Economic Meltdown Not a Laughing Matter  —  It wasn't a “Brawl Street,” or a thrilla in vanilla.  It wasn't a “Daily Show” friendly feud or even much of a discussion.  Mostly, the much-hyped Thursday night showdown between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer, the mercurial host of “Mad Money” on CNBC, felt like a Senate subcommittee hearing.

McCain Threatens to Oppose Interior Nominee Over Reagan Remark  —  Stephen Power reports on politics.  —  Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain today denounced as “highly offensive” remarks about Ronald Reagan made by President Barack Obama's nominee for the number two spot at the Department of the Interior.

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.

White House: Greed will help  —  The nation's economy used to have too much greed and not enough fear of the future, but now has too much fear and could use a little more “greed” - spending.  —  Lawrence H. Summers, the White House economic adviser, calls it “the paradox at the heart of the financial crisis. ”

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 …

How to Leave Afghanistan  —  ONLY if our troop levels hit 100,000 and fighting floods over into Taliban havens in Pakistan will Washington be likely to look hard at the alternative policy for Afghanistan — withdrawing most American forces and refocusing our power on containing …

Ann Coulter's Book Sales Head South  —  Though never exactly shy, Ann Coulter has been especially noisy in her self-promotion lately, inventing a beef with NBC News, arguing with Keith Olbermann over the meaning of a Cornell degree and taking her act on the road with Bill Maher as foil.

Coleman v. Franken  —  The Senate's top Republican Friday urged Norm Coleman to take his fight against Al Franken all the way to the Supreme Court “until we know who won.”  —  Franken holds a 225-vote lead after a hand recount of ballots cast in November.  But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell …

Obama admin. to end use of term ‘enemy combatant’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is abandoning one of President George W. Bush's key phrases in the war on terrorism: enemy combatant.  In court filings Friday, the Justice Department said it will no longer use the term to justify holding prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Waters fights back  —  Rep. Maxine Waters, under fire for a potential conflict of interest involving a bank in which she has a financial interest, is pushing back hard on the allegations with a long, unapologetic statement justifying her advocacy for minority owned banks.

Ya can't make it up: House praises pi  —  With the world swirling about it, the House took a moment Thursday to honor pi, the Greek letter symbolizing that great constant in mathematics representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

Ginsburg: Possible court opening soon  —  Justice tells students there will surely be a photo with new member soon  —  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks to students at New England Law School in Boston Friday, saying advice and camaraderie from her fellow justices have helped her in her fight against pancreatic cancer.

SC student Ty'Sheoma Bethea's hopes dashed by Sanford's decision to reject $500m in education funds.  —  Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported that Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) decision to reject $700 million of stimulus funds could result in the firing of up to 7,500 teachers across the state …

Conservative Think Tank Adjusts to Tough Times  —  Clockwise from bottom-left: Michael Ledeen, Joshua Muravchik and The American magazine  —  The buzz at this year's American Enterprise Institute gala was, ironically enough, about how much easier it was to get inside.

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 …

The Academic Freedom Agenda  —  WHEN A MARINE HELICOPTER bore George W. Bush away from the Capitol the afternoon of Jan. 20, the American people turned their attention, and desperate hopes, to his successor.  Bush, meanwhile, moved into a new home in Dallas and took up the work of his post-presidency.

Bottoms Up: W.Va. Senator Drinks Homemade “Coal Waste” on Senate Floor  —  Email Address: anna.baxter@wsaz.com  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) — A West Virginia State Senator made a unique statement Thursday by drinking a bottle of what he referred to as coal slurry.