RNC member calls on Steele to quit  —  Michael Steele should resign as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, according to a committee member from North Carolina.  —  In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman …

My Response To The White House  —  When I come to work each day, whether as a commentator for TheStreet.com or a host of Mad Money With Jim Cramer, I have only one thought in mind: helping people with their money.  —  I fight to help viewers and readers make and preserve capital.

THE BANALITY OF PROGRESS.  —  The speech ended.  “Let's get to work,” the President said.  The attendees — a mixture of congressmen, advocates, stakeholders, and analysts — filed down the long hall to their breakout sessions.  Another reporter turned to me.  “What did you think of the speech?”

First Lady Michelle Obama shows even she has a gift for the gaffe  —  It was all going so well.  The dresses, the brains, the Vogue cover shoot - everything so far about Michelle Obama has left us wide-mouthed in admiration.  It seemed there was no end to her fabulousness.  Then Mr and Mrs Brown came to stay.

Obama's safety net: the TelePrompter  —  President Barack Obama doesn't go anywhere without his TelePrompter.  —  The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president's prepared remarks follow him wherever he speaks.  —  Resting on top of a tall, narrow pole, they flank his podium during speeches …

Sex Appeal May Have Hurt Sarah Palin  —  In a Sept. 4, 2008 column, just after Sarah Palin accepted the Republican nomination for vice-president, Will Wilkinson wrote admiringly of her “sexual power,” adding: “I think she is a tremendously sexy woman.  How this will affect the race, I have no idea, but it's just got to.”

Daley leaning toward Illinois Senate bid  —  Former Commerce Secretary William Daley is leaning toward running for the Senate seat President Obama once held, sources close to Daley tell The Hill.  They characterize the decision as all but finalized.  —  Daley would likely be an instant front-runner …

The Treasury Mortgage Mod Program: Should We Hope It Doesn't Work?  —  The Treasury today announced its so-called “Making Homes Affordable Program”.  —  I am clearly an old fart.  The fact that the Treasury bothered to have a logo created for the program (do consumers and servicers …

Obama Preferred Over Reagan — In Fox News Poll  —  Are we still a center-right nation, as many Republicans continue to insist?  And can the GOP revive itself through a return to the spirit of Ronald Reagan, as Rush Limbaugh has said?  —  Check out this question from the new Fox News poll …

Schumer Privately Tells White House He's Concerned About Freeman On Israel  —  Senator Charles Schumer has privately expressed concerns directly to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel about Chas Freeman, the Obama administration's pick to head the group that prepares some of the intel community's …

GM is toast  —  After today's annual report, I don't think there's any question of GM's staying out of bankruptcy.  The company's revenue fell from $180 billion in 2007 to $149 billion in 2008, with the worst crash in the fourth quarter.  Car sales have continued to plunge into the new year.

EXCLUSIVE: Rove Warns of ‘Show Trial,’ Says Dems ‘Would Love to Have Me Barbecued’  —  Karl Rove tells FOX News he is looking forward to telling the House Judiciary Committee about his alleged role in the firing of federal prosecutors and the prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

Jon Stewart's rant: Santelli re(un)wound  —  Apparently Rick Santelli - famous for “Santelli's rant” on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, a broadcast diatribe against the Obama administration's bailout of bad mortgages - should have shown up on The Daily Show.

Confusion, Tunneling, And Looting  —  Emerging market crises are marked by an increase in tunneling - i.e., borderline legal/illegal smuggling of value out of businesses.  As time horizons become shorter, employees have less incentive to protect shareholder value and are more inclined to help …