What's at Stake in Wisconsin's Budget Battle  —  Who's in charge of our political system—voters or unions?  —  This week President Obama was roundly criticized, even by many of his allies, for submitting a federal budget that actually increases our already crushing deficit.

House Votes to Cut $60 Billion, Setting Up Budget Clash  —  WASHINGTON — The House early Saturday approved a huge package of spending cuts, slashing more than $60 billion from domestic programs, foreign aid, and even some military projects, as the new Republican majority made good on its pledge …

Union Brothers and Sisters: Seize Opportunity to Show True Solidarity  —  The union-led school closures and demonstrations in Madison have left most ordinary Americans shaking their heads in disbelief.  Months ago, I penned a message to my fellow union brothers and sisters when I found myself …

Libya protests: 84 killed in growing unrest, says HRW  —  Former UK envoy to Libya: “The most exciting question is what happens in Tripoli” (Footage from Libyan TV and amateur sources)  —  The number of people killed in three days of protests in Libya has risen to 84, according to the New York-based group Human Rights Watch.

Why Does College Cost So Much?  —  Robert B. Archibald and David H. Feldman are economists at the College of William & Mary, a public university in Virginia, and the authors of “Why Does College Cost So Much?”  If you want the brief version, you could look at an op-ed article by the two economists …

Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President  —  Lincoln and Clinton next on the list; Washington fifth  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Ahead of Presidents Day 2011, Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president — slightly ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton.

Allen West lashes out at the “ignorance and dishonest rhetoric” of Congressional Democrats  —  After serving over a month in Congress, Representative Allen West, a Tea Party favorite is less than impressed with democrats from the other side of the aisle.  —  He wrote his sentiments in a press release.

A Place on the Right for a Few Godless Conservatives  —  As a child, Razib Khan spent several weeks studying in a Bangladeshi madrasa.  Heather Mac Donald once studied literary deconstructionism and clerked for a left-wing judge.  In neither case did the education take.

Libyan Disconnect  —  Renesys confirms that the 13 globally routed Libyan network prefixes were withdrawn at 23:18 GMT (Friday night, 1:18am Saturday local time), and Libya is off the Internet.  One Libyan route originated by Telecom Italia directly is still BGP-reachable, but inbound traceroutes appear to die in Palermo.

Protesters in Bahrain retake downtown square  —  Manama, Bahrain (CNN) — Thousands of joyous Bahrainis retook a landmark square in the nation's capital Saturday — a dramatic turn of events two days after security forces ousted demonstrators from the spot in a deadly dead-of-night push.

Just Wondering  —  A reader asks a good question about news coverage of events in Wisconsin: … Heh.  We all remember how liberal news coverage of tea party rallies rarely failed to note that they were “predominantly white.”  Somehow, that is no longer a salient fact …

U.S.-TALIBAN TALKS  —  On August 22, 1998, Mullah Omar, the emir of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, made a cold call to the State Department.  The United States had just lobbed cruise missiles at Al Qaeda camps in his nation.  Omar got a mid-level diplomat on the line and spoke calmly.

Planned Parenthood Funding Voted Down  —  Amendment Passes Despite Stunning Personal Testimony From Rep. Jackie Speier  —  The House of Representatives Friday passed a measure to end federal funding for abortion provider Planned Parenthood a day after Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif. …

Hillary Clinton: Israeli Settlements ‘Illegitimate’  —  Secretary of State Calls Working Toward Mideast Peace Her ‘Highest Priority’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Israeli settlements “illegitimate” shortly before the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council …