Joe the Plumber is here, and he ain't happy  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher of Ohio, aka Joe the Plumber, arrived in Sderot at noon Sunday to show local and foreign reporters how to do it right.  —  “You should be ashamed of yourself,” he told foreign reporters.  —  “You should be patriotic …

Iran warns Hamas not to accept Egyptian truce proposal  —  Iran is exerting heavy pressure on Hamas not to accept the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, an Egyptian government official said on Sunday.  —  The official told The Jerusalem Post by phone that two senior Iranian officials …

Say No To...  Along with the emancipation of women, sexual liberation has become very much a part of politics around the world.  To the conservatives, both these issues challenge ‘family values’.  —  But what if there were no families?  What if we say no to reproduction?

Bush Lead During Weakest Economy in Decades  —  Eight-Year Period Is Weakest in Decades  —  President Bush has presided over the weakest eight-year span for the U.S. economy in decades, according to an analysis of key data, and economists across the ideological spectrum increasingly view …

Chrysler wants $3B more in bailout aid  —  GM won't seek extra beyond $13.4B; Ford drops line of credit idea.  —  DETROIT — Chrysler LLC is seeking $3 billion in additional government aid and its finance arm is in advanced talks with the U.S. Treasury to obtain a multi-billion cash infusion …

Land mines ahead for Hillary  —  Hillary Clinton, ever the preparation junkie, is cramming for Tuesday's confirmation hearing — intent on downplaying old disagreements with Barack Obama and parrying questions about her husband's overseas entanglements, aides say.

Obama's Cheney Dilemma  —  Cheney pushed for expanded presidential powers.  Now that he's leaving, what will come of his efforts?  The new president won't have to wait long to tip his hand.  —  From the magazine issue dated Jan 19, 2009  —  Dick Cheney, who will step down as vice president on Jan. 20 …

New Yorkers for Hamas  —  I was in New York this afternoon with the TigerHawk Teenager for a college interview.  Walking down 7th Avenue toward Penn Station, we happened across a large pro-Hamas demonstration that stretched for four blocks or so along the east side of the avenue.

Hail to the Faux Chief We Have Chosen as Rehearsal Stand-In  —  No, that's not the Obamas, but their spots were filled, dutifully, for an inauguration rehearsal Sunday in Washington.  Page A10.  More Photos >  —  WASHINGTON — Politics and governance in Washington can sometimes seem …

Big changes to Obama stimulus plan  —  President-elect Barack Obama tried Sunday to shore up support in Congress for his ambitious economic policies, with his top advisers offering concessions on his economic-stimulus proposal and preparing to detail conditions for how the incoming administration …

Sources: Voinovich to retire from Senate  —  From CNN's Dana Bash, Ed Henry and Mark Preston  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sources close to Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, tell CNN he will announce Monday he is retiring from the Senate.  —  The 72-year-old senator and former Ohio governor …

GW Bush on “known killers”  —  I listened to Britt Hume interview the two Bushes on Fox News Sunday.  It was less than inspiring, but informative of the mentality of these three men.  At one point one of the bushes referred to the Oval Office (in which they were standing) as a “shrine of democracy.”