Gupta Steps Aside  —  Updated 7: 24 p.m.  —  Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has told network officials will not leave his television career to become the U.S. Surgeon General, according to sources familiar with his decision.  —  Gupta, who had been described …

When Obamatons Respond  —  On Tuesday, I wrote that the Obama budget is a liberal, big government document that should make moderates nervous.  The column generated a large positive response from moderate Obama supporters who are anxious about where the administration is headed.

GOP Fights Back Over Criticism of Limbaugh  —  White House Is Accused Of Cynicism, Hypocrisy  —  By one measure, Rush Limbaugh is a clear winner this week: His ratings have nearly doubled since his feud with the White House burst into the media limelight.  —  But the Obama administration's strategy …

Bill Seeks $500 Billion for FDIC Fund  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd is moving to allow the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to temporarily borrow as much as $500 billion from the Treasury Department.  —  The Connecticut Democrat's effort …

The Big Dither  —  Last month, in his big speech to Congress, President Obama argued for bold steps to fix America's dysfunctional banks.  “While the cost of action will be great,” he declared, “I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy …

Bank Charges May Surge as Mortgages Marked to Market  —  Patricia Greenberg's townhouse in Irvine, California, was losing about $10,000 a month in value when she received a letter in February 2008 that looked too good to be true: An investor was offering to cut her $472,000 mortgage by 26 percent and her monthly payment by a third.

Republicans Look for a Reliever in Kentucky  —  WASHINGTON — One of the entrenched narratives in American politics is the case of the guy who refuses to quit, even though a lot of people on his own team want him gone.  —  While the Democrats are preoccupied with Senator Roland W. Burris …

Toomey to challenge Specter again  —  Former Rep. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) will challenge Sen. Arlen Specter in a primary for the second straight cycle, according to Pennsylvania GOP sources.  —  The Allentown Morning Call reported Thursday that two friends of Toomey's have said the Club for Growth chief has decided to enter the race.

PLEASE GROW UP  —  There's often a lot of game-playing in getting appointees approved by the senate.  But this requires more attention.  The senate Republicans are refusing to give a vote to two of President Obama's key (hopefully soon to be) economic advisors — Austan Goolsbee and Cecilia Rouse.

California Supreme Court signals mixed response to Proposition 8  —  As foes and supporters of the gay-marriage ban argue before the court, the justices appear ready to uphold the ban, but they also sound reluctant to invalidate same-sex marriages already performed.

Report condemns Afghan coalition  —  • Leaked analysis condemns US for lack of co-operation  —  • Senior officers' criticisms also cover Iraq campaign  —  A highly critical analysis of the US-led coalition's counterinsurgency in Iraq and Afghanistan has raised serious questions …

Christie has the poll position in governor's race  —  tgraber@sjnewsco.com  —  TRENTON - Gov. Jon S. Corzine could face a tough re-election bid, according to the results of a new poll showing his approval ratings slipping and the Democrat trailing his likely Republican challenger.

Rape row sparks excommunications  —  A Brazilian archbishop says all those who helped a child rape victim secure an abortion are to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.  —  The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins.

Obama steadfast on healthcare  —  Calls reform broad imperative  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama yesterday presented his goal of fixing the healthcare system as a political imperative, as well as a moral and economic one: Americans, he said, will no longer stand for soaring costs …

Senate bogs down over $410 billion spending bill  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate, tied up in a fight over a huge omnibus appropriations bill, will have to pass a stopgap spending measure Friday in order to avoid a partial government shutdown.

Makers Are Pushing Back on Toxic-Toy Law  —  Makers of children's products and charities that run second-hand shops are stuck with more than $1 billion of inventory they can't sell because of a new federal product-safety law, according to surveys by trade groups and the charities.

Thanks to All of Our Defenders  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: Rush Limbaugh, on a roll.  The Last Man Standing.  Defending conservatism against the onslaught — happily, by the way.  —  I want to take a moment here and thank some people who this week have come to my defense …

POOR LITTLE RICH BOY.  Tigerhawk's anger at the proposed tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year results in a remarkable video, in which he complains with frightening, quiet intensity that he and his rich friends “have worked harder and longer in their entire careers than most Americans understand and can even conceive.”

Defense Contractors Gird for Fight  —  The F-22 Raptor is produced by Lockheed Martin, the largest American defense contractor.  (U.S. Air Force photo)  —  With President Obama's announcement Wednesday that he intends to attack wasteful Pentagon spending, one of the most powerful …