Bailout Helps Fuel a New Era of Wall Street Wealth  —  Even as the economy continues to struggle, much of Wall Street is minting money — and looking forward again to hefty bonuses.  —  Many Americans wonder how this can possibly be.  How can some banks be prospering so soon after a financial collapse …

The Race Card, Football and Me  —  My critics would have you believe no conservative meets NFL ‘standards.’  —  David Checketts, an investor and owner of sports teams, approached me in late May about investing in the St. Louis Rams football franchise.  As a football fan, I was intrigued.

Record-High Deficit May Dash Big Plans  —  $1.4 Trillion in Red Ink Means Less to Spend On Obama's Ambitious Jobs, Stimulus Policies  —  The federal budget deficit soared to a record $1.4 trillion in the fiscal year that ended in September, a chasm of red ink unequaled in the postwar era …

Elder Bush Decries Lack of Civility in Politics  —  Posted by Peter Maer Former President George H.W. Bush told CBS News that President Obama “is entitled to civil treatment and intellectual honesty when it comes to critics.”  —  Referring to the tone of national discourse he said, “I don't like it.

The Very Separate World of Conservative Republicans  —  The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps.  These base Republican voters dislike Barack Obama …

Taking On the ‘Democrat-Media Complex’  —  The conservative Internet entrepreneur on bringing down Acorn, Hollywood liberals, and embarrassing the mainstream media.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Hollywood  —  Dressing up as a pimp and prostitute in order to seek Acorn's help in starting …

Pakistan Moves Troops Into Taliban Stronghold  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan moved large contingents of troops into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan on Saturday, beginning a long-anticipated ground offensive against Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in treacherous terrain …

White House Says No to Antigay Referenda  —  In response to an inquiry from The Advocate, the White House sent the following statement regarding President Barack Obama's position on same-sex relationship recognition voter referenda in Maine and Washington.  —  “The President has long opposed divisive …

How Turkey Was Lost to the West  —  Once the apotheosis of a pro-Western, dependable Muslim democracy, this week Turkey officially left the Western alliance and became a full member of the Iranian axis.  —  It isn't that Ankara's behavior changed fundamentally in recent days.

The Secret New York Minute: Trains Late by Design  —  For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers in the microwave.  —  What most passengers do not realize is that their minute is already there.

Oy!  Noam Chomsky Compares Right-Wing Media To “Nazis”  —  Add Noam Chomsky to the growing list of people using the Nazi analogy lately.  Speaking to the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, he alluded to right-wing media as “substantive content — crazy content, but it does give answers,” …

J Street: “We are winning”  —  The debate in Washington over the Jewish-American role in U.S.-Israel policy is at a fever pitch, as the new and controversial organization called J Street is reeling from the loss of support of several members of Congress who have backed away from the group under pressure from its detractors.

Obama Drops Plan to Isolate Sudan Leaders  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has formulated a new policy for Sudan that proposes working with that country's government, rather than isolating it as President Obama had pledged to do during his campaign.

The Shoddy Statistics of Super Freakonomics  —  Super Freakonomics is getting a lot of flak for its flip contrarianism on climate change, most of which seems based on incorrectly believing solar panels are black (they're blue, and this has surprisingly large energy implications) and misquoting important climate scientists.