Bad blood: GOP infighting on budget  —  House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) raised objections to an abbreviated alternative budget “blueprint” released today — but were told by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) they needed to back the plan, according to several Republican sources.

A First Look At Obama's New Afghan Policy  —  President Barack Obama's new posture toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, to be unveiled tomorrow, codifies for the first time Iran's role in regional diplomacy, emphasizes counterterrorism as the primary mission of U.S. policy, and includes …

Palin's prayer remark angers former staffers  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Some of Sarah Palin's former campaign aides are frustrated with the Alaska governor for remarking in a lengthy, freewheeling speech that she had refused to pray with them before last October's vice presidential debate.

Obama's Pathetic Pot Answer  —  The chuckle suggests a man of his generation.  The dismissiveness toward the question of ending Prohibition as both a good in itself and a form of tax revenue is, however, depressing.  His answer was a non-answer.  I'm tired of having the Prohibition issue treated as if it's trivial or a joke.

Assessing The Obama Online Town Hall Meeting  —  I've been critical of the White House New Media office before, but I think they deserve kudos today for instigating and executing the President's first online town hall meeting.  (Macon Phillips, the new media director, and Jesse Lee …

Blundering Afghan suicide bomber blows up 6 militants  —  A would-be suicide bomber accidentally blew himself up on Thursday, killing six other militants as he was bidding them farewell to leave for his intended target, the Interior Ministry said.  —  “The terrorist was on his way to his destination …

Democrats Bid Business Adieu  —  Barack Obama meets with a flock of nervous bankers at the White House tomorrow to reassure them he understands their interests.  Good luck.  There has always been tension between the Democratic Party and the private sector.  That tension is over.

Bachmann bill would ban global currency  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has introduced legislation that would “bar the dollar from being replace by any foreign currency.”  A statement from Bachmann's website: … On Monday, Geithner and Bernanke both rejected the idea of a global currency in Congressional testimony.

What Non-political Looks Like  —  Democrats complained endlessly about the supposed “politicization” of the Bush Justice Department.  When asked about this at his confirmation hearing, Eric Holder piously pledged that his Justice Department would “serve justice” and “not the fleeting interests of any political party.”

Schwarzenegger says he's not running for another office  —  Kill the Arnold Schwarzenegger-for-U.S. Senate rumors - for now.  —  The Republican governor said Wednesday in his clearest language yet that he is not running for Senate, Congress or dogcatcher.  —  Schwarzenegger …

Bill Kristol's Next Act  —  As post-Bush conservatives search for a new direction, Bill Kristol has teamed up with Robert Kagan to form a new think tank, The Foreign Policy Initiative.  Here are their stated principles:  — continued U.S. engagement—diplomatic, economic, and military …

The Audacity of Poping  —  D.C. Mystery: Who Did Nancy Pelosi's New Face? by Sandra McElwaine  —  Blogs and Stories  —  The much-married Newt Gingrich converts to Catholicism this weekend—and I'd pay a year's salary to have been a bug on the wall during his religious instruction.

Howard Dean Says Don't Call a Sitting President ‘Fascist’—As He's Talking to Olbermann?!?  —  Did Dr Dean know whom he was talking to?  We did, and this will serve as a little reminder to the infamous, deplorable Keith Olbermann that even his own guests think he is a sleazy creep:

Expanded Americorps has an authoritarian feel  —  With almost no public attention, both chambers of Congress in the past week advanced an alarming expansion of the Americorps national service plan, with the number of federally funded community service job increasing from 75,000 to 250,000 at a cost of $5.7 billion.

Art Dealer Is Charged With Stealing $88 Million  —  A noted Upper East Side art dealer has been indicted on charges he stole $88 million from investors and collectors who consigned artwork to him and said they were cheated out of the sale proceeds or never saw the pieces again, according to a person briefed on the case.

Deval Patrick tanks in new poll  —  + Recent Articles + Recent Blog Entries + Email + Bio  —  A wave of voter disgust at business as usual on Beacon Hill has swamped Gov. Deval Patrick, dealing the first-term governor a devastating credibility blow that leaves his re-election hopes shaken, a new 7News poll has found.

The Quiet Coup  —  ONE THING YOU learn rather quickly when working at the International Monetary Fund is that no one is ever very happy to see you.  Typically, your “clients” come in only after private capital has abandoned them, after regional trading-bloc partners have been unable to throw …

DEA raids pot dispensary in SF  —  (03-25) 22:05 PDT San Francisco — Federal agents raided a medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco Wednesday, a week after U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder signaled that the Obama administration would not prosecute distributors of pot used …

PORT AUTHORITY DOING AWAY WITH FREEDOM TOWER NAME  —  Freedom is so passe at Ground Zero.  —  Once hailed as a beacon of rebirth in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, the Freedom Tower's patriotic name has been swapped out for the more marketable One World Trade Center, officials at the Port Authority conceded today.

Tim Geithner is less popular than Jell-o on Facebook  —  Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who has struggled to win over Wall Street, is having an equally difficult time making new “friends” on Facebook.  —  Geithner's page, which a Treasury spokesman could not immediately confirm was legitimate, lists 718 fans.

Is Santorum Backing Specter?  —  Arlen Specter supported Rick Santorum during his losing campaign in 2006.  So one would assume that Santorum will be returning the favor this year.  Hold on making that bet.  —  A few weeks ago, the Hill asked Santorum if he would be backing Specter.

Chafee on the verge  —  As Lincoln Chafee celebrates his 56th birthday today, a source tells WRNI that he has decided to run for governor in 2010, and will soon begin to assemble a campaign organization.  —  Chafee is traveling outside of the United States and he couldn't be reached for immediate comment.

Gregg: U.S. couldn't even join E.U. due to debt levels  —  The United States wouldn't even be eligible to enter the European Union if it wanted to because of its debt levels, Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) claimed Thursday.  —  “We won't even be able to get into the EU if we wanted to,” …