Obama: ‘I screwed up’ in Daschle withdrawal  —  Insists 'there aren't two sets of rules' for elite and for other Americans  —  WASHINGTON - “I screwed up,” President Barack Obama told NBC's Brian Williams Tuesday in the wake of his nominee to be secretary of health and human services …

Recount trial: Judges rule thousands of ballots can be considered  —  The court order applies to about 4,800 rejected absentee ballots and indicates that any that complied with state law should be counted.  —  Nearly 4,800 rejected absentee ballots may be reconsidered in the U.S. Senate recount trial …

U.S. Plans to Curb Executive Pay for Bailout Recipients  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is expected to impose a cap of $500,000 for top executives at companies that receive large amounts of bailout money, according to people familiar with the plan.

President Obama to water down ‘Buy American’ plan after EU trade war threat  —  Obama seeks Russia deal to slash nuclear weapons 80 per cent  —  The European Union warned the US yesterday against plunging the world into depression by adopting a planned “Buy American” policy, intensifying fears of a trade war.

Did WH encourage defiance of Pelosi?  —  Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) — one of the lead Blue Dogs — made a startling admission to lefty Liberadio today, suggesting the White House quietly encouraged him to buck House leadership on the stimulus.  —  Cooper was one of 11 Dems to vote no — joining every GOP House member.

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 …

Czar Mitt  —  President Obama could do worse.  Romney has a bad reputation among Congressional Democrats, so I can't imagine they'd cotton to this.  In fact, it's highly unlikely.  But what Romney, in a bipartisan fashion, was able to do in Massachusetts — even with caveats …

Lynch names Newman to Gregg's seat  —  J. Bonnie Newman knows a thing or two about short-term gigs.  —  In 2006, she was plucked from retirement and brought back to the University of New Hampshire, the school where she began her professional career, to serve as its interim president.

WHO KILLED DASCHLE?  —  I think Steve Clemons gets this wrong.  Daschle wasn't taken down by Republicans.  No senators, to my knowledge, came out against his appointment.  Major columnists didn't have time to attack his ethics.  Moreover, these revelations didn't come from Republican oppo researchers.

Naked Obama Unicorn-A-Rama  —  Via Boing Boing comes the single most disturbing Naked Obama/Unicorn pic yet.  In fact, it's so “right up against the line” that I'm actually going to stick it beneath the fold.  If you click through, don't say you weren't warned.

Vitter: GOP Senators are “scared to death” of Obama and his polling numbers  —  A quickie from this morning's chat with Laura Ingraham courtesy of her producer, Tom Elliott.  [...] Read the rest »

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.

U.S. Officials: Al-Qaida Leadership Cadre ‘Decimated’  —  Listen Now  —  · CIA-directed airstrikes against al-Qaida leaders and facilities in Pakistan over the past six to nine months have been so successful, according to senior U.S. officials, that it is now possible to foresee a …

U.S. to Get the Boot from Central Asia Base?  —  Stunning news from Moscow: Russian news agencies are reporting that the government of Kyrgyzstan will close Manas Air Base, a vital conduit for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.  —  RIA-Novosti quotes Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev as saying that his government …

Obama Justice Department Re-Hires Attorney Fired By Goodling Because Of Lesbian Rumor  —  In October 2006, Leslie Hagen, who was working as the liaison between the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys' committee on Native American issues, was informed that despite her “outstanding” …

IBM Offers To Move Laid Off Workers To India  —  Big Blue wants to help redundant U.S. employees relocate to developing markets, according to an internal document.  —  The climate is warm, there's no shortage of exotic food, and the cost of living is rock bottom.

The Godless Stimulus  —  Bill Language Would Forbid Practice of Religion in College and University Buildings Given Renovation Money  —  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...unless your institution of higher learning …

Senate votes to give a tax break to new car buyers  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Tuesday to give a tax break to new car buyers, setting aside bipartisan concerns over the size of an economic stimulus bill with a price tag approaching $900 billion.

Ben Stein responds to UVM flap  —  Calls commencement flap ‘pathetic,’ denies he's anti-science  —  Ben Stein described the brouhaha over his selection as commencement speaker at the University of Vermont as “laughable” on Tuesday called the whole episode “pathetic.”

Yepsen Leaves The Register  —  Every presidential year since 1975, one political reporter — just one — catapults himself to the top of the profession.  David Yepsen, 58, spent twenty years as the chief political reporter for the Des Moines Register, 33 years as the host of Iowa's top television chat show …

Day 15 of Obama's honeymoon  —  One doesn't have to break a sweat searching for examples of the news media's ongoing love affair with our president.  In this, he is like FDR.  —  Barack Obama and his supporters have been relentlessly comparing the new president to Franklin Roosevelt.

Biden Fumbles Clinton Oath  —  Vice President Biden learned on Monday how hard it can be to deliver an oath of office, when he slipped during the mock swearing-in of Secretary of State Clinton.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Mockery of and apologies to the Supreme Court chief justice aside …

Letter from Paducah, Kentucky  —  I've been trying all day to get a hold of Senator McConnell but the line is busy.  I guess that is a good sign.  Out of frustration I called his local line here in Paducah, Kentucky and if anyone can't get through to his Washington office they can call: