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 …

Busload of Crazies to Tour Homes of AIG Executives This Weekend  —  Less than a year ago, the most repellent area bus tour we knew of was the one that induced Sex and the City-crazed tourists to put $40 on their Citi cards for a cupcake and a glimpse at Carrie Bradshaw's brownstone.  How times have changed!

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 …

Now showing at Supreme Court: ‘Hillary: The Movie’  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Months after its debut, “Hillary: The Movie” faces nine of the nation's toughest critics: the Supreme Court.  —  The justices' review of the slashing documentary financed …

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 …

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.

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 …

Dodd's stock with voters began dropping before AIG  —  HARTFORD, Conn. - Howard Rosenblatt voted for U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd five years ago.  He won't do that again.  —  “It's time for Chris to resign,” said the 62-year-old owner of Rosenblatt's department store in Naugatuck, Conn., a working-class borough of more than 30,000.

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 …

Three Companies to Back Proposal on Union Bill  —  Three big retailers are expected to back an alternative proposal next week on a hotly contested bill that would make it easier to unionize workplaces, a move some experts said would bolster the legislation's chance of passage.

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.