Heroic Name Given to Photo of President Obama  —  Soon after President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use federal funding of embryonic stem cells in medical research, the wizards behind the White House web site posted the photo above.

Democrats Stung by Dissenters  —  Democratic leaders in Congress did not expect much Republican support as they pressed President Obama's ambitious legislative agenda.  But the pushback they are receiving from some of their own has come as an unwelcome surprise.

Obama takes on teachers' unions  —  After weeks of pleasing Democrats by overturning policies set by the previous administration, President Barack Obama Tuesday will for the first time confront a powerful constituency in his own party: teachers' unions.  —  Obama will propose spending additional money …

Taking a Depression Seriously  —  The Democratic response to the economic crisis has its problems, but let's face it, the current Republican response is totally misguided.  The House minority leader, John Boehner, has called for a federal spending freeze for the rest of the year.

They Tried to Outsmart Wall Street  —  Emanuel Derman expected to feel a letdown when he left particle physics for a job on Wall Street in 1985.  —  After all, for almost 20 years, as a graduate student at Columbia and a postdoctoral fellow at institutions like Oxford and the University of Colorado …

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.

RNCdispute over $4 million  —  Republican infighting escalated Monday with allegations and denials over $4 million once destined for the party's congressional campaign committees.  —  Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele sought to placate critics by giving $1 million …

Rush whacks Newt: ‘He wishes they were running TV ads against him’  —  Rush Limbaugh responded to Newt Gingrich's shot at him with a broadside at the former speaker on today's show.  —  “I'm frankly getting tired of talking about Newt.  I mean, it's a pointless exercise,” …

FROM A READER, an amusing parody.

DISSING ON LYNDON.  —  Obama's speech on education this morning — on which I'll have a more specific post in a moment — began with a sharp jab at those questioning the scale of the administration's ambitions: … I get why Obama didn't liken his administration to the Johnson White House.

The Charity Revolt  —  Liberals oppose a tax hike on rich donors.  —  Among those shocked by President Obama's 2010 budget, the most surprising are the true-blue liberals who run most of America's nonprofits, universities and charities.  How dare he limit tax deductions for charitable giving!

Obama Buffetted  —  First Time The MSM Has Ever Ignored Warren Buffett: The press accounts I've read have wildly underplayed Obama supporter Warren Buffet's criticism of the President on CNBC today.  It's fairly pointed, and Buffett comes back to it, suggesting he has a message he's trying to deliver.

Possible conflict of interest surfaces for President Obama's new urban czar Adolfo Carrion  —  President Obama's new urban czar renovated his Bronx home with help from the architect on a major development that needed his approval, a Daily News investigation has found.

Blair defends Freeman from Lieberman  —  National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair strongly defended Chas Freeman this morning in response to a question from Senator Joe Lieberman about statements suggesting Freeman is “inclined to lean against Israel or too much in favor of China.”

NOT EVEN CLOSE.... The LA Times' Andrew Malcolm played a little fast and loose yesterday, commenting on President Obama's directive on Bush's signing statements.  (thanks to reader J.R. for the heads-up) … No, this wasn't written by the Republican National Committee to be read on-air by Fox News personalities; it just seems like it.

Tim Geithner's Black Hole  —  Pity Barack Obama's economic advisers.  The blogs are now demanding their scalps, and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and his colleagues face a nasty dilemma: There are no solutions to the banking crisis without extraordinary political and financial risks.

The Broadband Gap: Why Is Theirs Faster?  —  This is the first in a series of three posts looking at the lessons for the United States from broadband deployment in other countries.  —  Bits readers have a serious case of broadband envy.  I've been writing about the debate …

McCain: 'I don't want him to fail'  —  After a losing presidential campaign in 2000, John McCain came back to the Senate and established himself as a force no White House could ignore.  Eight years later, he's home from defeat again, facing a very different landscape dominated by President Barack Obama …

Flournoy's Pentagon policy shop  —  Since her confirmation as under secretary of defense for policy last month, Michèle Flournoy - the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon civilian history — has become one of the most active and influential national security figures in the Obama administration.

Geithner Briefs Dems: “We're Doing In Weeks What Countries Did In Years”  —  At a meeting in the Capitol that stretched late into Monday night, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner briefed House Democrats on the ongoing efforts to revitalize the economy.  —  He pleaded for patience …

European Stocks Rally on Citibank's Upbeat Memo  —  Stocks are rising after troubled Citigroup said it operated at a profit during the first two months of the year.  —  The Citi chief executive Vikram S. Pandit said the bank had an operating profit of $8.3 billion before taxes and special items through February.

Detainees Say They Planned Sept. 11  —  The five detainees at Guantánamo Bay charged with planning the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have filed a document with the military commission at the United States naval base there expressing pride at their accomplishment and accepting full responsibility …

U.S. Weighs Further Steps for Citi  —  Regulators Plan for Contingency if Problems Grow at Wall Street Bank  —  Barely a week after the third rescue of Citigroup Inc., U.S. officials are examining what fresh steps they might need to take to stabilize the bank if its problems mount, according to people familiar with the matter.

Bomber kills 33 at Iraq peace conference  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — At least 33 people were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide car bombing targeting a national reconciliation conference in Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.  —  The attack — which occurred outside …

Japan reconsidered  —  For a decade or so Japan's lost decade has been the great bugaboo of modern macroeconomics.  Economists constantly warned that you mustn't do X or you must do Y, because otherwise we'll turn into Japan.  And policymakers congratulated themselves in advance …