Conservatives gear up for high court fight  —  Phone lines around Washington began burning this morning as conservative organizations kicked off preparations for the fight over President Obama's eventual Supreme Court nominee.  —  Associate Justice David Souter's decision to step down at the end …

Saying No to Justice  —  I did something today that I've never done before.  The Department of Justice, which I proudly served for a quarter century as an assistant U.S. attorney and a deputy U.S. marshal, asked me for help, and I declined.  Actually, what I declined to do was attend a meeting.

The Use of Torture and What Nancy Pelosi Knew  —  Torture is an impermissible evil.  Except under two circumstances.  The first is the ticking time bomb.  An innocent's life is at stake.  The bad guy you have captured possesses information that could save this life.  He refuses to divulge.

The Majority of Muslims Who Attend Mosque Weekly Feel Torturing For Their Cause Is Just**  —  **It's Not True  —  The headline “Majority Of Muslims That Attend Mosque Weekly Feel Torturing For Their Cause Is Just” got your attention, didn't it?  It's not true, I made it up, but the thought of it probably already angered some.

First Lady Michelle Obama steps out in Lanvin sneakers and they're only $540!  —  Michelle Obama has taken casual to a haute new level.  —  While volunteering Wednesday at a D.C. food bank, the First Lady sported her usual J.Crew cardigan, a pair of utilitarian capri pants and, on her feet, a sneaky splurge: trainers that go for $540.

Biden kicked out of country after flu remarks?  —  Things have gotten so bad for the vice president following his disastrous Today Show appearance that he's been exiled?  —  No. It's just coincidental that the day after he strayed way off message on how to deal with the flu virus …

Chrysler Lenders Tried Obama's Patience, Lost Game of Chicken  —  President Barack Obama thanked everyone from unions to executives for working to keep Chrysler LLC alive while blaming “a small group of speculators” for forcing the automaker into bankruptcy.

Jon Stewart: Hey, sorry for calling Harry Truman a war criminal  —  A follow-up to Wednesday night's Kinsleyan gaffe: He's sorry, he's just not sure why he's sorry.  The closest we get to an explanation is that the decision to drop the bomb was “complicated,” but of course that's why Cliff …

Citi Said to Need Up to $10 Billion  —  Bank Disputes ‘Stress Test’ Result; U.S. to Let Lenders Convert Loans to Common Stock  —  WASHINGTON — Citigroup Inc. may need to raise as much as $10 billion in new capital, according to people familiar with the matter, as the government continues negotiations …

Kasich running for Ohio governorship  —  Former Ohio GOP congressman and O'Reilly Factor guest host John Kasich will be running against Gov. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio), per the Columbus Dispatch:  —  Republican John Kasich is expected to file papers today so that he can begin raising money for the 2010 race for governor.

PATERSON BURNED BY A RACIAL ‘FIRE’  —  300G SETTLES SUIT BY WHITE FOTOG  —  ALBANY — Gov. Paterson, who raised state taxes by $8 billion last month, just cost state taxpayers $300,000 more.  —  The state has secretly settled an embarrassing federal racial-discrimination lawsuit, The Post has learned.

‘Secret’ CIA document on White House Flickr feed  —  A photograph posted by the White House to the photo sharing website Flickr includes an image of a document with the letters CIA printed beneath what appears to be the word “secret.”  —  The photograph by White House photographer Pete Souza …

Knowing a Good Man When You See One  —  The Dalai Lama has been visiting the Boston area, and I'd like to mention a few reports.  First, a note from an NRO reader: Hi, Jay, I had the great opportunity to see the Dalai Lama speak at MIT this afternoon.  When he opened the forum to audience Q&A …

Mark Penn: No Edwards Could Have Meant ‘Different Outcome’  —  ABC News' Kate Snow and Rick Klein report: What if John Edwards hadn't run for president in 2008?  —  What if he had followed the hindsight-is-20-20 advice being offered now by his wife and chief strategist …

Why Lindsey Graham is the Guy Obama Needs to Please in Replacing Souter  —  Both sides of the aisle spent all week lamenting/celebrating Arlen Specter's party switch and the potential for a 60 vote Democratic majority in the Senate.  But Specter's swap leaves the Senate Judiciary Committee without its most prominent GOP moderate.

WhiteHouse 2.0  —  In the President's last Weekly Address, he called on government to “recognize that we cannot meet the challenges of today with old habits and stale thinking.”  He added that “we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative …