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 …

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?

The Obama White House May Be a Crowded Mess  —  There will be four people in my old office.  —  On the campaign trail, Barack Obama criticized Washington for being “obsessed with the perpetual campaign.”  As president he is the first occupant of the Oval Office to give his director of political affairs …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …