Car Dealer in Chief  —  Some companies are in the steel business, some are in the cookie business, but General Motors is in the restructuring business.  For 30 years, G.M. has been restructuring itself toward long-term viability.  —  For all these years, G.M.'s market share has endured a long, steady slide.

Most Americans Don't Blame Obama for Economy, Poll Finds  —  The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama's election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president …

Beyond AIG: A Bill to let Big Government Set Your Salary  —  It was nearly two weeks ago that the House of Representatives, acting in a near-frenzy after the disclosure of bonuses paid to executives of AIG, passed a bill that would impose a 90 percent retroactive tax on those bonuses.

Afghan leader accused of bid to ‘legalise rape’  —  UN and women MPs say Karzai bowed to Islamic fundamentalists before poll  —  Afghanistan's President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which “legalises” rape, women's groups and the United Nations warn.  Critics claim the president helped rush …

Nicolas Sarkozy's threat to walk out of global summit  —  Anglo-Saxon gibe strains relations with Obama  —  Charles Bremner in Paris and Philip Webster  —  President Sarkozy yesterday threatened to wreck the London summit if France's demands for tougher financial regulation are not met.

‘Toilet row’ lowers morale on space station  —  The International Space Station, once a place where astronauts would share food and facilities, is said to be embroiled in a Cold War-like stand-off.  —  A Russian cosmonaut has complained he is no longer allowed to use a US toilet as well as a US exercise bike.

Financial Rescue Approaches GDP as U.S. Pledges $12.8 Trillion  —  The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve have spent, lent or guaranteed $12.8 trillion, an amount that approaches the value of everything produced in the country last year, to stem the longest recession since the 1930s.

Bashing J Street  —  Follow the Jewish Week on Twitter!  Click here to start.  And we're on Facebook; become a fan today.  —  What is about J Street, the pro-peace process lobby and political action committee, that has the leaders of major Jewish groups in such a snit?

NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY  —  The U.S. government is set to offer an online emotional rescue kit!  —  “Getting Through Tough Economic Times” will launch Tuesday with a media push across all platforms.  —  The site is meant to help people identify …

Special Election in New York Is a Special Case  —  WASHINGTON — Voters in a House district in New York will elect a replacement on Tuesday for Kirsten E. Gillibrand, the Democrat tapped to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Senate after she became Secretary of State.

Commentary: War on drugs is insane  —  Editor's note: Jack Cafferty is the author of a new book, “Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream.”  He provides commentary on CNN's “The Situation Room” daily from 4 to 7 p.m. ET.  You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.

Crumb to publish Bible satire  —  Cartoonist Crumb's vision of the first book of the Bible said to be a ‘complex, even subversive narrative that calls for a re-examination of its role in our culture’  —  The famously subversive US cartoonist Robert Crumb has announced the completion of his long-awaited take on the Book of Genesis.

Chairmen Waxman, Markey Release Discussion Draft of New Clean Energy Legislation  —  Chairman Henry A. Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee today released a draft of clean energy legislation that will create jobs …

Life in Mendota, Calif., where the jobless rate is 41 percent  —  MENDOTA, Calif. — The customer seemed interested in a black blouse offered for $1 at the thrift store.  But instead of buying it, she set it on the front counter.  —  Maybe tomorrow, she told the cashier, she would have the money.

Microsoft bridge slammed as waste of stimulus  —  REDMOND, Washington (CNN) — Should a bridge that would connect two campuses at Microsoft's headquarters be funded with $11 million from the federal stimulus package?  —  Critics of using stimulus money for the bridge say it would give the software giant a break on a pet project.

Beware the cult of Obama  —  You've met them.  They may be friends of yours, or family members.  You may even be one of them (in which case you'll hate this column).  I'm referring to those who've heard the Call of Obama.  —  Tucker Carlson compares it to a dog whistle: Inaudible to most, but irresistible to those who can hear it.

Hodes/Sununu 2010 US Senate Ballot  —  The following results are based on 535 completed telephone interviews among a statewide random sample of adults registered to vote in New Hampshire.  Of the 535 interviews, 155 were among Republicans, 161 were among Democrats, and 219 were among undeclared voters.

Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Fell by a Record 19%  —  Home prices in 20 U.S. cities fell 19 percent in January from a year earlier, the fastest drop on record, as demand plummeted and foreclosures rose.  —  The S&P/Case-Shiller index's decrease was more than forecast and compares with an 18.6 percent decrease in December.

Obama Still Popular, GOP Still Doesn't Care  —  With there seeming to be more Senate Democrats who are wary of Barack Obama's agenda than there are Senate Republicans wary of opposing it, Washington often takes on the feel of a town with a president whose honeymoon is over.

El Rushbo to New York: Drop Dead  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: Now, let's see.  In New York, they've been going back and forth at the state level on budgets.  They are over-budget.  They have a deficit in the double-digit billions, and they've been going back and forth in the State Assembly in New York over whether to raise taxes.

ANGELA MERKEL EXPLAINS WHY GERMANY WON'T COOPERATE ON STIMULUS.  —  The New York Times scored a useful interview where German Chancellor Angela Merkel lays out her opposition to increased stimulus spending at greater length.  In America, the consensus has been that Germans are simply irrationally afraid …