Who Stole Our Country, and How are We Going to Get It Back?  —  The White House is worried about backlash over AIG's payout of $450 million in bonuses to the executives in its high flying Financial Services Group, the out-of-control derivatives trading arm that looted the company …

Obama's Approval Rating Slips Amid Division Over Economic Proposals  —  GOP Congressional Leaders' Ratings Hit New Low - 28%  —  President Barack Obama's approval rating has slipped, as a growing number of Americans see him listening more to his party's liberals than to its moderates …

Dramatic Advances Sweep Iraq, Boosting Support for Democracy  —  ABC News/BBC/NHK National Survey of Iraq  —  Dramatic advances in public attitudes are sweeping Iraq, with declining violence, rising economic well-being and improved services lifting optimism, fueling confidence in public institutions …

A Continent Adrift  —  I'm concerned about Europe.  Actually, I'm concerned about the whole world — there are no safe havens from the global economic storm.  But the situation in Europe worries me even more than the situation in America.  —  Just to be clear, I'm not about to rehash …

Free Larry Summers  —  Why the White House needs to unshackle its economic oracle.  —  On a typical day, Larry Summers, the top White House economic adviser, sits in his office overlooking the Rose Garden and receives a near-endless succession of aides working on a stunning variety of issues.

Obama to Appear on ‘Tonight Show’  —  Barack Obama appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in 2007 when he was running for president.  —  President Obama will be making a guest appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Thursday, a White House official said …

Rendell: I've Tried To Get Specter To Switch — And So Has Joe Biden  —  Ed Rendell told RNN-TV, a regional cable news channel in the Northeast, that he has in fact tried to talk GOP Senator Arlen Specter into switching to the Democrats — oh, and so have some other important people, who Rendell probably shouldn't have mentioned.

Why the GOP Can't Win With Minorities  —  Today conservatism is stigmatized in our culture as an antiminority political philosophy.  In certain quarters, conservatism is simply racism by another name.  And minorities who openly identify themselves as conservatives are still novelties, fish out of water.

GOP race crowds with chance to face Dodd  —  Connecticut Republican Party Chairman Chris Healy said Monday that two Republican candidates are primed to run against former Rep. Rob Simmons (R) for the right to face Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).  —  Simmons told The Associated Press on Sunday that he would run for Dodd's seat.

To Urge Passage of Budget, Obama E-Mails His Campaign Army  —  President Obama will kick off an all-out grass-roots effort today urging Congress to pass his $3.55 trillion budget, activating the extensive campaign apparatus he built during his successful 2008 candidacy for the first time since taking office.

An Immigration Glitch for Gay Couples Is Unjust  —  THE UNITING American Families Act would allow gay and lesbian Americans and permanent residents to sponsor their foreign-born partners for legal residency in the United States.  The bill, introduced last month in the Senate by Patrick Leahy …

Fareed Zakaria  —  PostGlobal co-moderator Fareed Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International, overseeing all Newsweek's editions abroad.  He writes a regular column for Newsweek, which also appears in Newsweek International and often The Washington Post.  He is a member of the roundtable of ABC News' …

A Modest Proposal For AIG  —  AIG claims that it promised bonuses to its derivative traders and that it can't break its contracts.  Sounds like AIG is using legal formalism to avoid a messy court fight.  Contracts, like promises, are often broken when premises change.

AIG Bonus Babies  —  The AIG moment feels like a big one.  Public distaste for both the Bush and Obama administrations' handling of the financial crisis seems to be crystallizing in response to the reports of bonuses for executives at the AIG financial products subsidiary …

Sexual Politics  —  How long has it been since a First Couple seemed to want each other?  —  Look, Ma, no hands!  Only one cool forehead and some extra-strength hairspray touch, and yet everything combusts in this Inauguration Night photo.  Not since Doris Day and Rock Hudson split a pair of pajamas …

Netanyahu Strikes Deal With Rival's Far-Right Party  —  JERUSALEM — The leader of a controversial nationalist political party in Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, has agreed to join Prime Minister designate Benjamin Netanyahu's government in exchange for an appointment as foreign minister and a handful …

Massachusetts Faces Costs of Big Health Care Plan  —  BOSTON — Three years ago, Massachusetts enacted perhaps the boldest state health care experiment in American history, bringing near-universal coverage to the commonwealth with Paul Revere speed.  —  To make it happen …