Lawmakers look dumb for reviving Obama hoax  —  In the Handy Guide for Newspaper Opinion Columnists, this is called shooting fish in a barrel.  Or hitting a slow-pitched softball.  —  Four Tennessee state representatives, all Republicans, have signed up to be plaintiffs in a lawsuit …

To Fix Detroit, Obama Is Said to Drop Plan for ‘Car Czar’  —  DETROIT — President Obama has dropped the idea of appointing a single, powerful “car czar” to oversee the revamping of General Motors and Chrysler and will instead keep the politically delicate task in the hands …

Decade at Bernie's  —  By now everyone knows the sad tale of Bernard Madoff's duped investors.  They looked at their statements and thought they were rich.  But then, one day, they discovered to their horror that their supposed wealth was a figment of someone else's imagination.

Sam Donaldson, Moving Out of Shouting Distance  —  Forceful Newsman to Retire After Four Decades at ABC  —  Whatever else he accomplished in his 41 years at ABC News, Sam Donaldson knows he'll be remembered mainly for his bellowing voice.  —  “I guess it'll be on my tombstone: ‘He yelled at Ronald Reagan,’ ” Donaldson says.

Islamic law to be imposed in parts of Pakistan  —  PESHAWAR, Pakistan - The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across a large swath of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying a spreading Taliban insurgency there.

The First Three Weeks  —  IF PRESIDENT Obama and his advisers had a magic wand rather than a balky, and balkanized, Congress, the dire recession would still be daunting.  But the presidency does not come with a magic wand; nor, we have learned, is Mr. Obama, however talented, a wizard.

A guide to the 100 best blogs - part I  —  The online world of the bloggers and how you can connect, communicate, publish your thoughts or diaries and ‘spy’ on the famous  —  Blogs — an ugly word, but now unavoidable — were born with the internet.  As soon as people started to use …

Chicago Tribune's Jill Zuckman to join Obama administration, working for Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood  —  Jill Zuckman, a Chicago Tribune Washington correspondent and frequent guest on political talk shows such as MSNBC's “Hardball” and Fox Broadcasting's “Fox News Sunday,” …

Former Gitmo Guard Tells All  —  Army Private Brandon Neely served as a prison guard at Guantánamo in the first years the facility was in operation.  With the Bush Administration, and thus the threat of retaliation against him, now gone, Neely decided to step forward and tell his story.

Archbishop of Canterbury: Society is coming round to my views on sharia  —  The Archbishop of Canterbury has defended his controversial comments about the introduction of Islamic law to Britain and claimed that public opinion is now behind him.  —  On the anniversary of the interview …

Carlos Slim Helú: The Reticent Media Baron  —  MEXICO CITY — Carlos Slim Helú was clearly annoyed.  He had invited dozens of foreign correspondents to lunch one day last fall and, after many questions about business trends, one journalist pressed him on how it felt to be worth …

IDF: World duped by Hamas's false civilian death toll figures  —  Four weeks after the cessation of Operation Cast Lead, the IDF finally opened its dossier on Palestinian fatalities on Sunday for the first time, and presented to The Jerusalem Post an overview utterly at odds with the Palestinian figures …

Saudi Arabia appoints first female minister  —  An expert on girls' education became Saudi Arabia's first woman minister on Saturday as part of a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle by King Abdullah that swept aside several bastions of ultra-conservatism.  —  Nora bint Abdullah al-Fayez …

The Two Progressivisms  —  The definitions of the terms “liberal” and “conservative” have been the subjects of much debate in contemporary American politics.  But it has become increasingly clear that the term “progressive” is equally ambiguous, and is associated with at least two relatively distinct philosophical traditions.

C-SPAN ranks presidents: Abe still on top, new shocker at the bottom  —  On this sacred United States holiday devoted to honoring the birthdays of the two most important presidents in the nation's history by selling bed linens and used automobiles at discount prices, we're publishing …

Chavez calls Venezuela vote mandate for socialism  —  CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez says a referendum victory that removed limits on his re-election is a mandate to intensify his socialist agenda for decades to come.  Opponents warn of an impending dictatorship.

Clinton Criticizes Bush on N. Korea  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cast doubt Sunday on a claim by the Bush administration that North Korea had a clandestine program to enrich uranium, and she said she will focus on getting the Pyongyang government to give up its stock of weapons-grade plutonium.