How low will he go?  Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow (Updated with video, pic)  —  (UPDATES: 12:22 p.m. A brief news video has been added below, showing the greeting in this photograph.  Contrary to some claims, the video shows no reciprocal bow by the emperor, who traditionally bows to no one.

Why Palin Matters to Obama—And to You  —  From the magazine issue dated Nov 23, 2009  —  Richard Nixon sensed trouble. seated in the cow palace in San Francisco at the GOP convention in 1964, he listened as Barry Goldwater said: “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty—is—no— vice.”

A Return to American Justice  —  Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. took a bold and principled step on Friday toward repairing the damage wrought by former President George W. Bush with his decision to discard the nation's well-established systems of civilian and military justice in the treatment …

The Lies They Told  —  When Sept. 11, 2001, dawned, the Northeast Air Defense Sector in Rome, N.Y., went on full alert — to prepare for a training exercise that envisioned a sneak attack by Russian planes flying over the North Pole to bomb the United States, a prospect that Defense Secretary Robert McNamara …

Town welcomes idea of Gitmo detainees' arrival  —  Rosie Rojas, from Fulton, serves up a coffee refill to Dave, left, and Kay Lawton of Thomson, at the Sunrise Restaurant in Thomson.  The restaurant adjoins a motel only a few hundred yards from the exterior wall of the Thomson Correctional Center.

Palin Calls Decision To Try 9/11 Defendants In Federal Court ‘Atrocious,’ Wants To 'Hang ‘Em High’  —  Yesterday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the five individuals accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks — including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — will be prosecuted in U.S. federal court.

Obama Is Losing Independent Voters  —  A number of recent polls show the president would be wise to shift right.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The announcement a week ago of 10.2% unemployment is a significant political event for President Barack Obama.

Palin's five book tour goals  —  Sarah Palin's new book isn't even on shelves, but it's already a phenomenon.  —  “Going Rogue” is Amazon's best-selling pre-order and the mere whiff of its contents, which have trickled out despite a tight embargo, has stirred up a media frenzy.

It's the stupidity economy  —  OK, maybe a more polite way to say it is this: bad ideas are acting as serious constraints on policy.  —  We're in a liquidity trap, with interest rates up against the zero bound.  This means that conventional monetary policy isn't sufficient.  What should we do?