OBAMA AL-ARABIYA INTERVIEW: FULL TEXT  —  Here is the full text of President Obama's interview with Al-Arabiya Arab TV Network:  —  INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY HISHAM MELHEM, AL ARABIYA  —  Map Room  —  Q Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity, we really appreciate it.

Boehner to GOP: Vote against stimulus  —  President Barack Obama is coming to the Capitol later today in a bid to curry favor with congressional Republicans.  But it appears GOP leaders have already made up their minds to oppose his $825 billion stimulus plan.

PATERSON LYIN' KING OF STATE  —  KNOWS KENNEDY LEAKER  —  ALBANY - Gov. Paterson yesterday insisted he had no idea who did the slime job on Caroline Kennedy - although the source of the information is about as close to him during the day as his wife is at night.  —  He's a liar.

Democrats Subpoena Rove  —  WASHINGTON — House Democrats renewed their effort to force former White House aide Karl Rove to testify in a probe into Justice Department controversies, presenting a challenge to President Barack Obama, who will have to decide whether to defend his predecessor's legal arguments.

Kristol Severs Ties With the N.Y. Times  —  Bill Kristol and the New York Times parted company yesterday, one year after he began writing a weekly opinion column that became a high-profile target for his detractors on the left.  —  But the conservative commentator, who edits the Weekly Standard …

Mitchell's Firm Lobbied for Dubai's Ruler in Camel Jockey Case  —  Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) — George Mitchell, President Barack Obama's special Middle East troubleshooter, was chairman of a law firm that was paid about $8 million representing Dubai's ruler in connection with a child-trafficking lawsuit.

AN ACTUAL CBO REPORT ON STIMULUS.... The report from the Congressional Budget Office, purportedly showing that the Democrats' stimulus proposal would be ineffective, did not actually exist.  A more reliable document really was released by the CBO late yesterday, however, and the results are far more encouraging.

Two Killed in Violence on Gaza Border  —  GAZA — An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian farmer were killed along the Gaza-Israel border on Tuesday in the first known fatal breach of the cease-fires that brought a halt to the Gaza war 10 days ago, according to Israeli officials and Palestinian witnesses.

Only if Stupid Is a Crime  —  Is Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about to be impeached on grounds of loopiness, obnoxiousness and a bad haircut?  Apparently so.  In defense of the Illinois state senators who seem to have already decided the governor's fate, however, the haircut really does border on the criminal.

Ten Things You Can Do To Save The Planet  —  A Go-Green Guide for the Hollywood Community  —  More than ten years after the Kyoto accords, our planet continues to careen helplessly toward certain environmental destruction.  The skies are choked with pollutants.  Adorable helpless polar bears plunge through thinning ice caps.

Power, politics, gossip on daily call  —  The conversations don't begin with hello.  They don't end with goodbye.  Most often they pick up with a low, drawling voice uttering something between a sentence and a grunt.  —  “Wahzgoanawn?”  —  For those not accustomed to hearing James Carville …

The Same Old Song  —  What's up with the Republicans?  Have they no sense that their policies have sent the country hurtling down the road to ruin?  Are they so divorced from reality that in their delusionary state they honestly believe we need more of their tax cuts for the rich …

Animal Spirits Depend on Trust  —  The proposed stimulus isn't big enough to restore confidence.  —  President Obama is urging Congress to pass an $825 billion stimulus package as soon as possible.  But even that may not be enough to stabilize the economy, since it fails to take into account …

THE GORE EFFECT...  ...strikes again!  Al Gore is scheduled to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations committee on global warming tomorrow.  John Kerry says that Gore “has been sounding the alarm on climate change for over three decades, and he understands the urgent need for American engagement and leadership on this issue.”

Another Lobbyist Headed into Obama Administration  —  Leaves Critics Questioning the President's Commitment to Changing Washington  —  Despite President Barack Obama's pledge to limit the influence of lobbyists in his administration, a recent lobbyist for investment banking giant Goldman Sachs …

93-year-old man freezes to death indoors  —  93-year-old man had more than $1,000 in unpaid power bills  —  BAY CITY, Mich. - A 93-year-old man froze to death inside his home just days after the municipal power company restricted his use of electricity because of unpaid bills, officials said.