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.

Terror-War Fallout Lingers Over Bush Lawyers  —  WASHINGTON — When John C. Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer, was selected by President George W. Bush in May 2004 to join a government board charged with releasing historical Nazi and Japanese war crimes records, trouble quickly followed.

DAVID BROOKS GETS SHRILL.... Just yesterday I argued that respectable figures of the political establishment are reluctant to call obvious stupidity “stupid,” especially when it comes to truly painful ideas like a spending freeze in the midst of the economic crisis.

G.O.P. Senators Say Some Big Banks Can Be Allowed to Fail  —  John McCain and Richard C. Shelby, two high-profile Republican senators, said on Sunday that the government should allow a number of the biggest American banks to fail.  —  “Close them down, get them out of business,” Mr. Shelby …

His words, the president's voice  —  Obama has called his head speechwriter a mind-reader.  And at age 27, his prose is being acclaimed worldwide  —  Head speechwriter Jon Favreau talks with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on Jan. 29, 2009.  (White House Photo by Pete Souza / January 29, 2008)

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)  —  Dear Republican Leaders: The Republican Party has become the party dedicated to sabotaging the American future.  Check out the sermon I just delivered about the Republican Party on CNN when being interviewed by D.L. Hughley — and/or read on.

Democrats Have No Right To Be Snooty About Rush Not Wanting the President to Succeed  —  Let's put aside arguments about Rush Limbaugh for the time being and recognize that he's undeniably right about this: … I think we all know the answer to that — but here's some hard proof.

A Rising Dollar Lifts the U.S. but Adds to the Crisis Abroad  —  As the world is seized with anxiety in the face of a spreading financial crisis, the one place having a considerably easier time attracting money is, perversely enough, the same place that started much of the trouble: the United States.

Diversions (III)  —  Remember the Iraq drawdown you heard about last month?  The one where a Brigade originally scheduled for Iraq was going to Afghanistan instead?  Well, a funny thing about that...  Last weekend we noted this obscure bit of news from ABC:

Iran test-fires new missile - media  —  TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran has test-fired a new air-to-surface missile, Iranian media reported on Sunday, in the Islamic Republic's latest display of its military capability.  —  The missile test was carried out despite the offer by the administration …

Obama to keep stem cell promise  —  President Barack Obama will issue a broad declaration Monday that science should be walled off from political interference in his administration, officials said Sunday.  —  In another break from his predecessor, Obama will also lift restrictions …

US to step up attacks on Pakistan as it forces Taliban to talk  —  The United States is planning to escalate aerial bombing raids on Pakistan's tribal areas in tandem with efforts to force moderate elements of the Taliban to the negotiating table, the Telegraph has learned.

Defending Chas Freeman  —  The Chas Freeman saga continues with the publication of the following letter in The Wall Street Journal: … The authors are Thomas Pickering (ambassador to Jordan, then Nigeria, then El Salvador, then Israel, then the United Nations, then India …

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 …

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) …

WHAT PRICE CHURCHILL?  —  Ted Bromund notes that upon entering office President Obama returned a bronze bust of Winston Churchill that had been on loan as a symbol of the Special Relationship from the British Government to the United States since 9/11.  According to Newsweek's report …

Fatal Distraction  —  Forgetting a child in the back seat of a hot, parked car is a horrifying, inexcusable mistake.  But is it a crime?  —  The defendant was an immense man, well over 300 pounds, but in the gravity of his sorrow and shame he seemed larger still.