Sotomayor's Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament  —  WASHINGTON — Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, has a blunt and even testy side, and it was on display in December at an argument before the full federal appeals court in New York.

Kicking & Screaming: Journo Dragged From Near AF1  —  A reporter for a small newspaper was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One shortly before President Barack Obama arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to depart California early Thursday.

Fox Nation Goes Nirther  —  At the Fox Nation website, unrestrained Nirth Certifikit insanity runs rampant in the comments for a video of Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs answering a question from a Nirther journalist (not sure who it is): Should Obama Release Birth Certificate?  Or Is This Old News?

Interrogations saved U.S. lives, Bush says  —  BENTON HARBOR, Michigan (CNN) — Former President George W. Bush on Thursday repeated Dick Cheney's assertion that the administration's enhanced interrogation program, which included controversial techniques such as waterboarding …

Give Montana Girls a Chance  —  A reader vents: Derb — I've been hoping that someone might be bold enough to rain on the Sotomayor “compelling life story” parade.  The woman grew up in the capital of the world, went to two Ivy League schools, and was blessed by Providence …

Nader: McAuliffe Offered Money To Avoid Key States in '04 Race  —  Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader went public Thursday with an allegation that Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe offered his campaign money to stay off the ballot in key states during the 2004 elections …

Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Wars in Cyberspace  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to create a new military command for cyberspace, administration officials said Thursday, stepping up preparations by the armed forces to conduct both offensive and defensive computer warfare.

Why did Obama add Saudi Arabia to his itinerary?  —  The Arab media is buzzing today over the announcement that President Obama will travel to Riyadh before arriving in Cairo for his big address to the Islamic world.  Why the late addition to his itinerary?

Inflating the Guantánamo Threat  —  ABDULLAH GHULAM RASOUL and Said Ali al-Shihri may be the two best arguments for why releasing detainees from Guantánamo Bay poses a real risk to America.  Mr. Rasoul, who was transferred to Afghanistan in 2007 and then released by the Kabul government …

Despite deal, bankruptcy for GM is ‘probable’  —  Government outlines plans for brief protection period; filing may be Monday  —  The government's new road map for General Motors would briefly send it into bankruptcy, erase most of its debt and eventually have it emerge leaner and stronger …

The Big Inflation Scare  —  Suddenly it seems as if everyone is talking about inflation.  Stern opinion pieces warn that hyperinflation is just around the corner.  And markets may be heeding these warnings: Interest rates on long-term government bonds are up, with fear of future inflation …

Evidence mounts that recession may be ending  —  But the economy's bounce along the bottom may be a very bumpy ride  —  msnbc.com staff and news service reports  —  The economy is throwing off signals that it may be bumping along the bottom, and the ride is likely to be rough.

Leap in U.S. debt hits taxpayers with 12% more red ink  —  Taxpayers are on the hook for an extra $55,000 a household to cover rising federal commitments made just in the past year for retirement benefits, the national debt and other government promises, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

Obama chides Israel on settlements in Abbas meeting  —  President Obama continued on a collision course with Israel on Thursday by stressing the need to stop West Bank settlement activity in meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.  —  Adressing reporters in the Oval Office …

Burris says blame impeachment panel for their questions, not him for his answers  —  SPRINGFIELD—U.S. Sen. Roland Burris today said he shouldn't be blamed for any lack of candor while under oath earlier this year before a special Illinois House panel about his appointment to the seat …

The Rolling Stone 2009 Hot List  —  Lady Gaga, “The Hangover” and the faces keeping hotness alive  —  Stocks may tumble and fortunes may fall, but hotness, it seems, is eternal.  —  There was some concern about compiling our latest Rolling Stone Hot List during an ice-cold era.