The Travails of Tom Daschle  —  When President Obama nominated former Senator Tom Daschle to be his secretary of health and human services, it seemed to be a good choice.  Mr. Daschle, as the co-author of a book on health care reform, knew a lot about one of the president's signature issues.

Secret report urges new Afghan plan  —  The Pentagon's top military officers are recommending to President Barack Obama that he shift U.S. strategy in Afghanistan — to focus on ensuring regional stability and eliminating Taliban and Al Qaida safe havens in Pakistan, rather …

Gregg Voted to Kill Commerce Before He Agreed to Lead It  —  President Obama's new candidate to run the Commerce Department voted in favor of abolishing the agency as a member of the Budget Committee and on the Senate floor in 1995.  —  Sen. Judd Gregg , R-N.H., whose nomination was expected …

In 2010, Rep. Hodes will run for U.S. Senate  —  CONCORD - Democratic U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes will announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate “within the week,” a source close to Hodes told UnionLeader.com this morning shortly before Judd Gregg's nomination as commerce secretary became official.

Ward Three Morality  —  I've become increasingly concerned about the rising number of rich people who are being caught unawares by shifts in the sumptuary code.  First, there were those auto executives who didn't realize that it is no longer socially acceptable to use private jets for lobbying trips to Washington.

Passengers stop flight after ‘drunk’ pilot sparks panic  —  It is normally a moment of cheery reassurance when an airline pilot greets passengers during preparations for take-off.  But Alexander Cheplevsky sparked panic on flight Aeroflot 315 when he began to speak.

Dems warn leaders to resume regular order  —  A group of more than 50 House Democrats has penned a letter to Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) imploring him to “restore this institution” and see that the House returns to a “regular order” process of legislating.

GAFFNEY: S-U-B-M-I-S-S-I-O-N  —  How appropriate that Barack Obama featured Aretha Franklin in his Inaugural festivities since her signature song is “Respect.”  Literally from the moment she finished belting out “My Country 'Tis of Thee” on Jan. 20, the new president has been conveying his “respect” the Muslim world.

Obama Getting Heat for Turning Up the Oval Office Thermostat  —  President Obama is facing criticism for keeping his office warm enough to “grow orchids” in — after he called on Americans to protect the environment and turn down their thermostats.  —  FOXNews.com

Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil  —  When will our luminaries stop making excuses for terror?  —  This week marks the seventh anniversary of the murder of our son, former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.  My wife Ruth and I wonder: Would Danny have believed that today's world emerged after his tragedy?

PAINFULLY STUPID  —  Sen. Thune (R-SD) explains Republican thinking about the economic crisis ...  Country's on the precipice.  And idiots like this are holding the floor.  —  Late Update: A Hill staffer chimes in ...

GOP leaders list ‘waste’ in Senate stimulus bill  —  (CNN) — On Monday, House Republican leaders put out a list of what they call wasteful provisions in the Senate version of the nearly $900 billion stimulus bill that is being debated:  —  • $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen …

The list of lobbyists in the Obama administration  —  The Times of India claimed that Barack Obama had appointed seventeen lobbyists to high government positions in the first 14 days of his administration.  Politico provided a list of twelve of these last week, a handy reference …