Blago hit up Burris for cash  —  Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post — something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.

Obama Scores Early Victory of Historic Proportions  —  Twenty-four days into his presidency, Barack Obama recorded last night a legislative achievement of the sort that few of his predecessors achieved at any point in their tenure.  —  In size and scope, there is almost nothing in history …

In Gingrich Mold, a New Voice for Solid Resistance in G.O.P.  —  WASHINGTON — The last time Congressional Republicans were this out of power, they turned to a college professor from Georgia, Newt Gingrich, to lead the opposition, first against President Bill Clinton in a budget battle in 1993 …

Obama planning ambitious road ahead  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Fresh off victory on President Obama's signature $787 billion economic recovery plan, several top White House aides say they're planning an ambitious agenda for the rest of February.  —  The Senate had waited for the return …

The Beltway Games Don't Really Matter  —  Ben Smith makes some very good points and draws out some great quotes: … Smith, and the pollsters he quotes, are speaking directly to a point I have been driving at for some time: Perhaps more than ever, there is a real divide between …

An Eternal Optimist — But Not A Sap  —  THE COMMON THEME OF OBAMA'S EARLY EFFORTS HAS BEEN THE SOLIDITY OF HIS GOALS, AND THE PLIABILITY OF HIS MEANS FOR ACHIEVING THEM.  —  After the trials and triumphs of his tumultuous first weeks, President Obama appears increasingly focused on ends, not means.

Stimulus Plan Places New Limits on Wall St. Bonuses  —  WASHINGTON — A provision buried deep inside the $787 billion economic stimulus bill would impose restrictions on executive bonuses at financial institutions that are much tougher than those proposed 10 days ago by the Treasury Department.

U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship  —  Stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who are living in this country with temporary visas, offering them the chance to become United States citizens in as little as six months.

Inquiry on Graft in Iraq Focuses on U.S. Officers  —  Federal authorities examining the early, chaotic days of the $125 billion American-led effort to rebuild Iraq have significantly broadened their inquiry to include senior American military officers who oversaw the program …

Case May Alter Judge Elections Across Country  —  MATEWAN, W.Va. — Don L. Blankenship, the chief executive of the nation's fourth-biggest coal mining company, is not shy about putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to West Virginia politics.  —  In 2004, he spent $3 million …

Columnist Ann Coulter Defends White Supremacist Group  —  Rabid far-right commentator Ann Coulter is known across America for sliming everyone and everything she disagrees with.  Al Gore is a “total fag” and another one-time presidential candidate, John Edwards, is the same.

F-Bomb Free Or Die!  —  It's kind of hard to tell from this Portsmouth Herald article.  But it sounds like your right to remove signs other people have planted without authority on your property, and to do so without interference from busybodies, and to express yourself when those things have transpired …

Obama Levitates  —  But the train goes off the rails.  —  One of many highlights of the stimulus bill the Democrats just rammed through Congress is $8 billion for high-speed rail.  What makes this appropriation special is that there was no money for high-speed rail in the original House legislation.