The media's giftgate  —  I know, my head hurts, too, reading the ‘coverage.’ (I'm waiting for some reporter to combine the gift ‘story’ with a detailed description of what Michelle Obama was wearing when she gave the Queen of England the gift.)  —  Aside from the fact that key facts …

The President Is ‘Keeping Score’  —  Chicago politics has moved into the White House.  —  “Don't think we're not keeping score, brother.”  That's what President Barack Obama said to Rep. Peter DeFazio in a closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Caucus last week, according to the Associated Press.

Obama bows down to Saudi King (updated)  —  I am quite certain that this is not the protocol, and is most unbecoming a President of the United States.  —  Update: See Miss Manners on the protocol.  Americans do not bow to foreign monarchs because that act signified the monarch's power over his subjects.

Dodd Falls Way Behind As Approval Drops To Lowest Ever, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Are Angry At AIG Bonuses And Blame Dodd  —  Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd trails former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, a possible Republican challenger, 50 - 34 percent in the 2010 Senate race …

Sen. Stevens ‘got screwed’ by Justice  —  The Justice Department's stunning decision to drop all charges against former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) had GOP senators hailing the news as a vindication while government watchdogs fretted over the impact on other corruption cases against public officials.

Sources: Blagojevich indictment today  —  The U.S. attorney's office in Chicago says that later today it is announcing developments in a “significant criminal matter.”  Sources familiar with the situation said the announcement is expected to be the indictment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and others on corruption charges.

The Naive Opposition  —  Ezra Klein, on Paul Ryan's alternative budget: … I understand what he's getting at, but this phrasing makes it sound like the House Republicans' budget is an exercise in cynicism and partisan political calculation - which is exactly the wrong way to look at what's going on with the House GOP.

Cantor: Feds ‘overreacting’ to crisis  —  GOP Whip Eric Cantor thinks his party can retake the House in next year's midterm elections — and accused Democrats like Rahm Emanuel of “overreacting” to the economic crisis by embarking on a federal spending spree.

Judge: Bagram prisoners can challenge detention  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - A federal judge ruled Thursday that prisoners in the war on terror can use U.S. civilian courts to challenge their detention at a military air base in Afghanistan …

Gingrich warns of third party in 2012  —  (CNN) — Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is warning of a third party mutiny in 2012 if Republicans don't figure out a way to shape up.  —  “If the Republicans can't break out of being the right wing party of big government, then I think you would …

The Myth of 90 Percent: Only a Small Fraction of Guns in Mexico Come From U.S.  —  While 90 percent of the guns traced to the U.S. actually originated in the United States, the percent traced to the U.S. is only about 17 percent of the total number of guns reaching Mexico.  —  FOXNews.com

Ed Schultz To Be MSNBC 6 PM Host  —  The #1 story on Countdown was Keith Olbermann introducing Ed Schultz as the new host of “The Ed Show” on MNSBC weeknights at 6PM ET.  —  Olbermann joked that the qualifications for MSNBC hosts are being “an ex-sportscaster born on the 27th of January” …

New Accounting Rules for Mortgage-Backed Securities  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The board that sets United States accounting standards is giving companies more leeway when valuing assets, a potential lift to battered banks' balance sheets.  —  The independent Financial Accounting Standards Board voted …

Department of awful statistics  —  Every time you find yourself saying that there must be some causal relationship between two strongly correlated variables, you should go back and look at this graph:  —  As Atlantic Business contributor Derek Lowe, from whom I stole that graph, notes,

Police were attacked as they helped dying man at G20 protests in City  —  Police officers came under attack while they tried to help a dying man at the G20 protests in the City last night.  —  The victim was found by a member of the public unconscious in the street near the Bank of England just before 7.30pm yesterday.

Robert Groves Nominated to Head Census  —  In the survey world, this is very big news (from AP via The Page): … It is something of an understatement to describe Robert Groves as “an expert in survey methodology.”  He is one of our nations' most respected survey methodologists and arguably …

Public Knows Basic Facts About Financial Crisis  —  More Know Unemployment Rate than Dow Average  —  The latest Pew Research Center News IQ survey finds the American public reasonably well-informed about a number of basic facts pertaining to the current economic situation.

Bozo the VP strikes again  —  Obama/Biden administration rule of thumb: Every last bit of the current economic disaster is Bush's fault.  Any sign of recovery as a result of government action is thanks to Obama/Biden — even if it was Bush who authorized the program.  —  Bozo the VP shows you how it's done:

Former AIG chief says bailout ‘failed’  —  Former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg says the bailout has “failed” and he's proposing a 10-point alternative focused on saving, not breaking apart, the mega-insurer.  —  Greenberg will reveal his plan during a hearing before the House Oversight …

W.H. touts role in France-China deal  —  The Obama administration is touting the president's role in brokering a compromise between the French and the Chinese ...  ... to make public a list of those countries that serve as tax havens.  —  During an afternoon session of the G-20 …