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 …

My Bipartisan Stimulus  —  Let's cut taxes, as I want, and spend more, as Obama would like.  —  There's a serious debate in this country as to how best to end the recession.  The average recession will last five to 11 months; the average recovery will last six years.

The Age of Obama: Heat for me, but not for thee  —  Last week, Barack Obama caused quite a stir when he allowed himself to be photographed in the Oval Office without wearing a suit jacket, ending the Bush tradition of coat-and-tie for the West Wing.  The New York Times reports …

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?

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Senate deliberates Blagojevich's political fate  —  3:30 p.m. Back at home, governor still on message  —  Shortly before deliberations began, Blagojevich spoke to reporters before going for a jog.  —  “I told the truth and I said what was right.  There are bigger principles involved here …

Perspective  —  From Brad DeLong, part of The Week's impressive new virtual op-ed page: … All true.  But the kicker matters, too: … That we'll never be satisfied with what we have probably goes without saying.  But the most pressing issue, it seems to me, is whether we've reached …

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 …

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 …

Kerry: Ignore Republicans if they'll vote no anyway  —  Sen. John Kerry says Democrats should ignore Republicans' demands about the stimulus plan if they're going to vote against it anyway.  —  Reacting to Wednesday night's vote in the House — where not a single GOP member supported the stimulus package …

With Al Due Respect, We're Doomed  —  The lawmakers gazed in awe at the figure before them.  The Goracle had seen the future, and he had come to tell them about it.  —  What the Goracle saw in the future was not good: temperature changes that “would bring a screeching halt to human civilization …

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.