GOP defies Obama overtures  —  House Republicans have proposed an alternative that leaders say would create 6.2 million jobs for only $478 billion.  —  “What Member can't go back his or her District and explain: Rather than voting for a bloated bill, ... I voted for an alternative …

Blagojevich Ousted by Illinois State Senate  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois State Senate on Thursday convicted Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich on a sprawling article of impeachment that charged him with abusing his power.  The vote prompted the governor's immediate and permanent ouster …

Pelosi dismisses need for bipartisanship  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she didn't come to Washington to be “bipartisan”, one day after shuttling through an $819 economic stimulus bill without a single Republican vote.  —  “I didn't come here to be partisan …

Chip Saltsman Withdraws From RNC Chairman's Race  —  Chip Saltsman's letter to the voting membership of the Republican National Committee: … Always a darkhorse, Saltsman's candidacy for RNC chair careened off the tracks when it was publicized that Saltsman gave a CD of political satire composed …

White House Unbuttons Formal Dress Code  —  WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket.  There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

Military Judge Denies Obama Request to Suspend Hearings at Guantanamo  —  A military judge in Guantanamo Bay has denied the Obama administration's request to delay proceedings for 120 days in the case of a detainee accused of planning the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship …

Obama Made a Rash Decision on Gitmo  —  The president will soon realize that governing involves hard choices.  —  During his first week as commander in chief, President Barack Obama ordered the closure of Guantanamo Bay and terminated the CIA's special authority to interrogate terrorists.

Obama Seeks Accord With Military on Iraq  —  WASHINGTON — As President Obama moves to redefine the nation's mission in Iraq, he faces a difficult choice: Is he willing to abandon a campaign promise or risk a rupture with the military?  Or can he finesse the difference?

My Bipartisan Stimulus  —  Let's cut taxes, as I want, and spend more, as Obama would like.  —  Fouad Ajami: Obama Tells Arabia's Despots They're Safe  —  America's diplomacy of freedom is officially over.  —  Postpartisan Era Gets Early Test  —  The economic-stimulus bill will be a test …

Bad  —  As the Obama administration apparently prepares to launch Hankie Pankie II — buying troubled assets from banks at prices higher than they will fetch on the open market — it occurred to me that an updated version of an old Communist-era joke may be appropriate: under Bush …

FBI Cuts Off CAIR Over Hamas Questions  —  The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has cut off contacts with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) amid mounting concern about the Muslim advocacy group's roots in a Hamas-support network, the Investigative Project on Terrorism has learned.

Obama slams Wall Street on bonuses  —  President calls the $18.4 billion in bonuses paid last year ‘shameful’  —  President Barack Obama issued a withering critique Thursday of Wall Street corporate behavior, calling it “the height of irresponsibility” for Wall Street employees to be paid …

Blago: Fire Rahm  —  This blog can't really capture the long-form style of Blagojevich's swan song, but he's going down swinging, with a call to fire Rahm Emanuel for being as guilty as he — according to a theory under which he is being impeached for fighting for citizens right to cheap prescription drugs.

Public Support for Economic Recovery Plan Slips to 42%  —  Public support for the economic recovery plan crafted by President Obama and congressional Democrats has slipped a bit over the past week.  At the same time, expectations that the plan will quickly become law have increased.

Palin, Obama to share stage  —  In what could be a preview of the 2012 presidential race, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama will share a stage together this Saturday night in Washington, D.C., Politico has learned.  —  The Alaska governor and former GOP vice presidential nominee …

You've got hate mail!  —  There has been an interesting uptick in the usual volume of hate mail.  —  I sense a disturbance in the Obama Force.  The nutroots aren't happy with how the Generational Theft Act debate is playing out.  They're impatient with the pace of Revolutionary Change.

Sen. McConnell Calls on GOP to Redefine Itself  —  John D. McKinnon reports on politics.  —  In a major political-strategy statement, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - one of the country's highest-ranking Republicans - will warn his party leadership later this afternoon …

An $800 Billion Mistake  —  As a conservative economist, I might be expected to oppose a stimulus plan.  In fact, on this page in October, I declared my support for a stimulus.  But the fiscal package now before Congress needs to be thoroughly revised.  In its current form …