Support for Stimulus Package Falls to 37%  —  Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week.  For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found …

Cheney warns of new attacks  —  Former Vice President Dick Cheney warned that there is a “high probability” that terrorists will attempt a catastrophic nuclear or biological attack in coming years, and said he fears the Obama administration's policies will make it more likely the attempt will succeed.

Losing Control  —  Obama needs to reassert command of the agenda in Washington  —  Barack Obama began making his comeback on Wednesday, apparently aware that he has all but lost control of the agenda in Washington at a time when he simply can't afford to do so.

Obama could break 5-day rule  —  Obama appears poised to break his campaign pledge to give the public five days to review a bill before he signs it.  —  Obama scheduled a bill signing for 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, even though the House has yet to vote on the legislation expanding a children's health insurance program.

Florida Student Asks Scalia a Question — and Gets Scolded  —  Where others fear to tread, a 20-year-old college student from Tequesta, Fla.,boldly stepped forward Tuesday to ask Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia a question he did not like during a public appearance in West Palm Beach.

The Impending Obama Meltdown  —  Some of us have been warning that it was not healthy for the U.S. media to have deified rather than questioned Obama, especially given that they tore apart Bush, ridiculed Palin, and caricatured Hillary.  And now we can see the results of their two years of advocacy rather than scrutiny.

PHIL BREDESEN AS DASCHLE'S REPLACEMENT?  —  He's not the only candidate.  But an array of sources say he's a serious candidate.  And he'd be a very risky choice.  —  Phil Bredesen is the governor of Tennessee.  Before he was the governor of Tennessee, he made his money in the managed care revolution …

The Right Wing's Next Target: Hilda Solis?  »  —  Yesterday, President Obama's nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary, Tom Daschle, withdrew after it was revealed he failed to pay over $100,000 in taxes.  In the wake of Daschle's departure, the right-wing is gunning …

EXCLUSIVE: Obama backs out on Iraq appointment  —  The Obama administration asked retired Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq but abruptly withdrew the appointment without explanation, Gen. Zinni said Tuesday.  —  Gen. Zinni, a former commander of Central Command …

Palin takes on Ashley Judd's ‘extreme fringe group’  —  (CNN) - Alaska governor Sarah Palin's support for aerial wolf-hunting has sparked a heated cross-country war of words between the governor and an environmental ad campaign fronted by the actress Ashley Judd, with Palin calling …

Rush Limbaugh Loses a Popularity Contest  —  America to Rush: Drop Dead by Max Blumenthal  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Congressional Republicans have turned to Rush Limbaugh to lead the battle against Obama.  One problem: A poll says he's less popular than Jeremiah Wright.

Vatican Demands Holocaust Denier Publicly Recant  —  ROME — Responding to global outrage, especially in Pope Benedict XVI's native Germany, the Vatican for the first time on Wednesday called on a recently rehabilitated bishop to take back his statements denying the Holocaust.

Why Not Gingrich for HHS?  —  Quick, name three past secretaries of HHS.  Okay, two?  One?  Don't even know what HHS stands for?  Don't worry, most Americans probably would fail this little quiz.  If you passed, take your honors as a super geek.  —  In normal times, the head of the Department …

THANKS A LOT, DUDE  —  I think it's understandable, though unfortunate in terms of the future of the country and the interests of justice, that Sen. Gregg (R-NH) made it a condition of his accepting the Commerce appointment that he'd be replaced by a Republican.

California farms, vineyards in peril from warming, U.S. energy secretary warns  —  'We're looking at a scenario where there's no more agriculture in California,' Steven Chu says.  He sees education as a means to combat threat.  —  Reporting from Washington — California's farms and vineyards …

Well, That Certainly Didn't Take Long  —  On 9/11, President Bush learned of disaster while reading “The Pet Goat” to grade-school kids.  On Tuesday, President Obama escaped from disaster by reading “The Moon Over Star” to grade-school kids.  —  “We were just tired of being in the White House …

Conservative Groups Declare Obama's Stimulus Bill a War on Prayer  —  A provision in the House-passed stimulus bill — banning money to be used to renovate schools from being spent on facilities that allow “religious worship” — has ignited fury among those who claim it discriminates on the basis …

DENIAL AS POLITICAL STRATEGY  —  Behind all the back and forth over the Stimulus Bill is a simple fact: the debate in Washington is rapidly moving away from any recognition that the US economy — and the global economy, for that matter — is in free-fall.  The range of outcomes stretches …

Death Of A Blogger  —  A prolific blogger is dead.He wroter diaries on the progressive blog, The Daily Kos.  Here's the beginning of the post written by a friend in his spot on the site, under his byline: … Go to the link to read it.  Yes, he left a political message …

The Karl Rove of the Commode?  —  Call it a pipe dream come true: When members of the Conservative Working Group held their weekly strategy meeting on the Hill on Tuesday morning, they were joined by none other than Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher, who had come to offer his thoughts on the economic recovery bill.

Panetta Earned $700,000 in Fees  —  WASHINGTON — The White House's nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms …

U.S.-allied Arab states take Abbas' side in row with Hamas  —  ABU DHABI - Foreign ministers of U.S.-allied Arab states meeting in Abu Dhabi yesterday said they were seeking to consolidate Arab support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his row with Islamist group Hamas.

Department of WTF?  —  What was I saying yesterday about pro quo? … Things would be different if he had, for instance, resigned in anticipation of his confirmation.  But a cloture vote only succeeds if at least three-fifths of all duly elected and serving members of the Senate vote ‘yes’.

Ethics Panel to Clear Rangel?  —  House Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel predicted, on C-SPAN's Newsmakers program that aired Sunday, Feb. 1, 2009, that his multitude of ethics woes would soon disappear.  “I think that next Tuesday you will see a break in this and as soon …

CNBC's Clueless Mark Haines Calls Me “Clueless” on Morning Joe: I Respond  —  I was on Morning Joe this morning, talking about the bailout.  —  Right after my segment, CNBCs Mark Haines came on and, armed with lots of hostility and no facts, started taking shots at me, calling me “clueless” …

‘Mum’ had 80 women raped for suicide missions  —  A WOMAN suspected of recruiting more than 80 female suicide bombers has confessed to organising their rapes so she could later convince them that martyrdom was the only way to escape the shame.  —  Samira Jassam, 51, was arrested by Iraqi police …