Hillary's incredible, shrinking role  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is finding that her job description is dissolving under her feet, leaving her with only a vestige of the power she must have thought she acquired when she signed on to be President Obama's chief Cabinet officer.

Will Geert Wilders Be Arrested at Heathrow?  —  This morning Lord Malcolm Pearson, a member of the British House of Lords, announced that he has invited Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament, to show the movie Fitna (see it here) in a committee room of the House of Lords next Thursday (12 February).

Netanyahu: Right wing, led by Likud, won a clear victory  —  By Haaretz Service and News Agencies  —  Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory in Tuesday's parliamentary election as he addressed supporters in a speech early Wednesday, despite exit polls that predicted …

Because They Hate Shepard Smith and Want Him to Fail  —  Shep Smith leads the happy warriors of Fox News into a new political age.  —  Shepard Smith has a face made for television, a face seemingly created not just for the cameras but by them, a brand-name face that could be made into a mask and worn on Halloween.

The Treasury's Financial Stability Plan  —  Here's my two cents on the latest two trillion.  —  Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner began his remarks to the Senate Banking Committee this morning as follows: … To which I responded, Amen!  And Amen!  And I continued reading:

Obama: No ‘Easy Out’ for Wall Street  —  Transcript Excerpts: Terry Moran Interviews President Obama … Watch the exclusive interview tonight on “Nightline” at 11:35 ET.  —  TERRY MORAN: So, Treasury Secretary Geithner today has laid out the plan for the banks and judging by the reaction in the markets …

“War of Northern Aggression”?  —  According to Republican State Rep. Bryan Stevenson, the proposed pro-choice “Freedom of Choice Act” is the biggest federal power grab since the “War of Northern Aggression.”  —  And I thought Scott Rupp was overly dramatic.

Obama allies attack GOP leadership  —  The labor-backed, pro-stimulus group Americans United for Change and the public workers' union AFSCME are going up with a national cable spot, also airing in Washington D.C., with the sharpest attack yet on Republican leaders in the House and Senate.

Group pledges to fight GOP senators who support stimulus  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — An influential conservative political action committee is pledging to support primary challenges to any Republican senator who backs the economic stimulus package — the latest public show of dissatisfaction …

Public Rejects Obama Stimulus Bill According to New ATI-News/Zogby Poll  —  90 Percent of Republicans and 60 Percent of Independents Oppose Obama Economic Recovery Plan  —  Amidst all the rhetoric surrounding President Barack Obama's first signature piece of legislation, a massive $800 billion economic …

What happened to Clive Crook?  —  Clive used to be a reasonable guy; in his mind he probably still is a reasonable guy.  But he has misunderstood what it means to be reasonable.  He now apparently believes that it means declaring, in all circumstances, that Democrats and Republicans are equally …

Lobbyist Inquiry Appears to Be Widening  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors are looking into the possibility that a prominent lobbyist may have funneled bogus campaign contributions to his mentor, Representative John P. Murtha, as well as other lawmakers, two people familiar with the investigator's questions said Tuesday.

A rocky first few weeks  —  Obama sputters out of the gate — but don't fear yet.  Plus: Buxom foodies, frocks for the ages, and the eternal appeal of Mary McCarthy and Justin Timberlake.  —  Money by the barrelful, by the truckload.  Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump.

Secretary Salazar Details Strategy for Comprehensive Energy Plan on U.S. Outer Continental Shelf  —  Provides More Time for Public Comment; Incorporates Renewable Energy  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Saying he needed to restore order to a broken process, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced …

10-Year-Old Spaniel Completes Comeback  —  At 10 years old, Stump the Sussex spaniel should be well into his dotage.  Instead, the dog who technically retired four years ago took home Best in Show on Tuesday at the 133rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden, becoming the oldest to win the award.

“Know This If Nothing Else: This Was A Hate Crime”  —  Photo by J. Miles Cary of the Knoxville News  —  Progressives around the country can breathe a little easier today: James Adkisson has been sentenced to life behind bars for the deaths of Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger …

Obama must do more to get GOP on board  —  President Obama is on track to score a huge victory by winning congressional passage of an $800-billion-plus stimulus package, but it will come at the high cost of failing to achieve his goal of bringing a new spirit of bipartisanship to Washington.

Progress in late-night stimulus talks  —  With Senate approval in hand, Barack Obama's economic recovery program moved quickly Tuesday into late night negotiations in the Capitol with the president stepping forward more to put his stamp on the package and to expedite final passage.

Second Circuit to Second Amendment: Drop Dead...  ...you still don't apply to state and local regs.  Well, the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals has said it before (in the 2005 case Bach v. Pataki), and now they've said it again, in Maloney v. Cuomo.  CrimProf Blog has some details:

The Money Liberal Conspiracy At Work  —  As promised, here are the gory mechanics of the liberal conspiracy to expand welfare rolls through an insufficiently publicized provision in the stimulus bill: … The major difference between the House and Senate versions of this deeply troubling provision …

The Rorschach plan (wonkish, or at least hard to read)  —  An old joke from my younger days: What do you get when you cross a Godfather with a deconstructionist?  Someone who makes you an offer you can't understand.  —  I found myself remembering that joke when trying to make sense of the Geithner financial rescue plan.

The President Attacks a Republican Straw Man  —  President Obama, as we all know, made bipartisanship a central theme of his campaign last year.  Yet he was unable to pull in many Republicans on the stimulus bill.  In the wake of this, some have suggested that the President's bipartisan success will be in changing the tone.