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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Heard on the Hill: Vitter Goes From Hookergate to Gate-Crashing  —  Among Members of Congress, there's a long-standing, proud tradition of the Airport Freakout.  Add to the list of those who've indulged in meltdowns and temper tantrums while traveling one Sen. David Vitter …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

NYT's Baquet defends handling of Freeman  —  For nearly three weeks, the nomination of Chas Freeman as chairman of the National Intelligence Council has been a hot-button issue among bloggers.  —  That's included those holding strong foreign policy positions—especially relating to Israel and China …

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 …

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.

Katon Dawson, Former Member Of Whites-Only Club, Is Leading Charge For No-Confidence Vote In Steele (Updated)  —  After taking over as chairman of the RNC in late January, it appears Michael Steele hasn't quite lived up to the Republican Party's expectations — from saying no one should trust …

The Fed Didn't Cause the Housing Bubble  —  Any new regulations should help direct savings toward productive investments.  —  We are in the midst of a global crisis that will unquestionably rank as the most virulent since the 1930s.  It will eventually subside and pass into history.

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.”

Dumbest Proposal Ever?  —  If President Barack Obama's response to the economic crisis is imperfect, as he acknowledges, and if the Congressional Democrats leave much to be desired as well, then Americans can at least be thankful that the nation's fate has not been consigned to the frozen minds on the other side of the aisle.

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 …

Chafee Chides Obama Over Bipartisanship  —  One of Barack Obama's high-profile Republican endorsers during the campaign said he was “stunned” that the president could muster only three Republicans votes for his stimulus package and put the blame squarely at the president's feet.

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 …

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.

Let Us Rally to Protect the Delicate Flower of Rugged Individualism!  —  Two recent versions of the same argument.  First, the simplified 800 word version, from Roger Cohen. … Second, the lengthier and more sophisticated variant from Clive Crook. … There is something very, very strange in my eyes about this kind of argument.

Approval of Congress Hits Four-Year High, Fueled by Dems  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' job approval rating of Congress is up an additional 8 points this month, after a 12-point increase last month, and now stands at 39% — the most positive assessment of Congress since February 2005.

Motherlode: Obama's Council on Women  —  President Obama has just signed an executive order establishing the “White House Council on Women and Girls.”  The purpose of the new group “is to ensure that American women and girls are treated fairly in all matters of public policy,” he said at the signing.

Sacramento and Its Riverside Tent City  —  Renee Hadley covered her bicycles with a tarp outside her tent on Tuesday in Sacramento, Calif.  —  A tent city is burgeoning in Sacramento, Calif., prompting local officials to consider whether such an encampment should be made permanent, with plumbing and all.

This Is Not a Test.  This Is Not a Test.  —  It's always great to see the stock market come back from the dead.  But I am deeply worried that our political system doesn't grasp how much our financial crisis can still undermine everything we want to be as a country.  Friends, this is not a test.