Republicans See Long-Term Victory in Defeat on Stimulus Plan  —  Three months after their Election Day drubbing, Republican leaders see glimmers of rebirth in the party's liberation from an unpopular president, its selection of its first African American chairman and, most of all …

The Destructive Center  —  What do you call someone who eliminates hundreds of thousands of American jobs, deprives millions of adequate health care and nutrition, undermines schools, but offers a $15,000 bonus to affluent people who flip their houses?  —  A proud centrist.

Barack Obama is a novice - and it shows  —  After a rocky start, the new President knows he has to seize back the political agenda, says Toby Harnden.  —  During last year's epic election campaign, Hillary Clinton said that in the White House “there is no time for on-the-job training”.

Amazon Raises an E-Book Specter  —  Amazon.com Inc. is announcing a new version of its Kindle e-book reader on Monday.  And, in a sign that the electronic book is gaining clout in the publishing world, Amazon is also expected to say it has acquired a new work by best-selling novelist Stephen King …

‘Doom’ talk scored as ‘not presidential’  —  Poses risk for ‘Yes, we can’ candidate  —  From crisis to catastrophe.  Off a cliff.  Dark, darker, darkest.  Mortal danger of absolute collapse.  Armageddon.  —  President Obama and top Democrats on Capitol Hill are deploying …

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.

Why I Support the Stimulus  —  I am supporting the economic stimulus package for one simple reason: The country cannot afford not to take action.  —  The unemployment figures announced Friday, the latest earnings reports and the continuing crisis in banking make it clear that failure to act …

Steele Defends Payment to Sister  —  RNC Chairman Says Campaign Costs Were Legitimate and Documented  —  Michael S. Steele, the new chairman of the Republican National Committee, said yesterday that there was nothing improper in a payment of more than $37,000 to his sister's company for work …

“When the novelty of the first African American president wears off, the sight of Obama talking on television might have less impact..."  —  “For now, though, the White House is cranking up the volume, staging Obama's first presidential news conference [Monday night] — in prime time.”

Porn Star for Senate  —  An Interview with the Porn Star Running Against Sen. David Vitter by Max Blumenthal  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Sen. David Vitter's phone number was found in the records of the notorious D.C. madam.  Now he faces re-election (and massive karmic payback) against a sultry adult entertainer named Stormy.

The Happy Party  —  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) They took a beating in November, but now, in the stimulus fight, Republicans are smiling again.  —  You see it all over Capitol Hill, in the hallways, the hearing rooms, the gathering spots.  Republicans, coming off a devastating, across-the-board electoral defeat, are ... happy.

U.S. to Target Afghan Drug Trade  —  MUNICH — Richard Holbrooke, the Obama administration's new point man on Afghanistan and Pakistan, is expected to engage Iran as part of a broad effort to stabilize Afghanistan and combat the country's growing drug trade, according to officials briefed on the special representative's plans.

IT'S A RECESSION NOT A ‘CATASTROPHE’  —  PRESIDENT Obama, writing in The Washington Post, said, “By now, it's clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression.”  But how would we know if and when this crisis is really more “deep and dire” than others?

How Government Created the Financial Crisis  —  Research shows the failure to rescue Lehman did not trigger the fall panic.  —  Many are calling for a 9/11-type commission to investigate the financial crisis.  Any such investigation should not rule out government itself as a major culprit.

Wake Up Call: Facebook Isn't A Safe Haven  —  Facebook just turned 5 years old.  But a week that should have been filled with reflection and good times was instead marred by a series of breaking news reports detailing sex scandals, phishing, and other malicious activity on the world's largest social network.

Activists Left Hoping for Change at Obama's Stimulus Parties  —  When Obama supporters gathered this weekend to build support for the first major legislation of the new president's tenure, those who had campaigned for change found themselves talking about something unexpected— politics as usual.

62% Want Stimulus Plan to Have More Tax Cuts, Less Spending  —  With the Senate poised to vote Tuesday on an $827-billion version of the economic recovery plan, 62% of U.S. voters want the plan to include more tax cuts and less government spending.  —  Just 14% would like to move …

16 illegals sue Arizona rancher  —  Claim violation of rights as they crossed his land  —  An Arizona man who has waged a 10-year campaign to stop a flood of illegal immigrants from crossing his property is being sued by 16 Mexican nationals who accuse him of conspiring to violate …

The Time for Bipartisanship  —  Looking back on the stimulus votes a lot of people are, rightly, drawing some conclusions about the prospects more broadly for efforts to pursue bipartisan or “post-partisan” initiatives.  For my two cents, I think the main point is that you need to think seriously …

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 …