Obama slams GOP for stalling jobless benefits  —  President Obama slammed Senate Republicans Saturday for blocking the extension of unemployment benefits.  —  In his weekly radio address, Obama said keeping those benefits in place would put money in people's pockets, leading to more consumer spending that could boost local economies.

Margaret Thatcher's family are ‘appalled’ at Meryl Streep film  —  Film about Margaret Thatcher's life, which is expected to star Meryl Streep, shows the former prime minister as a dementia-sufferer looking back at her life with sadness.  —  Tim Walker.  —  Although the prospect …

TRENDING: Vitter sorry for Maddow comment  —  Vitter is apologizing for a comment poking run at Rachel Maddow.  —  (Updated with additional context)  —  (CNN) - Republican Sen. David Vitter apologized to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow Friday after jesting on a radio program that she only looked like a woman “a long time ago.”

Mary Matalin: Tea Party Express Mark Williams Is A ‘Crackpot’ With ‘No Influence’  —  There has been a rather ugly conflict between the NAACP and the Tea Party movement that has heated up of late, centering around the use of “colored people” and a satirical letter written by Mark Williams, a Tea Party Express organizer.

Introducing The Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit  —  For your entertainment pleasure this Friday evening, the folks at NewsBusters want to introduce you to “The Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit.”  —  Did you buy into Hope and Change a few years ago only to now feel embarrassed by what's adorning your wheels?

The Blegging Bowl 1  —  Yesterday I posted a bleg asking readers of AndrewSullivan.com and FrumForum.com for help writing a one-sentence description of a modernized, reformed conservatism.  We've had a stunning response: almost 200 suggestions, via email from AndrewSullivan readers and in the comments section at FrumForum.

A Mosque Grows Near Brooklyn  —  The dubious financing of ‘Cordoba House’ deserves scrutiny.  —  Since a proposal to construct a 15-story mosque and community center two blocks from Ground Zero was announced last year, the project has been a focus of widening protests.

America's Ruling Class — And the Perils of Revolution  —  As over-leveraged investment houses began to fail in September 2008, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, of major corporations, and opinion leaders stretching from the National Review magazine (and the Wall Street Journal) …

Mexican drug cartels' newest weapon: Cold War-era grenades made in U.S.  —  MEXICO CITY — Grenades made in the United States and sent to Central America during the Cold War have resurfaced as terrifying new weapons in almost weekly attacks by Mexican drug cartels.

Treasury Makes A Mistake - Claiming They Are Not Blocking Elizabeth Warren  —  It's one thing to block Elizabeth Warren from heading the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  —  It's quite another thing to deny in public, for the record, that any such blocking is going on (e.g. …

Professor Of Military History Weighs in on the Implausibility of Bellesiles's Story  —  The Chronicle of Higher Education has not yet revealed the results of its investigation of the veracity of Michael Bellesiles's story about a dying soldier and his student brother.

For BP, Rising Pressure in Oil Well Seen as a Positive Sign  —  As the Gulf of Mexico entered a third day free of fresh oil from BP's blown-out well, a company official said Saturday that there were still no signs of damage in the 13,000-foot-deep hole.  —  “We're very encouraged at this point …

Wealthy Reduce Buying in a Blow to the Recovery  —  The economic recovery has been helped in large part by the spending of the most affluent.  Now, even the rich appear to be tightening their belts.  —  Late last year, the highest-income households started spending more confidently, while other consumers held back.

Weekly Address: Filibustering Recovery & Obstructing Progress  —  The President blasts Republicans in the Senate who are blocking unemployment insurance and small business tax breaks to create jobs — even as they push for permanent, massive tax cuts for the richest Americans.  —  Click here to see the video.

What Went Wrong: The Rahm Factor  —  A fascinating and depressing interview with David Obey: … But remember, the Cossacks work for the czar.

A conservative dismisses right-wing Black Panther ‘fantasies’  —  A scholar whom President George W. Bush appointed vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Abigail Thernstrom has a reputation as a tough conservative critic of affirmative action and politically correct positions on race.