The Supreme Court's stealth hard-liner.  —  Chief Justice John Roberts, in 2007.  Photograph by Steve Pyke.  —  KEYWORDS … When John G. Roberts, Jr., emerges from behind the red curtains and takes his place in the middle of the Supreme Court bench, he usually wears a pair of reading glasses …

Huntsman strategist: If Palin and Limbaugh dominate, GOP ‘headed for a blowout’ in 2012  —  The Republican strategist who helped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman prepare for a possible presidential run says the Republican party is in for a devastating defeat if its guiding lights are Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney.

The myth of the parasitical bloggers  —  Maureen Dowd's wholesale, uncredited copying of a paragraph written by Josh Marshall (an act Dowd has now admitted) — for what I yesterday called her “uncharacteristically cogent and substantive column”— highlights a point I've been meaning to make for awhile.

Conditions for a coup in Congress  —  A congressional leader makes a startling statement.  The media jump on it, causing a firestorm.  The leader first fans the flames and then tries to put them out.  Speculation rises that the leader's colleagues are thinking about mounting a challenge.

Obama plans new fuel limit by 2016  —  President Barack Obama will announce plans on Tuesday for a national fuel-economy and greenhouse-gas standard for automobiles in an effort to give more certainty to car companies as they struggle for survival, industry and administration sources told POLITICO on Monday.

Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich  —  Americans know how to use the moving van to escape high taxes.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  With states facing nearly $100 billion in combined budget deficits this year, we're seeing more governors than ever proposing the Barack Obama solution to balancing the budget: Soak the rich.

Exclusive: Clinton to be named UN special envoy on Haiti  —  Former U.S. President Bill Clinton will be named a U.N. special envoy on Haiti this week, sources close to the United Nations tell The Cable.  —  A UN official confirmed to The Cable that there would be a formal announcement on this Tuesday.

Introduction  —  I'm not one for long introductions.  This is a blog.  I'm a blogger.  We'll have fun.  You'll see.  —  But the overlords say it's good form.  So!  Our topic will be the politics and policy of the economy.  But that doesn't limit us to the latest unemployment numbers or the wreckage of a freshly collapsed bank.

On eloquence vs. prettiness  —  Based on its transcript — here at the Washington Post site, oddly not yet in any obvious place at WhiteHouse.gov — Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement speech was another extraordinary performance.  “Extraordinary” meaning that it was like his speech …

A Smaller But Better Newsweek?  —  Jon Meacham admits it is hard to explain, even to his own people, why chopping Newsweek's circulation in half is a good thing.  —  “It's hugely counterintuitive,” the magazine's editor says.  “The staff doesn't understand it.”

The Right's Torture Backfire  —  In a new Daily Beast column I argue that even though the right's effort to change the subject on torture away from “what did the Bush administration do?”, to “what was Nancy Pelosi briefed about?” has been an incredible tactical success, it stands a huge chance of backfiring:

Prosecutors Block Access to DNA Testing for Inmates  —  In an age of advanced forensic science, the first step toward ending Kenneth Reed's prolonged series of legal appeals should be simple and quick: a DNA test, for which he has offered to pay, on evidence from the 1991 rape of which he was convicted.

At Geithner's Treasury, Key Decisions on Hold  —  Many Advisers' Roles Are Undefined And Others Still Awaiting Confirmation  —  Seven weeks after the Treasury Department announced that it was ousting General Motors chief G. Richard Wagoner Jr. in the federal bailout of the company, he is still technically on GM's payroll.

Huckabee calls on Pelosi to resign — in verse  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) penned a poem for his website in which the potential 2012 presidential candidate calls on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to resign.  —  In a poem entitled “Fancy Nancy,” Huckabee calls the speaker …

Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says  —  WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars …

91-Year-Old Sen. Byrd Hospitalized  —  91-year-old Sen. Byrd hospitalized with high temperature  —  Sen. Robert C. Byrd, 91 and the longest-serving senator in history, was hospitalized last Friday with a temperature spike evidently caused by a minor infection, his office announced Monday.

McAuliffe blasted by rival for supporting Hillary Clinton  —  (CNN) — Virginia gubernatorial candidate Brian Moran is hammering his Democratic primary rival Terry McAuliffe for backing Hillary Clinton instead of Barack Obama throughout much of the presidential race.

Airport security bares all, or does it?  —  ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — Privacy advocates plan to call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to suspend use of “whole-body imaging,” the airport security technology that critics say performs “a virtual strip search” and produces “naked” pictures of passengers, CNN has learned.

Obama's Dangerous Debt  —  Just how much government debt does a president have to endorse before he's labeled “irresponsible”?  Well, apparently much more than the massive amounts envisioned by President Obama.  The final version of his 2010 budget, released last week, is a case study in political expediency and economic gambling.

Tax Audits Are No Laughing Matter  —  A president shouldn't even joke about abusing IRS power.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Barack Obama owes his presidency in no small part to the power of rhetoric.  It's too bad he doesn't appreciate the damage that loose talk can do to America's tax system …