Clueless  —  I'm with Simon Johnson here: how is it possible, at this late date, for Obama to be this clueless?  —  The lead story on Bloomberg right now contains excerpts from an interview with Business Week which tells us: … Oh.  My.  God.  —  First of all, to my knowledge …

Obama Says Bipartisanship, But What He Wants Is GOP Surrender  —  Posted by Mark Knoller Unannounced, President Obama took to the lectern in the White House briefing room today to give a personal readout of his meeting earlier with congressional leaders of both parties.

In poll, Republicans gaining political ground on Obama  —  Republicans have significantly narrowed the gap with Democrats on who is trusted to deal with the country's problems and have sharply reduced several of President Obama's main political advantages, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Rep. Ehlers to retire  —  Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-Mich.) will announce Wednesday he's retiring at the end of his term.  A press conference in scheduled in Grand Rapids for 11 a.m.  —  Ehlers confirmed his retirement to the Associated Press.  His announcement comes one day after state …

D.C. Snowstorm: How Global Warming Makes Blizzards Worse  —  Some D.C. residents resorted to cross-country skis to get around the capital during the snow storm  —  As the blizzard-bound residents of the mid-Atlantic region get ready to dig themselves out of the third major storm of the season …

Brilliant: ‘Vagina Monologues’ Creator Tells Palin to Look at ‘Earthquakes and Tsunamis’ for Global Warming Proof  —  No matter what former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin does, she's not going to win any friends in the mainstream modern feminism activist movement in the United States.  But that might not be a bad thing.

gingrichbamboozlefail  —  Classic moment last night on The Daily Show when Newt Gingrich explained that it was okay to mirandize “shoe bomber” Richard Reid and not Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab because Reid, unlike Abdulmutallab, is a US citizen.  —  Only, of course, Reid is a British citizen.

Anti-Tea Party Web Site Part of Scheme to Funnel Funds  —  A new Web site targeting the tea parties is a part of a complex network of money flowing from the mountainous coffers of the country's biggest labor unions and trickling slowly into political slush funds for Democratic activists.

A First Look at Palin's Primary Math  —  If Sarah Palin runs for the Republican nomination in 2012 — and I've been on record for some time as predicting that she will — what are likely to be her best and worst states?  And how do these strengths and weaknesses square with the Republican primary calendar?

Obama: Ticked off sometimes, not down  —  President Barack Obama doesn't get down easily, his wife says, but he does get ticked off.  If it doesn't show, Michelle Obama explains, he works at that.  —  “You know, he doesn't get down easily,” the first lady said in an interview with CNN's Larry King aired last night.

Carl Levin: Filibuster Could Fall ‘After Massive Conflict On The Floor’  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Senate Republicans made a persuasive case for abolishing or reforming the filibuster on Tuesday night when they blocked a routine nomination to the National Labor Relations Board that had been held up since April.

In Albany, a Rumor of a Rumor Catches Fire  —  Albany — long a place of scandal, the rumor of scandal and the echoing talk about the rumor of scandal — has had a week a bit unlike any other.  Newspapers, blogs, reputable outfits and fringe gossip sites have worked themselves into a frenzy …

Black Helicopters Over Nashville  —  Never mind Sarah Palin and the tricornered hats.  The tea-party movement is dominated by conspiracist kooks.  —  The tea-party movement has no leader.  But it does have a face: William Temple of Brunswick, Ga. For months, the amiable middle-aged activist …

New York Senate Expels Monserrate Over Assault  —  ALBANY — The State Senate on Tuesday expelled a senator convicted of domestic assault, the first time in nearly a century that the Legislature has forced a member from office.  —  The Senate voted 53-to-8 to immediately oust the senator …

New Wind Farms in the U.S. Have Not Led to Jobs  —  Millions Have Been Invested in Wind Farms, but That Hasn't Brought Jobs  —  Despite all the talk of green jobs, the overwhelming majority of stimulus money spent on wind power has gone to foreign companies, according to a new report …

Exposed: Naked Body Scanner Images Of Film Star Printed, Circulated By Airport Staff  —  Authorities' claim that virtual strip search pictures immediately destroyed proven fraudulent - use of devices needs to be halted now  —  Claims on behalf of authorities that naked body scanner images …

Testimony  —  Federal Reserve's exit strategy  —  Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. … Chairmen Frank and Watt, Ranking Members Bachus and Paul, and other members of the Committee and Subcommittee, I appreciate the opportunity …

Think big with a gig: Our experimental fiber network  —  Imagine sitting in a rural health clinic, streaming three-dimensional medical imaging over the web and discussing a unique condition with a specialist in New York.  Or downloading a high-definition, full-length feature film in less than five minutes.

Pam Geller tries to tell Ron Reagan Jr. she knows better what his father would think of Palin  —  If you ever needed evidence that right-wingers have no boundaries — in terms logic, ethics, or basic decency — that they will not trample all over in the defense of conservative “values” …

JOHN EDWARDS ASKS MISTRESS RIELLE HUNTER TO MARRY HIM!  —  John Edwards has proposed to his mistress Rielle Hunter, and is buying a luxury $3.5 million beachfront home where they can live happily ever after with their love child, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.

White pulling closer  —  The nasty nature of the Republican primary in Texas has Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison's approval numbers down and Bill White within striking range for the general election.  —  Perry's approval is now just 33%, with 50% of voters in the state disapproving of him.