What should government do?  A Jindal meditation  —  What is the appropriate role of government?  —  Traditionally, the division between conservatives and liberals has been over the role and size of the welfare state: liberals think that the government should play a large role in sanding off …

Michelle Obama: White House Dog Coming Soon!  —  Michelle and Barack Obama with daughters Malia, left, and Sasha  —  The whole world, it seems, wants to know: What kind of dog are the Obamas getting and, for goodness sake, when?  —  Speaking to PEOPLE at the White House recently …

Limbaugh Defends Jindal, Warns Conservatives They Are ‘Making A Real Mistake If They Go After’ Him  —  The response across the political spectrum to Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R-LA) speech last night has been overwhelmingly negative.  Even the most enthusiastic conservative talkers had harsh words …

Byrd: Obama in power grab  —  Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the longest serving Democratic senator, is criticizing President Obama's appointment of White House “czars” to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch.

“A Major Doctrinal Shift for Republicans”  —  Chief Political Correspondent  —  I just got off the phone with a very plugged-in Republican strategist who told me that Republican reaction to President Obama's speech, which the party will roll out in the next few days, will mark the beginning …

Reid: Congressional Budget Increased To Pay GOP Staffers  —  A ten percent increase in the budget for Congressional operations was needed because Senate Republicans wanted to retain previous staff levels despite having lost roughly 20 percent of their ranks in the 2008 elections, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said Wednesday.

Exclusive: Lawyer says Guantanamo abuse worse since Obama  —  LONDON (Reuters) - Abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has worsened sharply since President Barack Obama took office as prison guards “get their kicks in” before the camp is closed, according to a lawyer who represents detainees.

Chas Freeman Is Bigoted And Out Of Touch  —  Here is the most stunning prospective appointment of the Obama administration as yet.  Not stunning as in “spectacular” or “distinguished” but stunning as in bigoted and completely out of synch with the deepest convictions of the American people.

Will's “final thought” on Obama speech: “I don't know when men started to hug each other, but hug they do, and look at that”

Poll: Positive Reception For Obama Address  —  UPDATED WITH FINAL RESULTS CBS News and Knowledge Networks held a nationally representative poll of 534 people who watched President Obama give his address to Congress to gauge their reaction in the minutes after the president's speech.

America invented everything  —  Two of Obama's claims from the SOTU: … and … After a period of prolonged study and meditation (ie, I consulted Wikipedia for 45 minutes after the speech), I have concluded that these claims are questionable at best and false at worst.

“Oh God” Book II: Chris Matthews Responds  —  MSNBC's Chris Matthews has responded to his uttering of the words “Oh God” just as Gov. Bobby Jindal emerged to deliver the GOP response last night.  TVNewser has obtained some of what Matthews will say on “Hardball” tonight:

Justices Rule Sect Cannot Force Placing of Monument  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday, in one of the most closely watched free speech decisions in years, that a tiny religious sect could not force a Utah city to let it erect a monument to its faith in a public park.

Joe Biden's number: 'I'm embarrassed'  —  The president may be a BlackBerry fanatic, but the vice president is having a little trouble with his Web-sites - the one, indeed, which the president set up to track all the stimulus spending.  —  And Vice President Joe Biden is the one charged …

Setbacks for Coleman grow at Senate recount trial  —  Attorneys for Norm Coleman conferred Tuesday during the recount trial in St. Paul.  Tony Trimble is at left, Ben Ginsberg is at right and Joe Friedberg has his back to the camera.  —  Judges allowed marks to be removed and heard other ballots were properly rejected.

United Pilot Insults Sully  —  I just flew on United Airlines Flight 918 from Dulles to Heathrow.  Once we reached cruising altitude, the pilot interrupted the display of airspeed, altitude, and temperature on the backs of the seat in front of passengers.  What I expected to be the usual welcome …

Jindal's Response...  Awful.  He walked out like an earnest dork and has a weird inflection, trying to sound upbeat and sunny when it's clearly not his natural metier.  It sounds false, and he looks false.  —  I don't care how much of a star Jindal is, America doesn't elect somewhat-off dorks as president.

The Climate Change Lobby Explosion  —  WILL THOUSANDS OF LOBBYISTS IMPERIL ACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING?  —  In his address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama pledged nothing less than a transformation in the way America uses energy in order to “save our planet from the ravages …

Reporter Loses Job Over Altered Video Of Fox's Gibson  —  A Baltimore television reporter has lost his job after acknowledging that he doctored a video to make it appear that Fox News Radio host John Gibson had made a racial slur.  —  In the bogus video, which was picked up across the Internet …

I Ponied Up for Sheryl Crow?  —  Talk about being teed off.  —  The economy is croaking and bankers are still partying at a golf tournament here on our dime.  —  It's a good argument for nationalization, or better yet, internationalization.  Outsource the jobs of these perfidious …

The Decline of Los Angeles  —  Next week, Antonio Villaraigosa will be overwhelmingly re-elected mayor of Los Angeles.  Do not, however, take the size of his margin - he faces no significant opposition - as evidence that all is well in the city of angels.  —  Whatever His Honor says to the media …

Thoughts on strategy  —  Over the weekend, I did a post whacking Rick Moran for his plays-well-with-others advice to Repuublicans.  Tuesday night, I did Rick's Internet radio show with Stephen “VodkaPundit” Green and Fausta “Rule 5” Wertz.  —  We talked about a lot of things …

DC Statehood  —  Ryan Avent writes about the country's abhorrent treatment of residents of the capital: … A few points about this.  To actually admit DC as a state of the union would only require a majority vote in both houses of congress.  To meet the constitutional requirements …

Schultheis: HIV testing for pregnant moms rewards ‘sexual promiscuity’  —  State Sen. Dave Schultheis, a Colorado Springs Republican (Photo/Bob Spencer, The Colorado Independent)  —  Democrats were outraged Wednesday morning when Republican state Sen. Dave Schultheis said he planned to vote …

Mayor is criticized for White House watermelon patch e-mail  —  Businesswoman receives e-mail with image showing watermelon patch in front of White House.  —  Recommend  —  LOS ALAMITOS - The mayor has sent an apology for an e-mail sent to a local businesswoman and community volunteer that she says is racist and offensive.

Market for Romance Goes From Bullish to Sheepish  —  See the tall, gregarious young man in the Eighteenth Street Lounge, moving easily toward a group of receptive women as the floor vibrates with reggae music?  He's dressed in a sharp Hugo Boss suit, and he knows that the minimum for a table is $240.

Obama Removes the Mask  —  The president's speech to Congress eliminated any doubt about the agenda he is promoting.  —  President Obama's speech Tuesday night should put to rest the argument as to who he really is.  He revealed plans so sweeping and so expensive that, if they came to pass …