Exclusive: W.H. privately plots 2012 campaign run  —  President Barack Obama's top advisers are quietly laying the groundwork for the 2012 reelection campaign, which is likely to be run out of Chicago and managed by White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina, according to Democrats familiar with the discussions.

Senate passes $15 billion jobs bill on bipartisan vote  —  The Senate easily passed a $15 billion jobs bill on Wednesday morning amid hope that the measure could provide a blueprint for other items on President Obama's agenda.  —  The measure passed 70 to 28, with 13 Republicans joining 57 Democrats in support of the package.

The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Salon  —  Vanity Fair colleague Michael Wolff, though not a licensed clinician or chiropodist, renders what seems to me an inarguable diagnosis of the current conservative condition, i.e., they've gone loco:  —  Having whipped themselves into dishrag fatigue …

My Gift to the Obama Presidency  —  Though the White House won't want to admit it, Bush lawyers were protecting the executive's power to fight a vigorous war on terror.  —  Barack Obama may not realize it, but I may have just helped save his presidency.  How?

Miss Beverly Hills tries to one-up Carrie Prejean, says it's divine law that gays be put to death.  —  Last year, Miss California Carrie Prejean endeared herself to the right wing when she answered a question about same-sex marriage by saying that she believes marriage “should be between a man and a woman.”

OBAMA & DEMS IN ‘05: 51 VOTE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ IS ‘ARROGANT’ POWER GRAB AGAINST THE FOUNDERS’ INTENT  —  Biden: “I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don't make the kind of naked power grab you are doing.”

US diplomats add a moat to their expenses at $1bn London embassy  —  The United States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London — the most expensive it has ever built.  —  The proposals were met with relief from both the present embassy's Mayfair neighbours …

One Of Obama's Great Achievements May Be Unraveling  —  Was it only two weeks ago that Joe Biden explained that Iraq was on track to become “one of the great achievements” of the Obama Administration?  Now Thomas Ricks, author of “Fiasco” and “The Gamble”, warns us of the fragile stability …

Top Palin aide resigns  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's senior adviser and spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton has resigned, POLITICO has learned.  —  Stapleton has been a Palin confidant since December 2006 and one of the governor's most trusted aides since she was vaulted onto …

Testimony  —  Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress  —  Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.  —  Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Bachus, and other members of the Committee, I am pleased to present the Federal Reserve's …

Poll: Americans place blame for partisanship  —  Washington (CNN) — Two-thirds of Americans think that the Republicans in Congress are not doing enough to cooperate with President Obama, according to a new national poll.  —  But a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, released Wednesday …

Serious threat to the web in Italy  —  In late 2006, students at a school in Turin, Italy filmed and then uploaded a video to Google Video that showed them bullying an autistic schoolmate.  The video was totally reprehensible and we took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police.

Son of Hamas founder spied for Israel for more than a decade  —  The son of one of Hamas's founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged today.

Harry Reid Launches New “Vote For Me Or The Wife Gets It” Campaign  —  Just hours after revealing that unemployed men in Nevada “tend to be abusive” toward their wives and facing the prospect of joblessness himself with an election this fall, Harry Reid has launched a bold new …

Contractors outnumber full-time workers at DHS; lawmakers ‘astounded’  —  Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins call the hiring situation at the Department of Homeland Security ‘unacceptable.’.  —  Washington (CNN) - The Department of Homeland Security has more contractors working …

Health Care No Stranger To Reconciliation Process … text sizeAAA  —  To reconcile or not to reconcile — when it comes to a health overhaul bill, that seems to be the biggest argument of the moment.  —  At issue is a process called budget reconciliation.

Election 2010: Texas Republican Primary for Governor  —  Texas GOP Primary: Perry 48%, Hutchison 27%, Medina 16%  —  Just days before Texas Republicans pick their nominee for governor, incumbent Rick Perry has his biggest lead yet.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey …

Here's Why Government Stimulus Does Not Work  —  Here's why the government stimulus worked: it kept hundreds of thousands of Americans at work, at least.  It added percentage points to GDP.  It sent billions of dollars to unemployed and low income Americans to prop up private demand as consumption was ready to fall off a cliff.

Wall Street shifting political contributions to Republicans  —  Commercial banks and high-flying investment firms have shifted their political contributions toward Republicans in recent months amid harsh rhetoric from Democrats about fat bank profits, generous bonuses and stingy lending policies on Wall Street.

UnHAMPered  —  FDR's superb fix for our housing crisis.  —  The government response to the financial crisis has been a spectacular success for the financial industry.  Big banks are now solvent—on paper at least—and have returned to paying bonuses that strike most Americans as, well, vulgar.