Controversial intelligence pick withdraws  —  Charles Freeman, the Obama administration's choice to head the National Intelligence Council, has withdrawn from consideration after facing strong opposition from Senate Republicans.  —  Freeman is the latest in a string of Obama administration appointees …

Labor Bill Faces Threat in Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Key Senate Democrats are wavering in their support of legislation that would give more power to labor unions, dealing a setback to labor's top priority as businesses warn of the damage the bill would cause.

Pelosi Made Repeated Requests for Military Aircraft, Documents Show  —  Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents showing the requests, say House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has treated the Air Force as her “personal airline.”  —  FOXNews.com

You just won the stem-cell war.  Don't lose your soul.  —  Today, President Obama lifted the ban on federal funding of stem-cell research using destroyed human embryos.  If you support this research, congratulations: You won.  Now for your next challenge: Don't lose your soul.

Can America be saved?  —  So I read this: … and I wonder if this country can handle the crisis we're in.  Remember, John Boehner is, in effect, the second-most influential member of the GDP (after Rush Limbaugh).  And while Democrats hold a majority, it's not enough of a majority to make the minority party irrelevant.

New U.N. human rights report and America's lectures to other countries  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  The Washington Post's Fred Hiatt today condemns the Obama administration generally and Hillary Clinton specifically for “continu[ing] to devalue and undermine the U.S. diplomatic tradition of human rights advocacy.”

Ann Coulter and Bill Maher spar at Radio City Politico - 1 hour, 52 minutes ago  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  NEW YORK — Bill Maher couldn't have asked for a better act to follow.  —  Maher took the stage at the Radio City Music Hall Monday after Ann Coulter …

The new left-wing conspiracy  —  The vast new left-wing conspiracy sets its tone every morning at 8:45 a.m., when officials from more than 20 labor, environmental and other Democratic-leaning groups dial into a private conference call hosted by two left-leaning Washington organizations.

McCain Prepping ‘Contract With America’ Style Economic Plan  —  Sen. John McCain is putting together a major economic plan that will be structured, in some ways, off of Newt Gingrich's famous Contract With America.  —  In an email obtained by the Huffington Post, the Arizona Republican's chief of staff …

The coming evangelical collapse  —  An anti-Christian chapter in Western history is about to begin.  But out of the ruins, a new vitality and integrity will rise.  —  ONEIDA, KY. -  —  We are on the verge - within 10 years - of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity.

The Idiot's Guide to Destroying the Economy: a 12-Step Program  —  Think destroying the mighty economy of the United States is too big a job for you?  Relax.  Anyone can do it.  A friend sent me a handy-dandy no-fuss 12-step program for wreaking financial havoc among even the world's most advanced economies.

Franken: ‘Light at end of the tunnel’  —  Al Franken dropped by a Senate Democratic lunch Tuesday to claim “there is light at the end of the tunnel” in his ongoing Minnesota Senate race, but he ruled out being seated until pending court challenges are resolved.

Obama Seeks to Delay Tanker, Cancel Bomber  —  The White House has given the Pentagon guidance to delay procurement of aerial refueling tankers by five years and cancel plans for a new long-range bomber, according to three sources close to the discussions.  —  No final decisions have been made …

Catholic Church Hearing Canceled Wednesday  —  Following the biggest political firestorm of the 2009 legislative session, a public hearing scheduled for Wednesday on the financial and administrative management of the Catholic Church has been canceled.  The bill is dead for the rest of the legislative session.

FROM A READER, an amusing parody.

House votes to create panel to plan Reagan centennial  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - The House voted Monday night to approve the creation of a panel to plan a celebration of the centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth in February of 2011.  —  Earmark opponent Jeff Flake and former presidential candidate Ron Paul …