Ross Douthat's New Perch  —  It's one step back for the Atlantic, but an order of magnitude forward for the country: my colleagues and I learned today that senior editor Ross Douthat will, in short order, become an opinion columnist for the New York Times.  —  Ross is a late-twenties-year …

The Reconstructionist  —  Michael Steele, the embattled new head of the Republican Party, on whether he'd be in this job if he were white, why he left the seminary for the GOP, and where his diminished party goes from here  —  I met Michael Steele in his office at the RNC several weeks into his new job …

BRISTOL PALIN & LEVI JOHNSTON BREAK OFF ENGAGEMENT  —  Sarah Palin's 18-year-old daughter Bristol has reportedly broken off her engagement with Levi Johnston, the father of her 2-month-old son Tripp.  It's surprising because in an interview just last month with FOX's Gretta Van Susteren …

Hersh: ‘Executive assassination ring’ reported directly to Cheney  —  Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when he told an audience at the University of Minnesota that the military was running an “executive assassination ring” throughout the Bush years …

Flashback: Carville Wanted Bush to Fail  —  The press never reported that Democratic strategist James Carville said he wanted President Bush to fail before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  But a feeding frenzy ensued when radio host Rush Limbaugh recently said he wanted President Obama to fail.

TSA Probing Vitter Incident  —  The Transportation Security Administration is examining Sen. David Vitter's much-reported decision to open the closed gateway door to his plane — even though he was warned against it by an airline worker.  —  “We will be reviewing the alleged incident,” …

Obama Signs Spending Bill, Calls for Earmark Guidelines  —  President Obama today signed what he called an “imperfect” spending bill to keep the government running even though it contains thousands of lawmakers' pet projects, but he called for more rigorous review of future projects …

Obama, Geithner Get Low Grades From Economists  —  U.S. President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner received failing grades for their efforts to revive the economy from participants in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey.  —  The economists' assessment stands …

Israel Stance Was Undoing of Nominee for Intelligence Post  —  WASHINGTON — When Dennis C. Blair, the director of national intelligence, announced that he would install Charles W. Freeman Jr. in a top intelligence post, the decision surprised some in the White House who worried that the selection …

Coleman supporters' private info likely breached  —  Norm Coleman's Senate campaign said Wednesday that the private information of its supporters has probably been breached and is encouraging them to cancel their credit cards.  —  Coleman backers began receiving e-mails Tuesday night …

Rush Limbaugh Weighs Down Heavily on Republicans  —  Read the full memo:  —  Overview  —  With a national debate raging over the place of radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh in the Republican Party, a new national survey from Democracy Corps and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner finds that Limbaugh weighs …

Now-needy FDIC collected little in premiums  —  With fund going strong, banks didn't pay for decade  —  WASHINGTON - The federal agency that insures bank deposits, which is asking for emergency powers to borrow up to $500 billion to take over failed banks, is facing a potential major shortfall …

Ex-AIPACer Rosen suing former employer for defamation  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Steve Rosen, the former AIPAC foreign policy chief charged with receiving classified information, is suing his former employer for defamation, JTA has learned.  —  Rosen filed a civil action March 2 in the District …

NEW POLL: America Is Evenly Divided Between Progressives/Liberals And Conservatives/Libertarians  —  Our guest bloggers are John Halpin and Ruy Teixeira, fellows at the Center for American Progress.  —  For years, traditional public opinion polling has broken down Americans' political ideology …

Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary  —  Technical information:  —  Employment: (202) 691-6559 USDL 09-0246  —  Unemployment: (202) 691-6392  —  REGIONAL AND STATE EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT: JANUARY 2009  —  Regional and state unemployment rates were nearly all higher in January.

Ari Fleischer Battles Chris Matthews, Calls Him “Shameful” And “Disingenuous” (VIDEO)  —  In a clash between two of the loudest and most intrusive political talkers in the business, neither Chris Matthews nor former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer endeared themselves very well on Wednesday evening.

Jim Cramer Shorting Stocks, Manipulating Markets, Saying The SEC Doesn't Understand  —  In light of the current economic crisis, and with the hullabaloo ignited recently by Jon Stewart over the accuracy of CNBC's reporting, we thought it might be useful to revisit this shocking 2006 interview Jim Cramer gave …

Dimon Says System Can Be Saved If ‘Vilification’ Ends  —  Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., said the U.S. can rescue its banking system by the end of the year if officials start cooperating and stop the “vilification” of corporate America.

Mr. President, Time to Rein In The Chaos  —  There is nothing more difficult . . . than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.  —  Machiavelli's 500-year-old warning notwithstanding, we elected a president who is committed to “change.”