The Winnable War  —  I came to Afghanistan skeptical of American efforts to transform this country.  Afghanistan is one of the poorest, least-educated and most-corrupt nations on earth.  It is an infinitely complex and fractured society.  It has powerful enemies in Pakistan, Iran and the drug networks working hard to foment chaos.

The Market Mystique  —  On Monday, Lawrence Summers, the head of the National Economic Council, responded to criticisms of the Obama administration's plan to subsidize private purchases of toxic assets.  “I don't know of any economist,” he declared, “who doesn't believe that better functioning capital markets …

As New Lawyer, Senator Was Active in Tobacco's Defense  —  The Philip Morris Company did not like to talk about what went on inside its lab in Cologne, Germany, where researchers secretly conducted experiments exploring the effects of cigarette smoking.  —  So when the Justice Department tried …

Reid to liberals: Back off  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that liberal groups targeting moderate Democrats with ads should back off, saying pressure from the left wing of his party won't be helpful to enacting legislation.  —  “I think it's very unwise and not helpful,” Reid said Friday morning.

Conservatives embrace the Snuggie  —  “Never let it be said that conservatives and libertarians have no sense of humor,” says Americans for Tax Reform's Derek Hunter, who's been doing his best to photograph fellow conservatives sporting the trend of the moment: the Snuggie.

Welfare for Freed Gitmo Detainees?  —  Here, from the Associated Press, is a partial account of DNI Dennis Blair's first press conference today (emphasis mine): … Four short questions/comments:  —  (1) Does this mean that the Obama administration is planning on giving some freed Guantanamo detainees a stipend?

Exec says Coleman donor ordered $100K payments  —  Sworn statement backs allegation that Kazeminy directed fees to an insurance firm to benefit the Colemans.  —  The former finance chief of a Texas company controlled by Nasser Kazeminy, a close friend of former Sen. Norm Coleman …

Sarah Palin Adviser's Secret Scientology Plot to Take Over Washington  —  John Coale, currently advising Sarah Palin on running for president in 2012, is a Scientologist.  And according to a memo obtained by Gawker, Coale once plotted to use friendly politicians to advance the power-hungry cult's agenda.

Brad DeLong's Case for the Geithner Plan  —  What exactly it means to be “for” the Geithner Plan is, at this point, a bit hard to say since nobody seems to think it's adequate to the problems we face, but among those who clearly think it's desirable for the plan to go forward as one step among many …

Slow Boil Over Egg Roll Tickets on Web  —  Maybe we should go back to standing in line.  —  The White House's Internet distribution of tickets to this year's Easter Egg Roll appears to have begun with a splat.  —  Yesterday's release of tickets online in batches produced …

When Stars Twitter, a Ghost May Be Lurking  —  The rapper 50 Cent is among the legion of stars who have recently embraced Twitter to reach fans who crave near-continuous access to their lives and thoughts.  On March 1, he shared this insight with the more than 200,000 people who follow him …

On Spending and the Deficit, McCain Was Right  —  Barack Obama used to get very upset about federal budget deficits.  Denouncing an “orgy of spending and enormous deficits,” he turned to John McCain during their presidential debates last fall and said, “We have had, over the last eight years …

Get the Feeling You're Being Watched?  If You're Driving, You Just Might Be  —  Cameras to Catch Speeders and Scofflaws Are Spreading — And Sparking Road Rage  —  The village of Schaumburg, Ill., installed a camera at Woodfield Mall last November to film cars that were running red lights, then used the footage to issue citations.

Brazil's leader blames white people for crisis  —  Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday blamed the global economic crisis on “white people with blue eyes” and said it was wrong that black and indigenous people should pay for white people's mistakes.

More Voters Than Ever Say Tax Cuts Help the Economy  —  Democrats in the Senate are talking of cutting back President Obama's pledge of tax cuts for most Americans in the face of record deficits.  But 63% of U.S. voters now say tax cuts would help the economy, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

A Glance Back at Cramer vs. Cuomo  —  Jim Cramer, the stock-investment personality on CNBC, has taken so many hits of late, perhaps this is piling on.  —  Or perhaps not.  —  A recent article in The New York Times reviewing the record of New York's attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo …

GOP Leadership Rivals Throw Mike Pence Under the Bus  —  I've seen a lot of people link to this Glenn Thrush Politico item, but I have a slightly different take on it: … To me the salient point here is that Pence's spokesman is almost certainly telling the truth here …

U.N. ‘Climate Change’ Plan Would Likely Shift Trillions to Form New World Economy  —  A United Nations document on “climate change” that will be distributed to a major environmental conclave next week envisions a huge reordering of the world economy, likely involving trillions of dollars in wealth transfer …

Inquiry Asks Why A.I.G. Paid Banks  —  Members of Congress and the New York State attorney general demanded detailed information Thursday on how tens of billions of taxpayer dollars flowed through the American International Group during its crisis last fall and ended up in the coffers …

National Health Preview  —  The Massachusetts debacle, coming soon to your neighborhood.  —  Praise Mitt Romney.  Three years ago, the former Massachusetts Governor had the inadvertent good sense to create the “universal” health-care program that the White House and Congress now want to inflict on the entire country.

Senate smack talking  —  C-SPAN video library caught this great exchange yesterday between Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and committee member Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).  —  As they were negotiating a provision in the the Senate FY 2010 budget, Grassley tried to cash in a chit with Conrad, leading to this exchange:

Why Not Arbitrary Limits on Executive Pay?  —  Josh Marshall, in the course of making rather a different point, says: … Some people, as I understand it, just don't think inequality is a problem.  But for the egalitarians among us, I've never really understood the view that obscene executive compensation …

Baghdad in Fragments  —  Many third world cities look better at night than during the day.  Darkness hides shabbiness.  You have to imagine what the city actually looks like.  If you live in a first world city yourself, you might fill in the blanks with what you're familiar with.

Obama on Afghanistan: Disappointing  —  27 March 2009  —  President Obama has just spoken on AfPak.  I closed my eyes and listened closely to his words, coming via the BBC from the other side of the world.  —  The President's words were disappointing.  He talked about our goal to reach …

Amid Budget Battle, Americans' Views Hold Steady  —  Views are more positive than negative but diverge according to party lines  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — While lawmakers on Capitol Hill battle back and forth over President Barack Obama's proposed budget plan, Americans' views are holding steady.

Obama Speeches Gain From Teleprompter  —  It is amazing how swiftly a presidential tendency turns from observation to joke to meme.  Barack Obama — called “the most eloquent political speaker of our time” — has become known as the teleprompter president.  —  The issue gathered momentum …