Late Change in Course Hobbled Rollout of Geithner's Bank Plan  —  Just days before Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner was scheduled to lay out his much-anticipated plan to deal with the toxic assets imperiling the financial system, he and his team made a sudden about-face.

Cheney pushed Bush to grant Libby pardon  —  WASHINGTON - In the waning days of the Bush administration, Vice President Dick Cheney launched a last-ditch campaign to persuade his boss to pardon Lewis (Scooter) Libby - and was furious when President George W. Bush wouldn't budge.

A ‘fraud’ bigger than Madoff  —  Senior US soldiers investigated over missing Iraq reconstruction billions  —  In what could turn out to be the greatest fraud in US history, American authorities have started to investigate the alleged role of senior military officers in the misuse of $125bn …

For Obama, it's more about showmanship than sunlight  —  After rushing Congress to act, why did he wait for days to sign the “emergency” stimulus bill?  —  Back during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised something he called “Sunlight Before Signing.”

Six Keys to Turning Around the Republican Party  —  Here's how the GOP can charge into 2010 with a fired-up conservative base and appeal to a wider slice of the American public.  —  If we want to fix what ails the Republican Party, it's worth taking a few moments to diagnose what went wrong …

Bristol Palin Speaks Out  —  ABC's Teddy Davis and Sara Just report: Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, told Fox News in her first interiew since giving birth that she would like to be an advocate against teen pregnancy.  —  “Everyone should wait 10 years,” Palin said.

Legislature adjourns with no budget; governor prepares to lay off 10,000  —  In addition to shutting down public-works projects, Schwarzenegger administration moves toward massive state layoffs as legislators again fail to garner the final GOP vote needed to pass a budget.

Congress' Approval Rating Jumps to 31%  —  More positive ratings from Democrats largely responsible for increase  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's latest congressional job approval rating, from a Feb. 9-12 poll, shows a sharp 12 percentage-point increase from last month, rising from 19% to 31%.

Obama Gains Support From G.O.P. Governors  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama must wish governors could vote in Congress: While just three of the 219 Republican lawmakers backed the $787 billion economic recovery plan that he is signing into law on Tuesday, that trifling total …

Police: TV station founder beheaded wife  —  From Deborah Brunswick and LaNeice Collins  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — The founder of an Islamic television station in upstate New York aimed at countering Muslim stereotypes has confessed to beheading his wife, authorities said.

Going gray's just fine, man  —  Everyone seems to have an opinion about Howard Fineman's hair lately.  —  The Newsweek reporter and MSNBC commentator has let his hair go gray, and it's all anyone can talk about.  —  Perfect strangers, we hear, go up and talk to him about it.

Paterson's weakness  —  New York Governor David Paterson received some terrible poll numbers today, suggesting Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would easily beat him in a primary, and that he might well lose to a Republican in November, 2010.  —  Cuomo probably doesn't want another racially charged primary …

Student sues L.A. City College district over gay-marriage speech  —  Weeks after Proposition 8 passed, student says, his public-speaking professor reacted inappropriately to his stance against same-sex unions.  His lawyer alleges religious discrimination.  —  A classroom dispute …

Don't Believe the Stimulus Scaremongers  —  Americans are losing faith in the fairness and wisdom of economic policy.  —  Our ignorance of what causes economic ailments — and how to treat them — is profound.  Downturns and financial crises are not regular occurrences …

STILL SPIRALING  —  Former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) was on Hardball last night and put on a dizzying display as he tried to blame George Soros and Chuck Schumer for the economic collapse:

Japan's Finance Minister to Quit After G-7 Blunder  —  TOKYO — Japan's finance minister, facing ridicule and criticism for embarrassing behavior at the weekend Group of 7 meeting in Rome, said Tuesday he would resign.  —  Shoichi Nakagawa raised eyebrows for slurred speech …

Sure the Israeli right won?  Peace lost?  Look closer  —  To judge solely from the gloating, the right conclusively won last week's election.  Hawkish politicians were swift to crow triumph.  Hardline analysts and legions of talkbackers have positively glowed in pronouncing the end of the left …

Auto Maker Deadline Looms  —  GM, Chrysler Plans Due Today; U.S. Taps Car Adviser Known for Extracting Concessions  —  Troubled U.S. auto makers and union representatives dug in late Monday for all-night cost-cutting negotiations as the government advanced its point person on auto restructuring …

Coleman's complaint  —  In its ruling Friday on the standards applicable to the 4,800 rejected absentee ballots raised by the Coleman campaign in the election contest, the three-judge panel insisted on compliance with Minnesota's absentee ballot statute.  The judges' ruling is reasonable on its face.

Obama plots huge railroad expansion  —  Railroads made Chicago, and now a Chicago-rich White House wants to return the favor: remaking rail with a huge new federal investment in high-speed passenger trains.  —  The $787.2 billion economic recovery bill — to be signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday …

Transcript has Burris dancing around the truth  —  Here's the proof that he really is a lying little sneak  —  Sen. Roland Burris says the transcript of his Illinois House impeachment committee testimony proves he is not a lying little sneak.  —  It doesn't.  But judge for yourself.

Reassessing ‘Af-Pak’ strategy  —  THE WHITE HOUSE, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and regional military commanders are reviewing US policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, or “Af-Pak” in Washington-speak.  Initial news reports suggest similar shifts of strategy: adding US troops …

The death of the news  —  If reporting vanishes, the world will get darker and uglier.  Subsidizing newspapers may be the only answer.  —  Journalism as we know it is in crisis.  Daily newspapers are going out of business at an unprecedented rate, and the survivors are slashing their budgets.

Pentagon Rethinks Its 18-Year Ban on Photos and Videos of Coffins Bearing War Dead Home  —  Every week, Air Force cargo jets land and taxi down the runway at Dover Air Force Base, Del., carrying the remains of fallen U.S. troops.  After a chaplain says a simple prayer, an eight-man military …

Protectionism Anew  —  Some think the New Deal rescued America from economic crisis in the 1930s.  Others argue the opposite.  But whatever their ideology, and whatever their credentials, most of the pundits, historians and economists who debate the Great Depression agree about one thing …