Roland Burris, resign  —  The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate.  It finally snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four.

“Yes, we care!”  Porkulus protesters holler back Updated  —  Scroll for updates...more vid and pic links below...  Hundreds of taxpayers took time out of their busy day to protest President Obama's “stimulus” bill-signing in Denver today.  Jim Pfaff of Colorado Americans for Prosperity …

GM to End Brands, Cut 47,000 More Jobs  —  Saturn, Hummer Could Be History by 2011 as GM Plans to Slash Dealers; Chrysler Mentions Bankruptcy Option for First Time  —  General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC on Tuesday told the federal government they need at least $21.6 billion more combined …

Bank nationalisation gains ground with Republicans  —  Long regarded in the US as a folly of Europeans, nationalisation is gaining rapid acceptance among Washington opinion-formers - and not just with Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chairman.  Perhaps stranger still …

Obama to Send 17,000 More Troops to Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will send an additional 17,000 American troops to Afghanistan this spring and summer in the first major military move of his presidency, White House officials said on Tuesday.  —  The increase would come on top …

Michele Bachmann: “We're Running Out Of Rich People In This Country”  —  In an interview with a conservative talk show host, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has once again embarrassed herself.  Posted by the blog Dump Bachmann and picked up by the MN Progressive Project, the clip …

RAHM'S ‘RENT’ IS JUST THE TIP OF ETHICS ICEBERG  —  NEWS broke last week that Rahm Emanuel, now White House chief of staff, lived rent- free for years in the home of Rep. Rosa De Lauro (D-Conn.) - and failed to disclose the gift, as congressional ethics rules mandate.

Apocalypse now  —  Everyone should be paying attention to the political/fiscal catastrophe now unfolding in California.  Years of neglect, followed by economic disaster — and with all reasonable responses blocked by a fanatical, irrational minority.  —  This could be America next.

A new jihad?  —  Turkey witnesses some of the most passionate demonstrations in support of Gaza  —  At a weekend meeting in Istanbul, 200 religious scholars and clerics met with senior Hamas officials to plot a new jihad centred on Gaza.  —  The BBC's Bill Law was the only Western journalist at the meeting.

A Bailout Aimed at the Most Afflicted Homeowners  —  The long-awaited housing bailout will finally be announced on Wednesday.  —  In a speech in Phoenix, a signature real estate boomtown gone bust, President Obama will explain his plan to reduce foreclosures.

Libraries put Bible on top shelf in a sop to Muslims … Librarians are being told to move the Bible to the top shelf to avoid giving offence to followers of Islam.  —  Muslims have complained of finding the Koran on lower shelves, saying it should be put above commonplace things.

Obama's War on Terror May Resemble Bush's in Some Areas  —  WASHINGTON — Even as it pulls back from harsh interrogations and other sharply debated aspects of George W. Bush's “war on terrorism,” the Obama administration is quietly signaling continued support for other major elements of its predecessor's approach to fighting Al Qaeda.

Willow Creek Chicago pastor resigns, admits to ‘sexual impurity’  —  The pastor of Willow Creek Chicago — the city campus of the evangelical megachurch Willow Creek Community Church — has resigned and admitted to “sexual impurity,” a church spokesman said.

Bristol Palin: Abstinence for all teens ‘not realistic’  —  (CNN) — In her first interview since giving birth, the teenage daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said having a child is not “glamorous,” and that telling young people to be abstinent is “not realistic at all.”

For shame  —  Adam Serwer objects to shame as a method for managing peoples' behavior: … Serwer is right that shame makes a hard lot harder.  But I don't think he is right about the value of shame.  Without shame, what are you left with?  It's accepting that you have no way to regulate …

If You Got Money, It's Time to Spend Some  —  Edward L. Glaeser is an economics professor at Harvard.  —  In the last eight years, Americans have spent an extraordinary amount of money and borrowed a lot to make that spending possible.  Total outstanding consumer credit was $1.7 trillion in 2000; the current figure is $2.6 trillion.

Stocks slump despite stimulus  —  Dow ends at 3-month lows, with Wall Street sliding even as President Obama signed into law the $787 billion economic stimulus plan.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stocks tumbled Tuesday on fears that the government's efforts to slow the recession won't be enough …

Mandelson launches rant at Starbucks over UK economy  —  The business secretary, Peter Mandelson, yesterday launched an extraordinary tirade against the head of the Starbucks coffee empire, accusing him of spreading gloom and overly denigrating the state of the British economy.

White House Plans ‘Fiscal Responsibility Summit’  —  Now that President Obama has signed a $787 stimulus package into law and weighed tens of billions more to aid homeowners and banks, he will take a break next Monday to consider just how the government can get a grip on its increasingly ugly balance sheet.

Democrats' best choice in the 5th: Mike Quigley  —  The Tribune editorial board endorses Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley in the Democratic primary for the 5th Congressional District.  —  The race to replace White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in Congress has drawn nearly two dozen contenders …

Geert Wilders Is a Test for Western Civilization  —  If Rushdie should be defended, why not the Dutch pol?  —  Twenty years ago, Andres Serrano put a plastic crucifix in a glass of urine, photographed it and called it art.  Conservatives in particular weren't pleased: not with Mr. Serrano …

California budget negotiations hit a new snag  —  Senator Dave Cox talks on the cell phone in the senate chambers as lawmakers prepare for another late night at the State Capitol in Sacramento  —  Senate Republicans oust their leader, who had joined with Democrats in pushing for higher taxes to help close a $42-billion gap.

Obama Signs $787 Billion Economic Stimulus Bill  —  President Obama ventured 1,700 miles from Washington Tuesday to sign into law a $787 billion stimulus package aimed at reviving the nation's moribund economy and “keeping the American dream alive in our time.”