Massa Implicates Emanuel, Dem Leaders  —  Embattled Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) lashed out in an emotional radio appearance Sunday, accusing Dem leaders of what he suggested was an orchestrated campaign to force his resignation.  —  “There's a reason that this has all happened …

The Limits of Rahmism  —  AS A DOZEN or so top White House officials gathered in Rahm Emanuel's corner West Wing office one morning in early January, the president's political director, Patrick Gaspard, reported on the latest poll numbers in Massachusetts.  With less than two weeks until …

Sarah Palin heads north.  Er, south.  Er, to Calgary.  —  It was little surprise that Sarah Palin's first visit to our home and native land (of public health care and gay marriage) would be in Calgary.  It also shouldn't be surprising that she was able to curry favour with the local crowd …

Obama-Bush Same Mistakes: President Repeats Stumbles  —  Who would have thought that one of Barack Obama's biggest missteps as President would be repeating some of the bad habits of George W. Bush?  No single factor was more instrumental in Obama's 2008 victory than his pledge to completely reverse …

Republicans scold Liz Cheney  —  A group that includes leading conservative lawyers and policy experts, former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and several senior officials of the last Bush Administration, is denouncing as “shameful” Republican attacks on lawyers who came to the Obama Justice Department …

The story behind Oscar's “Kanye moment”  —  We talk to the two filmmakers whose personal fight became one of the ceremony's weirdest moments … People are already saying you “pulled a Kanye.”  What happened?  —  BURKETT: What happened was the director and I had a bad difference …

Obama takes health care message to Philadelphia  —  President Obama began a pivotal week for his health-care legislation with a Monday morning speech in which he strongly criticized the insurance industry, holding up rising premiums and lost coverage as the imperatives driving his reform efforts.

Illinois Democrat Lipinski Will Switch from Yes to No if Health Bill Lacks Stupak Amendment  —  Add Congressman Dan Lipinski of Illinois to the coalition of pro-life Democrats standing firmly with Bart Stupak in the fight over taxpayer-funding of abortion in the health care bill.

THE GOP STILL JUST DOESN'T LIKE THE UNEMPLOYED.... It's astounding, but in the midst of an unemployment crisis, prominent Republicans continue to castigate those struggling to find jobs.  —  Yesterday, for example, disgraced former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) argued that unemployment benefits …

Obama Looks to Rally Public in ‘Uphill Battle’ on Health Bill  —  President Barack Obama this week kicks off a final push to salvage a health-care overhaul plan that faces opposition from the public and resistance from members of his own Democratic Party.  —  While Obama has brought the effort …

An Irish Mirror  —  Everyone has a theory about the financial crisis.  These theories range from the absurd to the plausible — from claims that liberal Democrats somehow forced banks to lend to the undeserving poor (even though Republicans controlled Congress) to the belief …

Déjà vu all over again … A Republican on Capitol Hill points out that we're going through a health care press coverage time warp.  In each of the following four headline pairs, one is from this morning.  The other is from last year.  See if you can guess which is which.

Program Will Pay Homeowners to Sell at a Loss  —  In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes.  Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.  —  This latest program, which will allow owners …

The Death Of Conservatism, Ctd  —  The chattering classes at this moment are declaring the rebirth of conservatism in the energy on the Republican ideological right, the likelihood of major Democratic losses this fall, the success of the Republican party in defining the essentially pragmatic …

Corker And Alexander Place Hold On Aviation Funding Bill To Prevent FedEx Drivers From Unionizing  —  Last year, the House of Representatives passed a bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration and devoting $70 billion to airport infrastructure through 2012.

Where are Obama's foreign confidants?  —  I recently asked several senior administration officials, separately, to name a foreign leader with whom Barack Obama has forged a strong personal relationship during his first year in office.  A lot of hemming and hawing ensued.