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 …

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 …

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 …

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?

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 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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

What a 1988 college thesis by the former vice president's daughter tells us about the Bush presidency.  —  When I worked at the library at Colorado College, I quickly discovered the job had few perks.  The free book loans on demand were little better than subprime mortgages when you realized anyone could get them.