Obama plans to send 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met Monday evening with his national security team to finalize a plan to dispatch some 34,000 additional U.S. troops over the next year to what he's called “a war of necessity” in Afghanistan, U.S. officials told McClatchy.

Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist  —  Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004.

When will the Left retract the Kentucky census worker case smear?  —  Reminder: This was the smear graphic spread on far Left blogs that accuses prominent conservatives of contributing to the death of Kentucky census worker Bill Sparkman.  Note the caption at the bottom: “He reaped what they sowed.”

Obama's liberal predecessor  —  Matt Yglesias and Kevin Drum are chewing over the hefty bipartisan support Bush got for his various domestic initiatives.  The roll call is impressive: No Child Left Behind, the 2001 tax cut, the post-9/11 war resolution, Sarbanes-Oxley, McCain-Feingold …

Yes, she can: Palin has a shot at the presidency  —  How Sarah Palin might win the White House  —  President Sarah Palin.  To many pundits and late-night comedians, this sounds like a punch line, and to many die-hard Democrats it sounds like a reason to leave the country.

Is Obama's star dimming as U.S. stock drops?  —  His celebrity is not enough to reverse an erosion of our global dominance  —  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India and President Barack Obama listen to the playing of the national anthems during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday in Washington.

Obama State Dinner Official Food and Wine Menu  —  Place card at the Obama first state dinner (photo by Lynn Sweet)  —  Desert plate, Obama first state dinner (photo by Lynn Sweet)  —  Potato and Eggplant Salad  —  White House Argula with onion seed vinaigrette

Washington Post closing remaining U.S. bureaus  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Washington Post is closing its last U.S. bureaus outside the nation's capital as the money-losing newspaper retrenches to focus on politics and local news.  —  “At a time of limited resources and increased competitive pressure …

Professor rubbishes leaked email row  —  Phil Jones of the University of East Anglia denies emails provide evidence of collusion by climatologists to fix data  —  The climatologist at the centre of the leaked emails row said today that he “absolutely” stands by his research and that any suggestion …

Mark Halperin's Mary Landrieu Photoshop: Pure Class  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  As many of you know, Mark Halperin is this babbling idiot whom Time magazine hired to cobble together this insipid web product called “The Page,” which is designed to scam people looking for trenchant …

EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie Not a Fan of Obama  —  Barack Obama does not have Angelina Jolie's seal of approval.  —  “She hates him,” a source close to the U.N. goodwill ambassador, 34, tells the new issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands now).  —  “She's into education and rehabilitation and thinks Obama is all about welfare and handouts.

The Values Question  —  It's easy to get lost in the weeds when talking about health care reform.  But, like all great public issues, the health care debate is fundamentally a debate about values.  It's a debate about what kind of country we want America to be.

“Hope Is Fading Fast”: A Devastating Take on The Iconic Obama Poster  —  A new offensive has been launched against President Obama, and if it catches on it may make as much noise as a Birther at a Town Hall.  It's the new “Hope Is Fading Fast” t-shirt from LA streetwear company Freshjive …

Poll: More Americans growing skeptical of global warming  —  Majority of respondents still support legislation on emissions  —  The percentage of Americans who believe global warming is happening has dipped from 80 to 72 percent in the past year, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll …

Quietly, the President Finds That Golf Is No Slam Dunk  —  A Star on the Court, He's Called a Hacker On the Course; Fans Miss the ‘Original Guy’  —  One day last summer, Gene Mulak, observing carnage in the sand trap, decided it was time to rescue the Leader of the Free World.

1 in 4 Borrowers Under Water  —  The proportion of U.S. homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than the properties are worth has swelled to about 23%, threatening prospects for a sustained housing recovery.  —  Nearly 10.7 million households had negative equity in their homes in the third quarter …

Good Morning America Cancels Adam Lambert Concert  —  First on TVNewser: American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert won't be appearing on “Good Morning America” tomorrow.  —  TVNewser has learned ABC News canceled the concert after Lambert's sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards Sunday night.

The small-d democratic case against the filibuster  —  “Are progressives really willing to take their chances with a future GOP-controlled Senate empowered to pass whatever they have 51 votes for?” asks Scott Winship.  “With the Supreme Court nominees who could be seated (to say nothing of other judgeships)?

FRONTLINE CORRESPONDENT LOWELL BERGMAN INVESTIGATES THE MASSIVE CONSUMER LOAN INDUSTRY  —  As credit card companies face rising public anger, new regulation from Washington and staggering new rates of default and bankruptcy, FRONTLINE correspondent Lowell Bergman investigates the future …