How David Shuster Lied to Get Me to Appear on MSNBC  —  Today is the day that I have been invited to go on MSNBC for the very first time.  At no point during the ACORN story was I put on the hot seat to defend the work of James O'Keefe.  My thesis from day one has been that the mainstream media …

White House orders Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial  —  White House officials have told the Justice Department to consider other venues for the 9/11 terror trial that was to be held in lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.

Alito Was Rude (But Right)  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito made headlines last night when he nodded and mouthed “It's not true” in response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.  Facing six of the nine Justices, who were sitting right up front, Obama criticized …

After Obama rips lobbyists, K St. insiders get private briefings  —  A day after bashing lobbyists, President Barack Obama's administration has invited K Street insiders to join private briefings on a range of topics addressed in Wednesday's State of the Union.

Gregg scolds MSNBC: ‘Irresponsible’  —  Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) attacked MSNBC hosts Contessa Brewer and Melissa Francis on Thursday, questioning their “integrity” as journalists and calling them “irresponsible.”  —  The scuffle started with Francis asking Gregg to name specific areas …

J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies at 91  —  J. D. Salinger, who was thought at one time to be the most important American writer to emerge since World War II but who then turned his back on success and adulation, becoming the Garbo of letters, famous for not wanting to be famous …

Landrieu: Bill on “life support”  —  If President Barack Obama hoped his State of the Union speech would revive the health care debate on Capitol Hill, signs of movement were not immediately apparent Thursday.  —  Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said health care reform “is on life support …

NY pols stunned to learn Obama administration opposes funding for 9/11 health bill  —  The Obama administration stunned New York's delegation Thursday, dropping the bombshell news that it does not support funding the 9/11 health bill.  —  The state's two senators and 14 House members met …

Dems reach out to Lou Dobbs to build backing for immigration reform  —  Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts.  —  Senate Democrats have reached out to former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs in an effort …

48 Million Watch President Obama's First State of the Union Address  —  On Wednesday, January 27, 2010 President Barack Obama's first State of the Union address was carried live from 9:00PM to approximately 10:20PM on 11 networks.  The sum of average audience for those networks was 48,009,595 viewers.

Sally Quinn's Washington  —  You cannot caricature Sally Quinn.  Don't even try.  It simply can't be done.  No matter how hard you try to exaggerate her preening self-regard and utter frivolity, she comes right along and shows herself to be worse than you could possibly imagine.

Republicans Use Military as a Stage Prop (Yet Again)....and This Time Break the Law  —  You did not have to be paying much attention during last night's Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address to notice a young Army Staff Sergeant in full dress uniform seated …

America the Awful—Howard Zinn's History  —  Howard Zinn's death yesterday affords us the opportunity to evaluate the remarkable influence he has had on the American public's understanding of our nation's past.  His book A People's History of the United States, published in 1980 …

Harsh winter a sign of disruptive climate change, report says  —  This winter's extreme weather — with heavy snowfall in some places and unusually low temperatures — is in fact a sign of how climate change disrupts long-standing patterns, according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation.

House Republicans await Obama to kick off weekend retreat  —  BALTIMORE — Emboldened by an unexpected victory in Massachusetts and frustrated with a “partisan” State of the Union address, House Republicans are eager to meet with President Barack Obama on Friday.

Tampering at Landrieu Office Called a ‘Stunt’  —  NEW ORLEANS — The lawyer for one of the four men arrested Monday on charges of interfering with the phones in Senator Mary L. Landrieu's office in New Orleans said the episode was a prank based on what conservative activists …

One Hell of a Speech  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Obama didn't deliver a speech so much as a symphony, calling for nukes and zapping the Supremes; thanks for the performance, Mr. President.  —  It is hard, indeed almost impossible, not to like Mr. Obama.  In recent weeks, I've tried—tried my best.

A Dream Fulfilled?  — By: Victor Davis Hanson  —  When Obama gives the usual review of all the programs, stimulus efforts, and new entitlements he's overseeing, almost no one seems to conclude that he is simply detailing how he is going to redistribute nearly $2 trillion a year in annual borrowing.

Blair faces judgment day on Iraq  —  • Former PM sees testimony as last word on his legacy  —  • Friends predict robust defence of invasion  —  Tony Blair is more of a 6am man than a 3am one, says an aide in response to claims that he has been burning the midnight oil in preparation …

“This Isn't the Person I Campaigned With Back Then,” Kerry Says of Edwards, Per Source  —  A source close to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., says the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee has reacted with sorrow to the scandalous personal behavior of his former running mate, former Sen. John Edwards, D-NC.

For eighth day, climate activists block bulldozers at WV's Coal River Mountain.  —  Yesterday in Washington, DC, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) exhorted citizens to “get angry about the fact that they're being killed and our planet is being injured by what's happening on a daily basis by the way we provide our power and our fuel.”

I Just Remembered Chris Matthews Was White  —  Here's Matthews on Obama: … I think it's worth noting that Chris Matthews wasn't trying to take a shot at anybody.  I also think it's worth noting that he was attempting to compliment Obama and say something positive about what he's done for race relations.