Axelrod: The tea-party movement could be “unhealthy”  —  No surprise that the master of astroturfing would find a true grassroots movement distasteful.  To be scrupulously fair, it's not the parties themselves that he's calling “unhealthy” but rather the potential of populist anger in an age …

Waterboarding Used 266 Times on 2 Suspects  —  C.I.A. interrogators used waterboarding, the near-drowning technique that top Obama administration officials have described as illegal torture, 266 times on two key prisoners from Al Qaeda, far more than had been previously reported.

Obama Administration: No Prosecution of Officials for Bush-Era Torture Policy  —  White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said during our exclusive interview Sunday on “This Week” that President Barack Obama will not pursue the prosecution of Bush-era officials who devised torture policy against detainees …

Not-So-Secret Holiday Hints at Change for Marijuana Advocates  —  SAN FRANCISCO — On Monday, somewhere in New York City, 420 people will gather for High Times magazine's annual beauty pageant, a secretly located and sold-out event that its sponsor says will “turn the Big Apple into the Baked Apple …

US to put conditions on Tarp repayment  —  Strong banks will be allowed to repay bail-out funds they received from the US government but only if such a move passes a test to determine whether it is in the national economic interest, a senior administration official has told the Financial Times.

Janeane Garofalo on Dissent - Then And Now  —  Here is a compilation video from 2 different occasions when Janeane Garofalo was on Countdown with Keith Olbercrackhead.  Also, for other responses to Garofalo recent comments, go to Hotair.com.  —  Enjoy.  —  Update: I listened …

Must Read  —  This story is so radioactive it's hard to know which of fifty different directions to go with it.  In brief, Jeff Stein at CQ has a much, much more detailed account of that story, first reported in 2006, of Rep. Jane Harman getting caught on a wiretapped phone call allegedly discussing …

U.S. May Convert Banks' Bailouts to Equity Share  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's top economic advisers have determined that they can shore up the nation's banking system without having to ask Congress for more money any time soon, according to administration officials.

Bailout overseer draws fire from right  —  Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard law professor charged by Congress with overseeing trillions in financial rescue funds, has a surprising secret weapon: Dr. Phil.  —  The outspoken consumer advocate has appeared on Phil McGraw's show twice to talk …

Father tries to cash in on daughter's fame  —  THE poverty-stricken father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali plans to become a millionaire himself-by SELLING his nine-year-old daughter.  —  In a bid to escape India's real-life slums, Rafiq Qureshi put angel-faced darling …

Let them eat ... debt repayments?  —  In the days before the French Revolution, the people of France were living in dire conditions while their leaders lived comfortably, oblivious to the effect their actions had on the people they governed.  When informed that her people were starving …

Senator says Obama's appearance with Chavez ‘irresponsible’  —  (CNN) - Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, told CNN Sunday it was “irresponsible” for President Obama to been seen “laughing and joking” with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas on Friday.

Antarctic ice is growing, not melting away  —  Cool down ... ice is expanding in much of the Antarctic, experts say / Reuters  —  ICE is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap.