Should Michelle Cover Up?  —  Journalists are never supposed to start a piece with a scene in a taxi because it signals either laziness about gathering facts or a tendency to embroider facts.  —  Nonetheless, I'm going to.  David Brooks and I were sharing a cab to the British Embassy the other day to meet with Gordon Brown.

David Frum Does Not Speak for Me Any More Than Rush Limbaugh Does  —  I recently risked being labeled one of the “oddballs” at Hot Air when I said that, while I believe Rush Limbaugh is a very talented salesman for conservative values, I think it would be counterproductive to set him up as the head of the conservative movement.

The Inflection Is Near?  —  Sometimes the satirical newspaper The Onion is so right on, I can't resist quoting from it.  Consider this faux article from June 2005 about America's addiction to Chinese exports: … Let's today step out of the normal boundaries of analysis of our economic crisis …

Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court liberal?  —  In a decision last week against the drug company Wyeth, it was the court's most conservative justice who most harshly criticized a Bush administration legal policy.  —  Reporting from Washington — The Supreme Court opinion that drew the most praise …

The Next Hit: Quick Defaults  —  More FHA-Backed Mortgages Go Bad Without a Single Payment  —  The last time the housing market was this bad, Congress set up the Federal Housing Administration to insure Depression-era mortgages that lenders wouldn't otherwise make.

A Pardon For A Friend, A Good Deal For Dodd  —  It takes considerable political skill for a U.S. senator to win a presidential pardon for a friend without the traditional review by the Justice Department.  Sen. Christopher Dodd moved the furtive levers of power in 2001 for Edward R. Downe …

Tea Parties?  What Tea Parties?  Predictably, Established Media Coverage of Tea Party Protests Is Sparse  —  Coverage of “tea party” protests in various cities around the country (this March 4 Pajamas Media press release, HT to FreeRepublic, cited 22 locations on February 27 and seven this weekend) …

Recession on track to be longest in postwar period  —  WASHINGTON - Factory jobs disappeared.  Inflation soared.  Unemployment climbed to alarming levels.  The hungry lined up at soup kitchens.  —  It wasn't the Great Depression.  It was the 1981-82 recession, widely considered America's worst since the depression.

Thousands join talk show hosts in tax protest  —  Officials estimate more than 8,000 people showed up in downtown Fullerton to protest tax hikes in budget deal.  —  Recommend  —  FULLERTON - They're revolting.  Families with children, bikers, seniors, pirates - by the thousands descended …

White House olive branch to Cuba  —  US companies are queuing up as the president moves to ease restrictions on travel and trade, raising hopes of warmer relations and an end to the embargo  —  President Barack Obama is poised to offer an olive branch to Cuba in an effort to repair the US's tattered reputation in Latin America.

Brooks: Boehner's spending freeze would be ‘insane,’ GOP is ‘stuck with Reagan.’  —  This morning on ABC's This Week, conservative columnist David Brooks addressed House Minority Leader John Boehner's recent call for a “freeze on government spending” in response to the quickly worsening economic conditions.

Mixed Opinions of a Judge Accused of Misconduct  —  DALLAS — If Sharon Keller, the presiding judge of Texas' highest criminal court, has ever doubted her judgment, she has not shown it.  —  In 1998, Judge Keller wrote the opinion rejecting a new trial for Roy Criner, a mentally retarded man convicted …

New Chairman Boos G.O.P. When He's Not Cheerleading  —  None of the guests seemed to be complaining, yet Michael Steele stood at a Fifth Avenue fund-raiser in New York on Wednesday evening and defended his month-old tenure as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Real IRA ‘behind army shootings’  —  A Dublin-based newspaper has received a call supposedly from the Real IRA which claimed responsibility for the attack at Masserene army base.  —  Using a recognised codename, it claimed responsibility for the attack in which two soldiers were killed.

Chris Wallace and Hume on Wall Street: “Is this an ‘Obama bear market?’  —  John Amato's virtual online magazine...OK, It's a blog!  — Home- Archives  — Tags Directory  — Contact Us- Donate- FAQ  — Advertising- Commenting- General Problems- Media Problems- Supported Browsers- User Registration

Spitzer choked her during sex, says call girl  —  His political rivals used to accuse Eliot Spitzer of going for the jugular.  Now a new call girl is claiming the former governor literally went for hers — claiming he wrapped his fingers around her neck during some kinky role-playing.

Pentagon's Unwanted Projects in Earmarks  —  When President Obama promised Wednesday to attack defense spending that he considers wasteful and inefficient, he opened a fight with key lawmakers from his own party.  —  It was Democrats who stuffed an estimated $524 million in defense earmarks …

British Muslim leader urged to quit over Gaza  —  Abdullah advocates attack on foreign navies if they halt arms smuggling  —  One of the UK's most influential Islamic leaders, who has helped counter extremism in the country's mosques, is accused of advocating attacks on the Royal Navy …