On the Edge  —  A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery.  Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting …

598,000 Jobs Lost as Jobless Rate Hit 7.6% in January  —  WASHINGTON — The country moved into its second year of uninterrupted job losses last month, with companies shedding another 598,000 jobs — the most since December 1974 — and the unemployment rate moving up to 7.6 percent, the Labor Department reported on Friday.

At Dem retreat, a partisan love fest  —  WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A fired-up Barack Obama ditched his TelePrompter to rally House Democrats and rip Republican opponents of his recovery package Thursday night - at one point openly mocking the GOP for failing to follow through on promises of bipartisanship.

Obama to Discuss Guantanamo With Victims of Terror Attacks, Their Relatives  —  President Obama will meet today with victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the USS Cole bombing and their families as his administration reviews how to handle detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Bush Jacketless In Oval Office: Photo Uncovered After Bush Chief Of Staff Slams Obama's Informal Appearance (SLIDESHOW)  —  One day after President Bush's former Chief of Staff Andrew Card blasted President Obama for breaking the Bush dress code, which reportedly required that a jacket be worn …

The Fierce Urgency of Pork  —  “A failure to act, and act now, will turn crisis into a catastrophe.”  —  Catastrophe, mind you.  So much for the president who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared “we have chosen hope over fear.”  Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill.

Dramatic tapes of Hilda Solis-White House emergency radio chatter  —  In an amazing news coincidence, on the very same day as the US Air Flight 1549 emergency radio tapes were released, The Ticket has exclusively obtained the tapes of recent emergency radio conversations between ground traffic controllers …

RNC shakeup as Steele asks for resignations  —  Top staffers at the Republican National Committee were told to submit their resignations today, with some being told they will not get their jobs back in what insiders call a top-to-bottom review of the entire organization.

My Preferred Fiscal Stimulus  —  Regular readers of this blog have a pretty good sense of my policy preferences.  But for those occasional readers who might be stopping by, let me reiterate what I would do right now if I were the fiscal king.  —  I would institute an immediate …

Japan's Big-Works Stimulus Is Lesson  —  HAMADA, Japan — The Hamada Marine Bridge soars majestically over this small fishing harbor, so much larger than the squid boats anchored below that it seems out of place.  —  And it is not just the bridge.  Two decades of generous public works spending …

Wanted: Personal Economic Trainers.  Apply at Capitol.  —  As long as we're about to spend gazillions to stimulate the economy, I'd like to suggest we throw in another $53.5 million for a cause dear to all business journalists: economic literacy.  And what better place to start than right here in Washington.

Campbell Brown: Congress clueless about retreats  —  Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's “Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull” at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays.  She delivered this commentary during the “Cutting through the Bull” segment of Thursday night's broadcast.

Let's Start Brand New Banks  —  A clean slate would keep TARP money away from bad banks.  —  Everyone agrees that the United States urgently needs a few good banks.  Turning bad banks into good banks is a difficult and risky way to get them.  It's simpler and safer to start entirely new banks.

You'll Never Get This 21 Minutes Of Your Life Back  —  Instapundit, Malkin, and Joe the Plumber discuss politics for PJTV.  —  There is so much to love about this, I don't know where to start, but certainly Joe the Plumber bemoaning the lack of spending cuts and general program cuts in the stimulus bill was a highlight.

Val Kilmer ponders running for governor  —  Democrat actor known for roles as ‘Batman’ and ‘Iceman’ eyes 2010 race  —  SANTA FE, N.M. - Holy hornet's nest, Batman!  The New Mexico governor's mansion?  —  Fresh from the inauguration, actor Val Kilmer is pondering running for governor in 2010 …

Obama to Name Economic Panel  —  Making good on a promise to name a diverse outside economic advisory panel, President Barack Obama Friday will appoint a slate of business, economic and labor leaders - from conservative economist Martin Feldstein to AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Richard Trumka …

As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force  —  With the recession on the brink of becoming the longest in the postwar era, a milestone may be at hand: Women are poised to surpass men on the nation's payrolls, taking the majority for the first time in American history.

Contra Stimulum  —  The president's WaPo op-ed has generated some reaction from stimulus skeptics.  A round-up.  Matt Welch: … Steve Verdon: … Ed Morrissey: … Wilkinson:

The Taxing of Broadway  —  Anybody who has paid for theater tickets recently in New York City knows what a big hole they can leave in the family budget.  Gov. David Paterson of New York wants to make that hole even deeper with a new theater ticket tax.  —  The proposal could increase ticket prices …

Possible Link Between Dam and China Quake  —  BEIJING — Nearly nine months after a devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, left 80,000 people dead or missing, a growing number of American and Chinese scientists are suggesting that the calamity was triggered by a four-year-old reservoir built close …

The Gang System  —  Barack Obama is a potentially transformational figure.  In political style and intellectual outlook, he is unlike anything that has come before.  On matters of policy substance, however, he's been pretty conventional.  The policies he offered during the campaign matched those of just about every other Democrat.