Obama fails his first test on civil liberties and accountability — resoundingly and disgracefully  —  Two weeks ago, I interviewed the ACLU's Ben Wizner, counsel to 5 individuals suing the subsidiary of Boeing (Jeppesen) which had arranged the Bush administration's rendition program …

Obama Has Upper Hand in Stimulus Fight  —  Obama's 67% approval rating on the stimulus is more than twice that of Republicans  — USA - Congress - Democrats - Government and Politics - Leadership - Republicans - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America

Manley sacks Shuler  —  Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley on Heath Shuler's comment that Reid and Nancy Pelosi “failed” on bipartisanship.  —  It's a good one: … In four years as an NFL QB — three with the Redskins, one with the Saints — Shuler threw 32 INTs while tallying only 15 TDs.

Senate Clears Path for Vote on $838 Billion Stimulus  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Monday advanced the $838 billion economic stimulus bill, clearing a major procedural hurdle by a razor thin margin with the help of just three Republicans.  A vote on final passage of the bill is expected on Tuesday.

Obama Aides Rip Cable News, D.C. Media And Political Elite  —  Here's an interesting dynamic: The yawning gap between what the pundits say about who's winning the stimulus war and what the polls say the public thinks has created an opening for the Obama team to reclaim Obama's campaign outsider mantle …

Coleman Says ‘God Wants Me to Serve’  —  While Al Franken remains fairly elusive, Norm Coleman is keeping a high profile these days as his court challenge of the Minnesota U.S. Senate recount plods along.  —  Coleman is adept, somewhat too adept, his critics might say …

Comparing this recession to the last five  —  The dramatic chart Nancy Pelosi's office put out comparing job losses so far in the current recession with those in 2001 and 1990-1991 has gotten a lot of play in the Internets.  As well it should-it paints a dramatic picture (job losses in the current recession have been much more severe).

The Trouble With Centrism  —  The liberals are angry, and not without reason.  You can imagine a world in which “centrist” Senators used their awesome deal-making powers to forge compromises that incorporate ideas from the left and right alike.  A world in which moderate “gangs,” …

Obama's Unscreened Town Hall Audience Is Clean Break From Bush's Supporters-Only Public Events  —  Today, President Obama hosted a town hall meeting in Elkhart, IN — which faces the nation's fastest-rising unemployment rate — to promote his recovery and reinvestment plan.

EXCLUSIVE: Partisan dirt-digger joins WH office  —  Resume lacks legal training  —  Amid the furor over controversies regarding Cabinet-nominee tax problems and the seismic battle over a nearly trillion-dollar economic rescue bill, President Obama made a little-noticed appointment that is now generating intrigue.

U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailouts as Senate Votes  —  Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government's commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation's home mortgages.

Leahy: Investigate Bush Now  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy insisted on Monday in firm and passionate terms that a comprehensive investigation be launched into the conduct of the Bush administration, saying anything less would prevent the country from moving forward.

Banks Seeking Aid to Undergo ‘Stress Test’  —  WASHINGTON — Many U.S. banks will be subjected to rigorous examinations to see if they are healthy enough to lend before receiving additional federal rescue funds, according to people familiar with the matter.  —  The “stress tests” …

Senate advances stimulus package  —  Spurred on by President Barack Obama, an $827 billion economic recovery plan advanced in the Senate Monday, clearing a last procedural hurdle with the help of three Republicans and the return of Sen. Edward Kennedy, ill with cancer.

Muslim in America: a ‘voyage of discovery’  —  ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Hailey Woldt put on the traditional black abaya, expecting the worst.  —  The last time she'd worn the Muslim dress that, with a head scarf, covered everything but her face, hands and feet, she was in Miami International Airport …

Climate change takes a mental toll  —  Last year, an anxious, depressed 17-year-old boy was admitted to the psychiatric unit at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.  He was refusing to drink water.  Worried about drought related to climate change, the young man was convinced that if he drank, millions of people would die.

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey  —  Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama's stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.  —  Tragically, no one from either party …

Meet the Press  —  What were JFK's fabled press conferences really like?  —  With Barack Obama's first news conference slated for tonight at 8 p.m. eastern, it is a safe bet that—like on Inauguration Day—the most over-used word in the English language Monday will be “Kennedy-esque.”

High-ranking Foreign Office diplomat arrested over anti-Semitic gym tirade … A high-ranking diplomat at the Foreign Office has been arrested after allegations that he launched a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade.  —  Middle East expert Rowan Laxton, 47, was watching TV reports of the Israeli attack …

Newsweek Plans Makeover to Fit a Smaller Audience  —  When US Airways Flight 1549 glided safely onto the Hudson River last month, Newsweek did what news organizations have done for more than a century — it sent reporters and photographers to the scene.  Considerable effort yielded …

Gitmo Detainee's ‘Genitals Were Sliced With A Scalpel,’ Waterboarding ‘Far Down The List Of Things They Did’  —  Last week, two British High Court judges ruled against releasing documents describing the treatment of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who is currently being held at Guantanamo Bay.

A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs … His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.