OBAMA BURNED: GREGG WITHDRAWS AFTER POLICIES TOO MUCH TO STOMACH  —  For Immediate Release:  —  Senator Gregg Statement on His Withdrawal for Consideration of U.S. Commerce Secretary  —  Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce.

49 KILLED AS PLANE CRASHES INTO HOME IN CLARENCE CENTER  —  Forty-nine people died when a Continental Connection airplane crashed into a house in Clarence Center shortly after 10:15 p.m. Thursday, setting off a huge fire that could be seen miles away.  —  The dead included 44 passengers, four crew members and a person on the ground.

The GOP Has Declared War On Obama  —  This much is now clear.  Their clear and open intent is to do all they can, however they can, to sabotage the new administration (and the economy to boot).  They want failure.  Even now.  Even after the last eight years.  Even in a recession as steeply dangerous as this one.

Failure to Rise  —  By any normal political standards, this week's Congressional agreement on an economic stimulus package was a great victory for President Obama.  He got more or less what he asked for: almost $800 billion to rescue the economy, with most of the money allocated to spending rather than tax cuts.

Large Banks on the Edge of Insolvency  —  Some of the nation's large banks, according to economists and other finance experts, are like dead men walking.  —  A sober assessment of the growing mountain of losses from bad bets, measured in today's marketplace, would overwhelm the value of the banks' assets, they say.

Conference tactics leave deep House resentment  —  Leading House Democrats were smiling on Thursday, but some of them are furious with the Senate on its handling of the economic stimulus bill.  —  Even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid …

Congressional Offices Don't Have the Stimulus Bill, Lobbyists Do  —  We're receiving E-mails from Capitol Hill staffers expressing frustration that they can't get a copy of the stimulus bill agreed to last night at a price of $789 billion.  What's more, staffers are complaining about who does have a copy: K Street lobbyists.

Judges Plead Guilty in Payoffs for Jailing Youths  —  At worst, Hillary Transue thought she might get a stern lecture when she appeared before a judge for building a spoof MySpace page mocking the assistant principal at her high school in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. She was a stellar student who had never …

D'oh!  Caterpillar CEO Contradicts President on Whether Stimulus Will Allow Him to Re-Hire Laid Off Workers  —  EAST PEORIA, ILL. — President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., “said that if Congress passes our plan …

California's Napolitano Makes $220,000 From 1998 Campaign Loan  —  Feb. 13 (Bloomberg) — During a decade in Congress, California Representative Grace Napolitano has pocketed more than $200,000 of political contributions by charging as much as 18 percent interest on money she loaned to her own campaign.

Obama's Enablers in Chief  —  Three Republicans voted for stimulus.  —  “I have worked with my colleagues — Republicans and Democrats — to cut wasteful spending in this bill and focus taxpayer dollars where they will do the most good.”  — Sen. Kent Conrad, one extremely relieved man.

Global Economy Top Threat to U.S., Spy Chief Says  —  WASHINGTON — The new director of national intelligence told Congress on Thursday that global economic turmoil and the instability it could ignite had outpaced terrorism as the most urgent threat facing the United States.