George W. Obama?  —  Washington has spent the past couple of weeks debating whether Barack Obama's ambitious agenda and political strategy are more comparable to those of Franklin Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan.  Oddly, hardly anyone is talking about the ways in which Obama is beginning to resemble the man who just vacated the White House.

Lost in Translation: A U.S. Gift to Russia  —  GENEVA — The United States and Russia tried to mend their frayed relationship by having their top diplomats sit down to dinner here on Friday.  Before the appetizer was served, the diplomatic first date had gotten off to an awkward start because of a gag gift gone awry.

Court Puts Off Decision On Indefinite Detention  —  The Supreme Court yesterday vacated a lower court's ruling that the president has the right to indefinitely detain a legal U.S. resident as a terrorism suspect, and put off a decision on one of the most expansive legal claims of the Bush administration.

Obama's economic saviour savaged as Keating lets rip  —  When Barack Obama announced his champion to rescue the world from economic ruin, it was the first time most Americans had ever heard the name Tim Geithner.  —  The initial impression was good.  The stockmarket surged and the pundits swooned.

Meltdown  —  This is the private switching system, utilized by the Federal Reserve, that performs electronic financial transfers.  —  This is the vault that holds sixty billion of the taxpayers' dollars, which moved to an account owned by American International Group (AIG).

Senate puts off vote on $410 billion spending bill  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate has put off until next week a final vote on a $410 billion catchall spending bill.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is one vote short of the 60 needed to advance the measure.

Top U.S., European Banks Got $50 Billion in AIG Aid  —  The beneficiaries of the government's bailout of American International Group Inc. include at least two dozen U.S. and foreign financial institutions that have been paid roughly $50 billion since the Federal Reserve first extended aid to the insurance giant.

‘Mafia Cops’ Get Life, and Their Pensions  —  A side door swung open, and the two retired police detectives, dressed in shapeless prison scrubs, walked into the courtroom.  They looked as if they had been shipwrecked.  —  Nearly three years ago, the two men, Stephen Caracappa and Louis J. Eppolito …

Shoe reportedly thrown at Iranian president Ahmadinejad  —  Protest allegedly happened as president waved to crowds from an open-top car in the Iranian city of Urumiye  —  When the Iraqi journalist, Muntazar al-Zaidi, hurled his shoes at the then-US president, George Bush, in December …

Despite warnings from many economists that stimulus may be too small, network news rarely raised the issue … A Media Matters for America review of the ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news programs from January 25 through February 15 found that of the 59 broadcasts that addressed the economic stimulus package …

Car-truck crash kills Zimbabwe prime minister's wife, injures him  —  HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was in stable condition and recovering from head injuries Friday night after a car wreck that killed his wife, Susan, medical sources told CNN.

Naked Obama On A Unicorn Vs. Naked Palin On A Moose (Bonus: Nude Michelle Obama)  —  It's the gift that keeps on giving: paintings of a naked Barack Obama on a unicorn.  And the paintings keep getting increasingly disturbing.  Last time around, there was a painting of a unicorn looking at Barack's back side the same...

Now at Reason.tv: Rep. Jeff Flake on How the GOP Can Get Its Groove Back  —  At last November's gala dinner in Los Angeles celebrating 40 years of Reason, Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) spoke about why the Republican party was in a shambles—and what it needs to do to stage a comeback.