1993 All Over Again?  —  One of the goals of the unanimous Republican “no” vote on the stimulus package Wednesday was producing news analyses like this one, from The New York Times. … And we all know what happened in 1994.  Still, I don't think the analogy holds up.  —  1. The Obama stimulus package is popular.

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.

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.

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 …

Revealed: the letter Barack Obama's team hope will heal Iran rift  —  Officials of Barack Obama's administration have drafted a letter to Iran from the president aimed at unfreezing US-Iranian relations and opening the way for face-to-face talks, the Guardian has learned.

Iraq to Deny New License To Blackwater Security Firm  —  U.S. Embassy's Preferred Contractor Accused of Killings  —  The Iraqi government has informed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that it will not issue a new operating license to Blackwater Worldwide, the embassy's primary security company …

Geithner Says Plan for Banks Is in the Works  —  WASHINGTON — As lawmakers pressed the Obama administration for details of how it would assist financial firms that have been rapidly deteriorating, Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner said Wednesday the administration is working on a comprehensive plan to …

GOP Congressman Intros ‘Rangel Rule,’ Eliminating IRS Late Fees  —  The Texas Republican introduced a bill Wednesday to eliminate all IRS penalties and interest for paying taxes past due.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Americans may be able to rest a little easier this April if Congressman John Carter, R-Tex. gets his way.

WHAT A GUY  —  Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX) revealed more of himself than anyone cared to see, at the expense of Salon's Joan Walsh, this evening on “Hardball.”  In a debate with Walsh over tax policy, Armey let loose with this chauvinistic gem: “I am so damn glad …

The defense doesn't rest  —  Blagojevich pulls surprise, will go today to deliver closing argument at trial  —  SPRINGFIELD — His career tattered but his dramatic flair intact, Gov. Rod Blagojevich reversed course Wednesday and accepted the Illinois Senate's challenge to explain in person …

ABC Said to Consider ‘Kimmel’ in ‘Nightline’ Slot  —  ABC's television entertainment division has held discussions about moving its late-night comedy star Jimmy Kimmel to the 11:35 time period now occupied by the ABC News program “Nightline” to compete directly with Conan O'Brien …

The power of Obama's hand  —  Joe Lieberman has felt it.  So has Joe the Plumber.  —  It's the Obama Touch — the squeeze on the biceps, the pat on the shoulder or the tap on the back that signals the displeasure of the commander in chief.  Let others turn on the deep freeze or lose their cool when they're annoyed.

Birth Control Belongs in the Stimulus Bill  —  To the outrage of many feminists and family planners, yesterday Democrats heeded President Obama and dropped from the stimulus bill a provision that would have made it easier for states to offer contraception through Medicaid to low-income women not covered by Medicaid now.

In China, a Grass-Roots Rebellion  —  Rights Manifesto Slowly Gains Ground Despite Government Efforts to Quash It  —  SHANGHAI — When Tang Xiaozhao first saw a copy of the pro-democracy petition in her e-mail inbox, she silently acknowledged she agreed with everything in it but didn't want to get involved.