Obama Aims to Shield Science From Politics  —  When President Obama lifts restrictions on funding for human embryonic stem cell research today, he will also issue a presidential memorandum aimed at insulating scientific decisions across the federal government from political influence, officials said yesterday.

Behind the Curve  —  President Obama's plan to stimulate the economy was “massive,” “giant,” “enormous.”  So the American people were told, especially by TV news, during the run-up to the stimulus vote.  Watching the news, you might have thought that the only question was whether the plan was too big, too ambitious.

Republicans See Their Party As Leaderless  —  Who's in charge here?  —  Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republican voters say their party has no clear leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.  Another 17% are undecided.  —  Just five percent (5%) …

Consider The Source  —  Rod Dreher initiates a train wreck with this post that is a little bit about a ghastly home invasion and murder in a small Texas town and more about a comment made by one of the victims.  This is from the Dallas Morning News:  —  [Terry and Penny Caffey] were married eight months later.

Geithner, With Few Aides, Is Scrambling  —  WASHINGTON — Rarely have so few people had so little time to prop up so many pillars of the economy as those in the Treasury Department under Timothy F. Geithner.  —  In the six weeks since Mr. Geithner took over as Treasury secretary …

Middle East Reality Check  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton grabbed headlines with an invitation to Iran to attend a conference on Afghanistan, but the significant Middle Eastern news last week came from Britain.  It has “reconsidered” its position on Hezbollah and will open a direct channel to the militant group in Lebanon.

Tax cheat Rangel caught on tape: “Why don't you mind your goddamned business?”  —  Our intrepid Hot Air TV special correspondent Jason Mattera is back on Capitol Hill!  You've watched him corner smear merchants Jack Murtha and John Kerry, ask William “Cold Cash” Jefferson for bribe-freezing tips …

PERV GROUP PUTS 10G ‘HIT’ ON ANDY  —  ALBANY - A $10,000 In ternet bounty was placed on Attorney General An drew Cuomo's head by a suspected agent of the North American Man/Boy Love Association, The Post has learned.  —  The shocking death threat by the infamous organization of pederasts …

Charlie Gasparino Talks to Fallen Wall Street Titan Jimmy Cayne  —  Blogs and Stories  —  As the pundit begins a series of national debates this week, Meghan McCain says that having her as the face of the Republican Party is a recipe for disaster.  —  It is no secret that being a Republican …

Obama's Double Talk  —  To those who believe that Barack Obama is a different kind of politician — more honest, more courageous — please don't examine his administration's budget.  If you do, you may sadly conclude that he resembles presidents stretching back to John Kennedy in one crucial respect.

George Galloway stoned in Egypt  —  A humanitarian convoy led by maverick MP George Galloway,carrying medical supplies for Gaza has come under attack in Egypt  —  The convoy, carrying aid worth £1m, was pelted with stones and vandalised after it stopped in El-Arish …

Connecticut's Chris Dodd Faces a Backyard Rebellion  —  In many respects, Senator Chris Dodd is more powerful than ever on Capitol Hill these days.  After enduring eight years in the political wilderness, the Connecticut Democrat is one of his ascendant party's senior statesmen …

‘Manchurian Candidate’ Starts War on Business: Kevin Hassett  —  Back in the 1960s, Lyndon Johnson gave us the War on Poverty.  In the 1970s, Richard Nixon launched the War on Drugs.  Now that we have seen President Barack Obama's first-year legislative agenda, we know what kind of a war he intends to wage.

Don't Rely on Bush's Signing Statements, Obama Orders  —  WASHINGTON — Calling into question the legitimacy of all the signing statements that former President George W. Bush used to challenge new laws, President Obama on Monday ordered executive officials to consult with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr …

Peretz, investors buying back TNR  —  Marty Peretz, former owner of the New Republic, is buying back the magazine with a group of investors led by former Lazard executive Laurence Grafstein.  —  Peretz confirmed recent reports of his interest in the magazine this morning to POLITICO …

Dailykos, firedoglake on blogging in the Obama era  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Liberal bloggers were the cyber cheerleaders for Barack Obama in the 2008 race for the White House.  But now that he has won, these “netroots” activists face a major challenge: criticizing the new president and his administration.

Flat Tires on the Omnibus  —  THE CONGRESSIONAL budget process — and process is an awfully polite word for the current chaos — gets uglier and uglier.  The $410 billion omnibus spending bill that is crawling to final passage and an unenthusiastic signature comes nearly halfway through the fiscal year.

Saudis order 40 lashes for elderly woman for mingling  —  (CNN) — A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a 75-year-old Syrian woman to 40 lashes, four months imprisonment and deportation from the kingdom for having two unrelated men in her house, according to local media reports.

United, Newspapers May Stand  —  Back when I was a young media reporter fueled by indignation and suspicion, I often pictured the dark overlords of the newspaper industry gathering at a secret location to collude over cigars and Cognac, deciding how to set prices and the news agenda at the same time.

Nearly Three Dozen GOP House Winners Dodged Obama's Coattails  —  Some of the most competitive congressional races of 2010 will be in districts where voters split their ballots between Republicans for the House of Representatives and Democrat Barack Obama for the White House.

Who Pays for Cap and Trade?  —  Hint: They were promised a tax cut during the Obama campaign.  —  Cap and trade is the tax that dare not speak its name, and Democrats are hoping in particular that no one notices who would pay for their climate ambitions.  With President Obama depending …

A Matrix of News Winners Buoys NBC  —  NBC's “Today” show has the longest winning streak in television history: every week for 13 years, and counting.  Now the evening newscast competition seems to be swinging NBC's way as well.  —  The NBC “Nightly News” with Brian Williams …

THE LESSONS OF CHAS FREEMAN.  —  Chas Freeman, Obama's choice for Director of the National Intelligence Council, has two potential problems that should not be confused.  The first is a long paper trail that makes it perfectly clear he's not particularly sympathetic to Bibi Netanyahu or the Tienanmen Square protesters.