All the President's Captors  —  THOSE desperate to decipher the baffling Obama presidency could do worse than consult an article titled “Understanding Stockholm Syndrome” in the online archive of The F.B.I. Law Enforcement Bulletin.  It explains that hostage takers are most successful …

Expressing gratitude  —  This is Israel's hour of need and nations across the world did not disappoint.  —  Talkbacks (9)  — Facebook  — Twitter  —  Over these last few painful, shocking days, there has been a shining light through the dark, ashfilled skies elicited by the rampant fires …

Mounting State Debts Stoke Fears of a Looming Crisis  —  The State of Illinois is still paying off billions in bills that it got from schools and social service providers last year.  Arizona recently stopped paying for certain organ transplants for people in its Medicaid program.

McConnell says deal likely over tax cuts and jobless benefits  —  Washington (CNN) - The top Republican in the U.S. Senate said Sunday that a deal is likely on extending Bush-era tax cuts for everyone, along with unemployment benefits that have expired.  —  However, Senate Minority Leader …

What if the Secrets Stayed Secret?  —  I READ the Monday New York Times with what can only be described as a sinking feeling.  —  Here on display, based on yet another WikiLeaks release, was the breathtaking disclosure of American diplomats' highly sensitive internal communications about friends and enemies.

Gingrich ‘more inclined’ to run in 2012  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that he's leaning toward a run for president in 2012.  —  Gingrich told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace that he's “much more inclined to run than not run.”  —  Gingrich said that he and his wife Calista …

Cables Suggest Mideast Resists U.S. on Cutting Terrorists' Cash  —  WASHINGTON — Nine years after the United States vowed to shut down the money pipeline that finances terrorism, senior Obama administration officials say they believe that many millions of dollars are flowing largely unimpeded …

State Department To Columbia University Students: DO NOT Discuss WikiLeaks On Facebook, Twitter  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … Talking about WikiLeaks on Facebook or Twitter could endanger your job prospects, a State Department official warned students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs this week.

WikiLeaks Ready to Release Giant ‘Insurance’ File if Shut Down  —  Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, has circulated across the internet an encrypted “poison pill” cache of uncensored documents suspected to include files on BP and Guantanamo Bay.  —  One of the files identified this weekend …

It's the Big Questions That Slow Growth  —  UNCERTAINTY is frequently blamed for the sorry state of the economy — for why businesses are not investing strongly in new equipment or hiring more workers, and for why consumers are not spending freely.  On Wall Street, it's even said that government meddling …

Dem: We could have let economy fall and been in majority for 40 years  —  Retiring Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) said that Democrats wisely passed the 2008 financial rescue bill, but it cost them politically.  —  Addressing the economic collapse of 2008 and the subsequent passage …

What Else Would $60 Billion Buy?  —  $60 Billion: The approximate amount that extending the Bush tax cuts on income above $250,000 a year — which Congress seems on the verge of doing — will cost a year, in inflation-adjusted terms.  On average, the affluent households that benefit from these cuts will save $25,000 annually.

Now it's all or nothing on tax cuts  —  Senate Republicans blocked two Democratic measures Saturday that would have eliminated the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy, forcing both parties back to the negotiating table if they want to avert a tax hike next year for all Americans.