most media attention, but everyone knows policy is also made by the sub-cabinet.  So we think more public scrutiny should be drawn …

5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share  —  MOGADISHU, Somalia - Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.

Sacre Bleu!  Le Monde Publishes Never-Before-Seen 1996 Interview With Obamas About Their Marriage  —  “Ma priorité est de ramener les valeurs publiques ou collectives au centre du débat,” said President-elect Barack Obama in an interview running in today's Le Monde newspaper.

Uneasy Times for Black Politicos  —  The (dis) appointment of Roland Burris appears to spin out of unnecessary control at every speeding moment of the news cycle, even as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Illinois chum/senior Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) fail to see the full reality of it.

A Gaza War Full of Traps and Trickery  —  JERUSALEM — The grinding urban battle unfolding in the densely populated Gaza Strip is a war of new tactics, quick adaptation and lethal tricks.  —  Hamas, with training from Iran and Hezbollah, has used the last two years to turn Gaza into a deadly maze …

Protesters clash with police as 100,000 strong London Gaza demo descends into violence … Violent clashes occurred between police and around 20,000 protesters outside the Israeli Embassy in London - with an estimated 100,000 protesters airing their views around the city.

The ‘oldest hatred’ lives, from Gaza to Florida  —  Jew-hating pathologies ultimately harm the Jew-hater, too.  —  Recommend  —  In Toronto, anti-Israel demonstrators yell “You are the brothers of pigs!,” and a protester complains to his interviewer that “Hitler didn't do a good job.”

MN-Sen: Minnesotans Oppose Coleman Lawsuit, Favor Seating Franken  —  More great news for Norm Coleman, from our new Research 2000 poll conducted on Thursday and Friday for Daily Kos (MOE 4%): … So why do Minnesotans want to move on?  Probably because by an overwhelming margin they think the recount process was fair:

We still don't know how or why Bush made the key decisions of his administration.  —  As George W. Bush once noted, “You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone.”  What I think he was trying to say is that, over time, historians may evolve toward …

Gaza Update: Journalists The New Targets in Israeli Attacks  —  The Israeli effort to control access to news from Gaza is escalating along with its military actions.  While the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the government to allow eight reporters to cross into Gaza, that order has not been enforced.

Analysis: Bush legacy _ grim times, gloomy nation  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Wars.  Recession.  Bailouts.  Debt.  Gloom.  —  The unvarnished review of George W. Bush's presidency reveals a portrait of America he never would have imagined.  —  Bush came into office promising limited government …