MAYBE THEY WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION.... I can appreciate why the right is angry that President Obama disagrees with conservative activists about culture-war issues.  What I don't understand is why they're so surprised. … Fidelis president Brian Burch said, “It has really been a disappointment.”

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.

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.”

Obama Pushes Merit Pay for Teachers  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama laid out his “cradle to career” agenda for education Tuesday, including a controversial plan to boost pay for teachers who excel.  —  In a speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Obama said he backs …

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.

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.

FROM A READER, an amusing parody.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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!

Financial Reform to Address Systemic Risk  —  The world is suffering through the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, a crisis that has precipitated a sharp downturn in the global economy.  Its fundamental causes remain in dispute.  In my view, however, it is impossible to understand …

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.

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.

A Key Legal Right at Risk  —  More than 45 years ago, as attorney general of Minnesota, I joined with the attorneys general of 21 states in asking the Supreme Court to ensure that counsel would be appointed for all people facing criminal charges who could not afford it.  The court answered our plea.

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.

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.

Card Check Bill Moves Forward As Lobbying Battle Heats Up  —  And the battle over card check is fully joined.  —  Things are heating up for the combatants on both sides of the vehement debate over the Employee Free Choice Act,the labor-backed bill also known as “card check” …

Coleman and Franken Still Battle, as Minnesota Awaits a Senator  —  When Minnesota's Senate recount trial began in January, the state's lone U.S. Senator, Democrat Amy Klobuchar, made a prediction: either Republican incumbent Norm Coleman or Democratic challenger Al Franken would be seated …

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 …

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 …