Top GOP senator losing confidence in Geithner  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Shaky ground.  That's what Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (GYT'-nur) is on these days with Congress and many in the country, according to the Senate Banking Committee's top Republican.

WHY I AM DEPRESSED  —  Victor Davis Hanson asks why so many Americans are depressed.  Suggesting five themes that might provide an answer, he thinks it might be more than the economy that explains our state of mind.  I agree, but none of Dr. Hanson's themes accounts for my despair.

Gregg: ‘This country will go bankrupt’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Even though he was almost a member of the new Obama administration, New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg Sunday slammed President Obama's approach to handling the country's fiscal outlook.  —  “The practical implications …

The Geithner Plan FAQ  —  Q: What is the Geithner Plan?  —  A: The Geithner Plan is a trillion-dollar operation by which the U.S. acts as the world's largest hedge fund investor, committing its money to funds to buy up risky and distressed but probably fundamentally undervalued assets and …

Has a ‘Katrina Moment’ Arrived?  —  A CHARMING visit with Jay Leno won't fix it.  A 90 percent tax on bankers' bonuses won't fix it.  Firing Timothy Geithner won't fix it.  Unless and until Barack Obama addresses the full depth of Americans' anger with his full arsenal of policy smarts and political gifts …

Are Independents Hedging Their Bets?  —  IF REPUBLICANS REALLY HAVE PULLED EVEN AMONG INDEPENDENTS, IT'S AN OMINOUS SIGN FOR DEMOCRATS.  —  Just as the economic news was relentlessly negative until the last few days, poll numbers for Republicans were horrific for months.

Obamateurism of the Day  —  This is a clip from a few days ago, and in this case, it's not so much what he says as the obvious fact that he got lost on his Teleprompter while saying it.  Watch President Obama look nervously left and right trying to find the thread of his remarks …

U.S. missile strikes take heavy toll on Al Qaeda, officials say  —  Predator drone attacks in northwest Pakistan have increased sharply since Bush last year stopped seeking Pakistan's permission.  Obama may keep pace as officials speak of confusion in Al Qaeda ranks.

VP adviser: AIG bonus tax may go too far  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden's economic adviser warned Sunday that a congressional plan to tax American International Group Inc. executives' bonuses may go too far in using the tax code as a tool for retribution.

BofA's insider loans zoomed in 2008, but no one will say why  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bank of America vaulted into the top 10 banks for insider lending last year with an increase of more than $358 million, much of it coming as credit markets froze and mounting financial calamity threatened the industry's survival.

Spitzer open to comeback  —  Eliot Spitzer re-emerged last week as an early critic of AIG — he had forced the company's founder, Hank Greenberg, out for unrelated issues — and left many wondering if he's looking at a return to public life.  —  In a long interview with Fareed Zakaria …

Coming soon to a lefty rag near you  —  The other day, left-wing muckraker Seymour Hersh went on MSNBC and said he had information, provided by the usual anonymous sources, that Dick Cheney was running an assassination squad out of the White House.  —  I have but one simple observation …

Military hangs ‘Help Wanted’ sign in Afghanistan  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The military buildup in Afghanistan is stoking a surge of private security contractors despite a string of deadly shootings in Iraq in recent years that has called …