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.

651,000 Jobs Reported Lost in February  —  Another 651,000 jobs were lost in February, adding to the millions of people who have been thrown out of work as the economic downturn deepens.  —  In a stark measure of the recession's toll, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday …

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 …

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 …

Omnibus still one vote short  —  Short by one vote, Senate Democrats abruptly pulled back Thursday night from completing action on a giant omnibus spending bill—forcing leaders to scramble to pass a stopgap measure to keep the government funded through next Tuesday.

U.S. to Invite The Wealthy To Invest in The Bailout  —  The government is seeking to resuscitate the nation's crippled financial system by forging an alliance with the very outfits that most benefited from the bonanza preceding the collapse of the credit markets: hedge funds and private-equity firms.

Undisclosed Losses at Merrill Lynch Lead to a Trading Inquiry  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One Merrill Lynch trader apparently gambled away more than $120 million in the currency markets.  Others seemingly lost hundreds of millions on tricky credit derivatives.  —  But somehow all this red ink …

Never waste a good crisis, Clinton says on climate  —  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience on Friday “never waste a good crisis,” as she highlighted the opportunity of rebuilding economies in a greener, less energy intensive model.

CNN's Gupta Decides Against Surgeon General Position, Cites ‘Timing’  —  Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, said last night that he will not leave his television career to become the U.S. surgeon general and urged whoever gets the job to raise its profile as the nation grapples with how to reform health care.

A Heated Exchange: Al Gore Confronts His Critic(s)  —  The Goreacle has spoken-again.  —  Former Vice President Al Gore repeated his message that climate change is a planetary emergency at the WSJ's Eco:nomics conference in California.  The Nobel-prize winner declined to take any questions from reporters …

Newt mulls a run  —  The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Newt Gingrich — who mulled running in 2008 — is now openly considering a 2012 bid. … One reality check on the Newt mania: He remains a deeply unpopular figure in America, having never rehabilitated himself after his 1998 fall …

Fox News' Glenn Beck strikes ratings gold by challenging Barack Obama  —  His success comes as Fox News embraces the role of voice of opposition to the new administration.  —  Reporting from New York — Before Glenn Beck started his new show on Fox News in January, he sat down with Roger Ailes …

Rev. Wright Cautions: Obama 'Ain't Jesus'  —  President's longtime minister, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, says his former congregant is just like any other president and that he “ain't gonna improve your child's reading score.”  —  SELMA, Ala. — President Barack Obama's longtime minister …

Obama's Radicalism Is Killing the Dow  —  A financial crisis is the worst time to change the foundations of American capitalism.  —  It's hard not to see the continued sell-off on Wall Street and the growing fear on Main Street as a product, at least in part, of the realization …

The Great Non Sequitur  —  The Sleight of Hand Behind Obama's Agenda  —  Forget the pork.  Forget the waste.  Forget the 8,570 earmarks in a bill supported by a president who poses as the scourge of earmarks.  Forget the “2 trillion dollars in savings” that “we have already identified …

DLC on brink of a major shake-up  —  The Democratic Leadership Council — a group of centrists that dominated politics during the Clinton presidency but is laboring to remain relevant in the Obama era — is on the brink of a major shake-up.  —  Al From, the DLC's founder and leader since …

Why Are Your Tax Dollars Paying For the White House's ‘Limbaugh Strategy’?  —  Senior Fellow, Institute for Liberty/former Senior Political Writer, United Press International  —  So much has been written over the last few days about radio commentator Rush Limbaugh that additional commentary might be considered piling on.

Barack Obama bets the farm in $4 trillion poker game  —  The President believes he can change US politics for a generation.  If he's wrong he could bankrupt the whole country  —  One of the most seductive elements of Barack Obama's ascent to the White House was his unshakeable conviction …