Reid's about-face stuns Dems, W.H.  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led colleagues and the White House to believe he supported a bipartisan jobs bill — only to scuttle the plan as soon as it was released Thursday over concerns it could be used to batter Democratic incumbents, according to Senate sources.

Obama in nominee showdown  —  The Senate confirmed a huge group of administration nominees on Thursday, following a tense exchange between President Barack Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).  —  At a White House meeting with bipartisan congressional leaders on Tuesday …

Patrick Kennedy to retire  —  Rhode Island Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, the son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, will announce on Friday that he is retiring, according to Democratic insiders.  —  Kennedy, 42, was first elected to the House in 1994.  His departure will leave Congress without …

Why the MSM loves Palin  —  Fox News has been making a serious charge about mainstream political reporters: They hate Sarah Palin.  —  This is not just wrong, it's absurd.  The reality is exactly the opposite: We love Palin.  —  And if Palin does not exactly love us …

Poll Finds Edge for Obama Over G.O.P. Among the Public  —  WASHINGTON — At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Obama will help select location of Khalid Sheik Mohammed terrorism trial  —  President Obama is planning to insert himself into the debate about where to try the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three administration officials said Thursday, signaling a recognition …

Republicans and Medicare  —  “Don't cut Medicare.  The reform bills passed by the House and Senate cut Medicare by approximately $500 billion.  This is wrong.”  So declared Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, in a recent op-ed article written with John Goodman, the president of the National Center for Policy Analysis.

House retirements pile up  —  A quartet of House members — Reps. Vern Ehlers (Mich.) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (Fla.) for Republicans, Reps. Diane Watson (Calif.) and Patrick Kennedy (R.I.) for Democrats — announced their retirements this week, bringing the total number of those not seeking re-election in 2010 to 32.

Where the U.S. went wrong on the Christmas Day bomber  —  It seems to me unlikely that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab will be known to future generations of lawyers for generating any groundbreaking legal principle or issue.  But when it comes to illuminating our public discourse about the …

Bill Clinton Leaves Hospital  —  Former President, 63 Years Old, Receives Two Stents in Coronary Artery After Chest Pains  —  Former President Bill Clinton speaks during an interview in New York on Sept. 17, 2009.  —  Former President Bill Clinton was recovering at his Chappaqua, N.Y., home Friday after undergoing a heart procedure.

Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy Bus Into Rolling Study Hall  —  VAIL, Ariz. — Students endure hundreds of hours on yellow buses each year getting to and from school in this desert exurb of Tucson, and stir-crazy teenagers break the monotony by teasing, texting, flirting, shouting, climbing (over seats) and sometimes punching (seats or seatmates).

Appeals court: Nude dancing still considered art  —  Hamburg, Ia.  — Nude dancing is still an art form in Iowa, at least at a strip club in the tiny town of Hamburg.  —  The Iowa Court of Appeals on Wednesday dismissed the state's request for a review of the issue.

Health Reform in Limbo, Top Drug Lobbyist Quits  —  Billy Tauzin, the former Louisiana congressman, is resigning as president of the drug industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America amid internal disputes over its pact with the White House to trade political support …

Who Owns Your PC?  New Anti-Piracy Windows 7 Update “Phones Home” to Microsoft Every 90 Days  —  Greetings.  Sometimes a seemingly small software update can usher in a whole new world.  When Microsoft shortly pushes out a Windows 7 update with the reportedly innocuous title …

Why It Is Cool To Murder Muslims - From The Brave Mujahideen  —  This Jawa Report exclusive was provided by the brave online Jihadis at the forums.  And remember, all your forums are belong to us.  You have no chance to survive make your time.  Ha Ha Ha.  —  So here is the slow-down.

Closing the new frontier  —  “We have an agreement until 2012 that Russia will be responsible for this,” says Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency, about ferrying astronauts from other countries into low-Earth orbit.  “But after that?  Excuse me, but the prices should be absolutely different then!”

Lawmakers' rush to punish banks threatens recovery  —  The 5.7 percent annualized growth rate in this country's fourth-quarter GDP numbers and newly released statistics on increased factory output in parts of Europe and Asia give great hope that we are well on the road to economic recovery.