AIG Paying Millions in Bonuses Despite Receiving Federal Bailout  —  Despite receiving $170 billion in federal aid and recording a staggering loss for the last quarter, insurance giant American International Group is doling out tens of million of dollars in bonuses this week to senior employees.

End of the Honeymoon  —  Two months into his presidency, it is far too soon to make any judgments about Barack Obama's prospects.  All we really know is that he has assembled the rudiments of an administration and launched a batch of ambitious but unproven initiatives.

Petraeus Planning 2010 Visit To Iowa  —  “THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that General Petraeus is planning on delivering the commencement address at the University of Iowa in 2010.”  —  So reports Michael Goldfarb, late of the McCain campaign, on the magazine's blog.

Tales From Torture's Dark World  —  ON a bright sunny day two years ago, President George W. Bush strode into the East Room of the White House and informed the world that the United States had created a dark and secret universe to hold and interrogate captured terrorists.

Is Rand Relevant?  —  Ayn Rand died more than a quarter of a century ago, yet her name appears regularly in discussions of our current economic turmoil.  Pundits including Rush Limbaugh and Rick Santelli urge listeners to read her books, and her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged,” …

Hate cleric leads jihad cash appeal  —  Anjem Choudary, who led protests against returning British troops, has urged his followers to send money to ‘mujaheddin’  —  AN Islamic cleric, whose supporters led a hate-filled protest against British troops returning from Iraq …

Post-Rush: Obama's message war  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  Beginning Sunday, the White House will harness every part of the Democratic Party's machinery to defend President Obama's budget and portray Republicans as reflexively political, according to party strategists.

Mark Steyn: Welcome, kids, to the Brokest Generation  —  The young aren't to blame for this mess, but they'll be paying for it.  —  Recommend  —  Just between you, me, and the old, the late middle-aged and the early middle-aged: Isn't it terrific to be able to stick it to the young?

Bin Laden accuses Arab leaders, urges jihad  —  DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accused conservative Arab leaders of plotting with the West against Muslims and urged his followers to prepare for jihad (holy war), in a recording posted on Islamist websites.

Unity '09: Dem groups quietly align  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  A broad coalition of left-leaning groups is quietly closing ranks into a new coalition, “Unity '09,” aimed at helping President Barack Obama push his agenda through Congress.

The Politics of Size  —  The Secrets Behind Italy's Co-Ed Sex and Murder Scandal by Barbie Nadeau  —  Blogs and Stories  —  From Laura Ingraham to Cindy McCain and Hillary Clinton, how did a woman's weight become the last frontier in socially accepted prejudice?  And why is the media fueling it?

Weekly Address: Reversing a Troubling Trend in Food Safety  —  In this week's address, President Barack Obama makes key announcements regarding the safety of our nation's food.  —  “We are a nation built on the strength of individual initiative.  But there are certain things that we can't do on our own.