Despair over financial policy  —  The Geithner plan has now been leaked in detail.  It's exactly the plan that was widely analyzed — and found wanting — a couple of weeks ago.  The zombie ideas have won.  —  The Obama administration is now completely wedded to the idea …

The Problem With Flogging A.I.G.  —  Can we all just calm down a little?  —  Yes, the $165 million in bonuses handed out to executives in the financial products division of American International Group was infuriating.  Truly, it was.  As many others have noted, this is the same unit whose …

VIDEO: Obama's 4 budget principles  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  Previewing a critical week for his administration, President Barack Obama on Saturday called on Congress Saturday to pass a budget that adheres to four principles: increasing energy independence …

Not bowled over by Obama's Special Olympics joke  —  Despite the president's apology, athletes and others say they are disappointed with his remark on Jay Leno's show.  —  Reporting from Chicago — When she met Barack Obama two years ago, Caitlin Cox proudly wore the two bronze medals she had won at the Special Olympics.

ARE WE A BANANA REPUBLIC?  —  I'm stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi's discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money.  I would have considered it a bright line rule …

Israeli Soldier Says Military Rabbis Framed Gaza Mission as Religious  —  A soldier involved in Israel's recent military offensive in the Gaza Strip said in published reports Friday that the military's rabbinical staff distributed material characterizing the operation as a religious mission to …

Analysis: Obama rhetoric, reality clash  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Barack Obama's optimistic campaign rhetoric has crashed headlong into the stark reality of governing.  —  In office two months, he has backpedaled on an array of issues …

Iran's supreme leader dismisses Obama overtures  —  TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's supreme leader rebuffed President Barack Obama's latest outreach on Saturday, saying Tehran was still waiting to see concrete changes in U.S. policy.  —  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was responding to a video message Obama released Friday …

Dead Palestinian babies and bombed mosques - IDF fashion 2009  —  The office at the Adiv fabric-printing shop in south Tel Aviv handles a constant stream of customers, many of them soldiers in uniform, who come to order custom clothing featuring their unit's insignia, usually accompanied by a slogan and drawing of their choosing.

No laughing matter  —  In turbulent times, it's good to know some things never change.  After a week in which President Obama thanked himself for inviting him to the White House, compared AIG executives to suicide bombers, and did the first Presidential retard joke on national TV …

Obama could make top high court lawyer a justice  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Elena Kagan on Friday became the nation's first female Solicitor General, a position informally regarded as the 10th Supreme Court justice and, for her, a possible audition for a spot in the starting nine.

Now Is No Time to Give Up on Markets  —  “What can we do that would be beneficial?  [One thing] is lower corporate taxes and businesses taxes and maybe taxes in general.  Particularly, you want to lower the tax on capital so you raise the after-tax return to investing and get more investing going on.”

North Korea confirms two Americans detained  —  SEOUL (AFP) - North Korea on Saturday confirmed that it had detained two American journalists for illegally entering the country from China earlier this week and said their case was under investigation.  —  The US State Department had expressed concern …

Palin's legal debts pile up  —  ‘SUBSTANTIAL’: Governor may create fund to pay the bills.  —  ldemer@adn.com  —  Gov. Sarah Palin owes more than a half million dollars to an Anchorage law firm that has defended her against ethics complaints, and she may create a legal fund to pay the bill, she said Friday.