Rush Job: Inside Dems' Limbaugh plan  —  Top Democrats believe they have struck political gold by depicting Rush Limbaugh as the new face of the Republican Party, a full-scale effort first hatched by some of the most familiar names in politics and now being guided in part from inside the White House.

Bayh: Why Spending Bill Should Fail  —  A Democratic senator says no to a huge federal spending bill.  —  This week, the United States Senate will vote on a spending package to fund the federal government for the remainder of this fiscal year.  The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 is a sprawling …

Supreme Court rejects limits on drug lawsuits  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a $6.7 million jury award to a musician who lost her arm because of a botched injection of an anti-nausea medication.  The court brushed away a plea for limiting lawsuits against drug makers.

Ted Kennedy to be knighted  —  Comment Central: (Sir) Teddy...and Alan...and Bill...  Ted Kennedy, one of the leading members of the family dynasty that dominated American politics in the final decades of the last century, is to receive an honorary knighthood.

Stage of Fools  —  If only Shakespeare had known how to Twitter.  —  There was a bit of King Lear in the scene on the Senate floor, a stormy, solitary John McCain on “this great stage of fools,” as the Bard wrote, railing against both parties and the president in fiery speeches and rapid-fire tweets.

Instructed to curtail crushing red tape, guards watched girl die in her cell  —  Court transcripts obtained by The Globe reveal staff instructed not to stop frequent self-asphyxiation attempts if 19-year-old was still breathing  —  As Ashley Smith slowly choked herself to death at dawn in her Kitchener …

KRAUTHAMMER THEN AND NOW  —  At least one reader of my last post, in thanking me for drawing her attention to Charles Krauthammer's characterization of Obama's joint-session speech ("the boldest social democratic manifesto ever issued by a U.S. president"), assumes that Charles is as fervent a supporter of the President as she is.

Merrill's $10 Million Men  —  Top 10 Earners Made $209 Million in 2008 as Firm Foundered  —  As bad as 2008 was for Merrill Lynch & Co., it was very good for Andrea Orcel, the firm's top investment banker.  Although Merrill's net loss ballooned to $27.6 billion last year, Mr. Orcel …

Job Losses Show Breadth of Recession  —  What does the worst recession in a generation look like?  —  It is both deep and broad.  Every state in the country, with the exception of a band stretching from the Dakotas down to Texas, is now shedding jobs at a rapid pace.

Polls spell trouble for Corzine re-election bid  —  (CNN) — A new poll spells trouble for New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's bid for re-election this year.  —  Forty percent of New Jersey registered voters questioned in a Fairleigh Dickinson University survey released Wednesday approve …

Democratic Revolt May Slow Obama Agenda  —  Democratic Reps. Jim Matheson of Utah and Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona have joined a quiet revolt in the House that could slow some of President Obama's fast-moving priorities.  —  The two are among 49 Democrats from congressional districts …

Russian Scholar Says U.S. Will Collapse Next Year  —  MOSCOW — If you're inclined to believe Igor Panarin, and the Kremlin wouldn't mind if you did, then President Barack Obama will order martial law this year, the U.S. will split into six rump-states before 2011, and Russia and China will become the backbones of a new world order.

$5 BILLION IN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS BOUGHT WALL STREET FREEDOM FROM REGULATION, RESTRAINT, REPORT FINDS  —  Steps to Financial Cataclysm Paved with Industry Dollars  —  The financial sector invested more than $5 billion in political influence purchasing in Washington over the past decade …

Miami abortion clinic owner threw live baby away, prosecutors say  —  MIAMI - An abortion clinic owner is accused of delivering a live baby during a botched procedure and then throwing the infant away.  —  Belkis Gonzalez, 42, was arrested Tuesday and charged with practicing medicine without …

Hidden Pension Fiasco May Foment Another $1 Trillion Bailout  —  The Chicago Transit Authority retirement plan had a $1.5 billion hole in its stash of assets in 2007.  At the height of a four-year bull market, it didn't have enough cash on hand to pay its retirees through 2013, meaning it was underfunded to the tune of 62 percent.

Republicans declare Iraq victory  —  A group of 31 House Republicans have introduced a resolution “declaring victory in Iraq,” which is bound to evoke images of “Mission Accomplished” and George W. Bush in a flight suit.  —  The intention of the resolution isn't actually celebratory.

Wanna bet some of that Nobel money?  —  Paul Krugman suggests that my skepticism about the administration's growth forecast over the next few years is somehow “evil.”  Well, Paul, if you are so confident in this forecast, would you like to place a wager on it and take advantage of my wickedness?

Obama's hidden bailout of General Electric  —  While many companies hire lobbyists to win earmarks, General Electric's unmatched lobbying force has secured a tax increase — or its equivalent — in President Barack Obama's budget.  —  Labeled “climate revenues” and totaling $646 billion over eight years …

Loan Charity's High-Flying Guests Exposed  —  CBS Evening News: Educational Nonprofit Under Fire For Transporting Politicians With Money That Could Have Gone To Students  —  (CBS) Educap is a multibillion-dollar student loan charity run by CEO Catherine Reynolds.

You're Dead?  That Won't Stop the Debt Collector  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The banks need another bailout and countless homeowners cannot handle their mortgage payments, but one group is paying its bills: the dead.  —  Dozens of specially trained agents work on the third floor of DCM Services here …