The Jindal Phenomenon  —  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal — selected to deliver the Republicans' Fat Tuesday response to President Obama — might also be voted the man least likely to let the good times roll.  Slight, earnest, deeply religious and supremely wonkish, Jindal resembles neither …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

“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 …

Gov. Jindal Follow-up: What Is ‘Volcano Monitoring’?  —  After President Obama's speech on the economy last night, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal criticized government spending in the stimulus bill, citing examples including “$140 million for something called ‘volcano monitoring.’”

Obama's Intelligence Choice  —  The president picks a China apologist and Israel basher to write his intelligence summaries.  —  During the presidential campaign, a constant refrain of Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates was that the Bush administration had severely politicized intelligence …

Not a War President  —  What can we learn from the few sentences President Obama devoted to foreign policy in his speech to Congress tonight?  —  The main lesson is how very few the sentences were.  Yes, this was a speech focused on the economy.  But it was also Obama's first address to Congress …

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 …

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”

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Group of Rich Americans Sues UBS to Keep Names Secret in Tax Case  —  UBS was sued on Tuesday in a Swiss federal court by wealthy American clients seeking to prevent the disclosure of their identities as part of a tax-evasion investigation by the United States Justice Department.

Mayor's tirade against feds full of rich irony  —  If you want to see Mayor Richard Daley's rant blasting federal investigators as “corrupt” you better not go to the mayor's official YouTube site that debuted this week.  —  Tuesday's rant isn't on the site.

Some Dems balk at controversial budget maneuver  —  A growing group of Senate Democrats said they would oppose the use of budget process rules to ram climate change legislation and other hot-button items past Republican filibusters.  —  The group, which includes Sens. Robert Byrd (W.Va.) …

The Age Of Obama  —  WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 24: U.S. President Barack Obama addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress February 24, 2009 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.  Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.  —  And so it begins.  The contrast between Barack Obama last night and George W Bush was striking.

Wall St. drops after data, banks fall  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks added to losses on Wednesday after data showed the pace of existing home sales unexpectedly fell in January, while bank shares slid on continuing worries over the fate of the sector.  —  The tone was set early …

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 …

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.

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 …