A 40-Year Wish List  —  You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill.  —  “Never let a serious crisis go to waste.  What I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before.”  —  So said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in November, and Democrats in Congress are certainly taking his advice to heart.

Geithner names ex-lobbyist as Treasury chief of staff  —  WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner picked a former Goldman Sachs lobbyist as a top aide Tuesday, the same day he announced rules aimed at reducing the role of lobbyists in agency decisions.

Republicans all a-Twitter over the visit  —  Audiences usually treat presidents to a round of polite applause, but when President Obama addressed House Republicans on Tuesday, they started Twittering.  —  Just a week after being inaugurated and becoming the most powerful man in the world …

James Hansen's Former NASA Supervisor Declares Himself a Skeptic - Says Hansen ‘Embarrassed NASA’, ‘Was Never Muzzled’, & Models ‘Useless’  —  UPDATE 1/28: Full text of Dr. Theon's letter has been post on the Senate website and below.  —  This is something I thought I'd never see.

Democrats Among Stimulus Skeptics  —  Republican criticism of the stimulus package that the House will vote on tonight has focused on its soaring price tag, but some Democrats on Capitol Hill and other administration supporters are voicing a separate critique: that the plan may fall short …

The case for doing nothing  —  Most of Washington has reached quick consensus: Government must do something big to shock the economy, and it should cost between $800 billion and $900 billion.  —  But dissident economists and investment professionals offer a much different take: Most of Washington is dead wrong.

White House Cheat Sheet: Between Barack and a Hard Vote  —  Rhetoric and political reality converge today for House Republicans as they weigh whether or not to vote in favor of President Obama's economic stimulus plan.  —  The vote is complicated by any number of political concerns for GOPers.

Russia ‘drops missile plans due to Obama change to US attitude’  —  Russia has dropped plans to install missiles near Poland after the Obama administration signalled a change in US attitude to the region, a Moscow military official has reportedly said.  —  The official suggested …

Grassley launches porn inquiry  —  Chuck Grassley knows it when he sees it.  —  The “it,” of course, is pornography.  And Grassley has seen it deep in a demurely titled section of a report from the National Science Foundation — a report that says NSF employees have been spending significant amounts …

Aides Say Obama's Afghan Aims Elevate War  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama intends to adopt a tougher line toward Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, as part of a new American approach to Afghanistan that will put more emphasis on waging war than on development, senior administration officials said Tuesday.

Backlash Against Bush Apparent in RNC  —  Many Members Seek New Chairman to Steer Party in a Different Direction  —  As they begin meeting in Washington today, many members of the Republican National Committee are focusing their ire against what they considered George W. Bush's anti-conservative policies …

Stimulus Bill Near $900 Billion  —  Obama Agrees to Trim Alternative Minimum Tax; Lobbies Rush for Cut of the Pie  —  WASHINGTON — The U.S. economic stimulus package neared $900 billion in the Senate, as President Barack Obama wooed Republicans ahead of an expected House vote Wednesday.

Ahmadinejad Demands U.S. Change  —  TEHRAN — A day after President Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Washington on Wednesday to end its global military presence and said it was unclear whether the new American administration …

JAMES BRADY - DEATH OF A POST LEGEND  —  WAR HERO AND AUTHOR  —  James Brady, a New York Post legend and a gentle giant of American military and media history, died yesterday at his Manhattan home.  He was 80.  —  Brady was a prince of New York's fast lane, beloved by stars, politicians and boldface types of every stripe.

Abdullah II: The 5-State Solution  —  In February 2002, I traveled to Saudi Arabia and interviewed the then crown prince, now king, Abdullah, at his Riyadh horse farm.  I asked him why the next Arab summit wouldn't just propose to Israel full peace and normalization of relations …

John Updike, a Lyrical Writer of the Middle-Class Man, Dies at 76  —  John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit novels highlighted a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism so vast, protean and lyrical as to place him in the first rank of American authors …

Bill got $2M foreign after State buzz  —  Bill Clinton pulled down $5.7 million in speaking fees last year - almost entirely from foreign sources, including nearly $2.1 million after news circulated that Hillary Clinton was in line for Secretary of State.  —  Former President Clinton's …

House Dems Strip Stimulus of $200 Million Provision to Refurbish National Mall  —  On Tuesday evening the House Rules Committee stripped two provisions from the stimulus package: the family planning money that President Obama personally lobbied Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to remove yesterday …

The Political Case For The Stimulus, If You're A Vulernable Republican  —  Over a 48 hour period when 100,000 job layoffs have been announced, Hill Republicans have decided to take a stand against the stimulus.  —  Now - President Obama's approval rating is about 70%;  —  Congressional approval is still around 20%;

School can expel lesbian students, court rules  —  An appeals panel finds California Lutheran High School in Riverside County is not a business and therefore doesn't have to comply with a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.  —  Reporting from San Francisco …

FBI saw mortgage fraud early  —  Agents say they lacked resources to pursue it  —  The FBI was aware for years of “pervasive and growing” fraud in the mortgage industry that eventually contributed to America's financial meltdown, but did not take definitive action to stop it.

Recruiting stand-down ordered  —  Probe of Houston suicides prompts wide-ranging action  —  Army Secretary Pete Geren has ordered a stand-down of the Army's entire recruiting force and a review of almost every aspect of the job is underway in the wake of a wide-ranging investigation …