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 …

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.

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 …

Fundraiser for Murtha may have broken campaign finance rules  —  A $100,000 fundraiser for Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) held last year at a big-game ranch in Western Pennsylvania may have violated campaign-finance rules, according to campaign-finance experts.  —  Campaign-finance records …

Bailout Likely to Focus on 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.

IDIOCY WATCH.... A friend passed along an item from the weekend, with an audio clip of Michele Bachmann chatting with a conservative talk-show host in Minnesota.  In the ongoing debate as to which member of Congress is the single most ridiculous, this interview is very compelling evidence that Bachmann is …

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.

Cheney and the Goat Devil  —  I was dubious about Will Ferrell doing his Bush impersonation one more time on Broadway.  —  As we lurch through the disasters bequeathed by W. — the economy tanking, 17,000 more troops going to Afghanistan, Chrysler pleading for a total of $9 billion …

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.

O, Canada: Plans for Obama's trip north  —  As a presidential candidate stumping across the Rust Belt a year ago, Barack Obama drew cheers when he threatened to quit the North American Free Trade Agreement unless Canada and Mexico agreed to tough new worker-friendly standards.

Dem exclusive?  Reporters jump ship  —  In three months since Election Day, at least a half-dozen prominent journalists have taken jobs working for the federal government.  —  Journalists, including some of those who've jumped ship, say it's better to have a solid job in government than a shaky job …

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 to forge a budget package containing higher taxes.

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.

Free-speech hero or an anti-Islamic publicity hound?  Geert Wilders is coming to America.  —  A member of the Dutch Parliament who was banned last week from entering the United Kingdom because of his inflammatory anti-Islamic views is about to be welcomed to the United States by some notable conservatives.

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.

Mandelson launches Starbucks rant  —  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.