For Obama, Tax Deal Is a Back-Door Stimulus  —  A year ago, President Obama and the Democrats made the mistake of assuming that an economic recovery was under way.  This week's deal to extend the Bush tax cuts shows that the White House's top priority is avoiding the same mistake again …

Obama's Deal to Extend High-Earner Tax Cuts Unpopular in Poll  —  Americans don't approve of keeping the breaks for upper-income taxpayers that are part of the deal President Barack Obama brokered with congressional Republicans, a Bloomberg National Poll shows.

LOOKING FOR PLAN B.... The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Bob Greenstein, who has as much liberal credibility on budget and tax issues as anyone, doesn't seem to like the “disturbing negative” provisions of the tax policy deal struck by the White House and congressional Republicans.

Four Ways To Make The Tax Deal Better.  —  Tax deal apologist that I am, it behooves me to offer some constructive criticism, too, along with a reminder that this deal isn't final until the legislative process makes it so: Congressional Democrats, unable to unify around an original proposal, may try and adapt this framework.

Harry Reid tries to add online poker to tax bill  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to use the tax cut package President Barack Obama brokered with Republicans to legalize online poker, POLITICO has learned — a move that could further complicate the deal Obama announced Monday.

Christine O'Donnell: Extending Unemployment Benefits A ‘Tragedy’ Like Pearl Harbor  —  For the past year, conservatives have used specious, callous, and occasionally offensive arguments against extending unemployment benefits for jobless Americans, but former Delaware GOP Senate nominee …

COLLINS POSITIONED TO KILL DADT REPEAL.... We talked earlier Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) surprise move this morning: he's getting started tonight on the defense authorization act, which includes a provision on repealing “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”