Obama: Economic crisis ‘not as bad as we think’ … WASHINGTON (AP) - Confronting misgivings, even in his own party, President Barack Obama mounted a stout defense of his blueprint to overhaul the economy Thursday, declaring the national crisis is “not as bad as we think” and his plans will speed recovery.

It's true: Jon Stewart has become Edward R. Murrow  —  Through karmic guidance, I sprang awake at the exact moment Jon Stewart was beginning his [merciless demolition of] interview with Jim Cramer of CNBC's “Mad Money.”  —  Yes, it is cliched to praise Stewart as the “true” voice of news …

Morally Unserious in the Extreme  —  WASHINGTON — Last week, the White House invited me to a signing ceremony overturning the Bush (43) executive order on stem cell research.  I assume this was because I have long argued in these columns and during my five years on the President's Council on Bioethics that …

Obama Is on the Spot as Rulings Aid Gay Partners  —  WASHINGTON — Just seven weeks into office, President Obama is being forced to confront one of the most sensitive social and political issues of the day: whether the government must provide health insurance benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.

Americans See 18% of Wealth Vanish  —  The wealth of American families plunged nearly 18% in 2008, erasing years of sharp gains on housing and stocks and marking the biggest loss since the Federal Reserve began keeping track after World War II.  —  The Fed said Thursday …

The Man Obama Double-Crossed  —  As George Clooney Returns, Dr. Mehmet Oz On How ER Changed Our Lives.  —  Web  —  Blogs and Stories  —  The president's staffing nightmares began with Bill Richardson, the erstwhile Commerce nominee, who has told confidants that he was promised the secretary of State job.

Lieberman open to reunion with Democratic Party  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is not ruling out running as a Democratic candidate in his reelection race in 2012.  —  Lieberman said on Thursday that he has been asked by friends about the possibility of returning to the party that nominated him for vice president in 2000.

China “worried” about US Treasury holdings  —  BEIJING (AP) - China's premier expressed concern Friday about its massive holdings of Treasuries and other U.S. debt, appealing to Washington to safeguard their value, and said Beijing is ready to expand its stimulus if the economy worsens.

Fourth Nominee Withdraws From Treasury's Roster  —  H. Rodgin Cohen, chairman of the New York law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, has withdrawn his name from consideration for deputy Treasury secretary, becoming the fourth pick for a prominent Treasury Department post to pull out in recent weeks.

Lawmakers deny Freeman's Israel lobby charges  —  Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence said pro-Israel lobby groups did not spur their opposition to Charles Freeman.  —  Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.), a senior member of the House intelligence panel …

Sarah Palin: More Earmark Hypocrisy  —  Alaska's governor campaigned as an anti-earmark crusader, but the just-passed omnibus spending bill contains several she sought.  —  Post Comment  —  On the campaign trail last year, Alaska's Republican governor, Sarah Palin, sold herself …

How Obama Will Handle U.S. Attorney Posts Remains Unclear  —  One of the better spoils of winning the presidency is the power to appoint nearly 100 top prosecutors across the country.  But filling the plum jobs has become a test of competing priorities for President Obama.

Laura Ingraham mocks Meghan McCain as being ‘plus-sized.’  —  Last night, Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) daughter, Meghan McCain, appeared on Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show, where she continued to criticize Ann Coulter.  On her radio show today, Laura Ingraham responded to McCain's critique …

Obama and Biden will shame you  —  Obama and Biden both gave stern warnings yesterday about misuse of stimulus funds.  “If we see money being misspent, we're going to put a stop to it,” Obama told a gathering of state officials at the White House.  How?  Obama says “we will call it out and we will publicize it.”

DOUTHAT JOINS THE OP-ED PAGE  —  Ross Douthat, the Times's choice to replace Bill Kristol on its Op-Ed page, is so thoroughly his predecessor's opposite that the selection is itself an admission and correction of a mistake.  Douthat, whom I interviewed last year for a piece on conservatism …

‘Hardball with Chris Matthews’ for Wednesday, March 11  —  Guests: Michelle Bernard, Mary Thompson, Lawrence O'Donnell, Pat Buchanan  —  CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: We band of Bushies.  —  Let's play HARDBALL.  —  Good evening.  I'm Chris Matthews.  Leading off tonight: We just can't quit you.

52 days, 52 mistakes  —  Let me count them up, in no particular order.  Some are big.  Some are small.  —  We all make mistakes.  Here's his:  —  1. A do-over on the oath of office.  —  2. Tim Geithner.  —  3. Bill Richardson.  —  4. Tom Daschle.  —  5. Eric “Nation of Cowards” Holder.

How to Surge the Taliban  —  “DONT worry, we are not going to lose this war.”  —  These were the parting words to us from Brig. Gen. Sher Muhammad Zazai, commander of the 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army in Kandahar.  He was echoing the sentiments of a group of village elders …

I'd have preferred his prosecutor got the job, but I'm vindictive like that  —  I know it's old news, but it's fascinating.  Remember this guy?  —  John Walker Lindh, the “American Taliban.”  Caught in Afghanistan after the invasion while fighting on the side of the Taliban against the Northern Alliance …

White House objects to UN calling US ‘deadbeat’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House objected Thursday to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's description of the United States as a “deadbeat” donor to the world body.  —  Ban used the phrase Wednesday during a private meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol …

Ross Douthat: the College Years  —  A look at the newest New York Times columnist's undergrad writing.  —  The New York Times reported yesterday that it had hired conservative Atlantic blogger Ross Douthat as an op-ed columnist.  Douthat, who will be one of the youngest—if not the youngest …