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 …

Obama's Poll Numbers Are Falling to Earth  —  It is simply wrong for commentators to continue to focus on President Barack Obama's high levels of popularity, and to conclude that these are indicative of high levels of public confidence in the work of his administration.

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.

Welcome to Ramallmö  —  How a tennis match sparked riots in Sweden.  —  “This is how it was last time too,” said a Holocaust survivor, when she was escorted from Malmö's main square by the police.  “We had to leave the square, while they got to stay.”

There's No Pill for This Kind of Depression  —  Six months after the collapse, a “pandemic of fear.”  —  It is six months since Lehman fell and the crash (or the great recession, or the collapse—it's time it got its name) began.  An aspect of the story given less attention than it is due …

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 …

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 …

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.”

Beck: People ‘Pushed To The Wall’ By ‘Political Correctness’ Launch Spree Killings  —  There was a remarkable segment on Glen Beck's show yesterday, thankfully captured by Matt Corley in which Beck was basically outlining his view that the reason you see spree killings like the one in Alabama …

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.

RNC Chair's Remarks on Abortion Draw Criticism  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele was on the receiving end of a fresh round of criticism from prominent party members yesterday after an interview was released in which he referred to abortion as an “individual choice.”

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.

Tedisco shakes up campaign after drop in Siena poll  —  It's time to separate “the real Jim Tedisco” from the partisan negativity his own national party has portrayed in the campaign so far, Republican and Conservative congressional candidate James Tedisco said.

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.

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.

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.