Is a top Dem stirring Daschle trouble?  —  Tom Daschle will tell his old Senate colleagues Monday that he made an honest mistake when he failed to pay taxes on the use of a limousine and a driver — and that he considered the services to be a gift from an old friend rather than income he had to report to the IRS.

How Government Prolonged the Depression  —  Policies that decreased competition in product and labor markets were especially destructive.  —  The New Deal is widely perceived to have ended the Great Depression, and this has led many to support a “new” New Deal to address the current crisis.

Bailouts for Bunglers  —  Question: what happens if you lose vast amounts of other people's money?  Answer: you get a big gift from the federal government — but the president says some very harsh things about you before forking over the cash.  —  Am I being unfair?  I hope so.

Conservative Pajamas Media shuts down ad network, righty blogs hopping mad  —  This story is a little inside baseball about the blogosphere that sounds like another bit of fallout from the election and the economy is rocking the righty blogs right now.  A few years ago (2005) …

As Obama Talks Of Bipartisanship, Definitions Vary  —  After a week of legislative successes for President Obama, Republicans seized on one asterisk: his inability to line up support from their ranks.  As he heads into his second full week in office, members of both parties are waiting …

Democrats Set High Goal Of Sweeping Fiscal Reform  —  As Senate Opens Stimulus Debate, Sacrifices Become More Urgent  —  It's the holy grail of Washington politics: a federal budget that generates ample funds through a simpler and fairer tax code, defuses the spending time bomb for health …

Justice Dept. Under Obama Is Preparing for Doctrinal Shift in Policies of Bush Years  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department, probably more than any other agency here, is bracing for a broad doctrinal shift in policies from those of the Bush administration, department lawyers and Obama administration officials say.

PETER HITCHENS: We show tolerance to ‘gays’ and get tyranny in return … If I never again had to read or write a word about homosexuals, I would be very happy.  I really don't want to know what other people do in their bedrooms.  But these days they really, really want us all to know.

Carville: A history lesson for Rush Limbaugh  —  Editor's Note: James Carville, a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, was the Clinton-Gore campaign manager in 1992 and political adviser to President Clinton.  He is active in Democratic politics and a party fundraiser.

The Man Who Made Obama  —  Campaign manager David Plouffe got the first black president elected.  Now he's moving on to something even more difficult, and potentially more important.  —  Plouffe with Obama at the second presidential debate last October.  The prep was serious, he says, “but we had fun.

Damned if they do, damned if they don't  —  The left is angry at banks for not managing their credit risks well enough, loaning money to people who couldn't pay it back.  The implication is often that this was all some sort of scheme to get working stiffs into debt slavery.

Palin pushes for road to Nome  —  PIPE DREAM?  Project would cost $3 million to $4 million a mile.  —  scockerham@adn.com  —  JUNEAU — Boomers talked for decades about building a road to Nome, an epic 500-mile plus project that would run through some of the most remote wilderness of forest, tundra, rivers and valleys in the world.

The Senate Carves $90 Million Out of Stimulus For Liberal Activist Group  —  The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights ("LCCR") is a far left interest group.  —  The group opposed conservative judges.  The group agitates for card check.  The group is in favor of the Fairness Doctrine.

Rahm Emanuel back to Congress?  —  White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is interested in potentially returning to Chicago someday to reclaim the congressional seat he held until a month ago, a candidate running to replace him said Sunday.  —  When 11 Democrats at the first 5th Congressional District forum …

Charges against George Obama dropped  —  NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) — All charges against George Obama, half-brother to U.S. President Barack Obama, have been dropped after his arrest in a drug raid, according to police in Kenya.  —  He was released on Saturday hours later, police added.

Michael Steele and Bloggers: A ‘Steele Curtain’ or an Olive Branch?  —  Michael Steele frequently reads blogs at 2 o'clock in the morning.  —  ... At least, that's what he told me a few months ago during our first (and only) blogger conference call conversation.

Permanent vs. temporary increases in government spending, a Keynesian approach  —  Let's say government can spend $100 billion today or spend the present expected value of $100 billion, stretched out over time so it is a commitment in perpetuity.  Both spending programs are financed by bonds.

Talk to Iran.  Then What?  —  THE presidential campaign failed to address the hard choices America must make to contain the Iranian nuclear threat.  By focusing almost exclusively on tactics, the election obscured the questions that really matter: What should the United States demand when it finally talks to Iran?

New GOP chair comes out swinging  —  The new chairman of the Republican National Committee said Sunday that his party should put the brakes on Democratic initiatives, from the economic stimulus bill to President Obama's plans for his Cabinet.  —  Steele said in a telephone interview …

Alabama U.S. Rep. Artur Davis set to launch run for governor  —  U.S. Rep. Artur Davis on Friday will declare his intention to seek the governorship of Alabama, sources close to the congressman confirm.  —  The much-anticipated announcement marks the most serious bid ever launched …