Fighting Off Depression  —  “If we don't act swiftly and boldly,” declared President-elect Barack Obama in his latest weekly address, “we could see a much deeper economic downturn that could lead to double-digit unemployment.”  If you ask me, he was understating the case.

The Three-State Option  —  War in the Gaza Strip demonstrates yet again that the current governance paradigm for the Palestinian people has failed.  Terrorists financed and supplied by Iran control Gaza; the Palestinian Authority is broken, probably irretrievably; and economic development is stalled in Gaza and the West Bank.

Funny Business in Minnesota  —  In which every dubious ruling seems to help Al Franken.  —  Strange things keep happening in Minnesota, where the disputed recount in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken may be nearing a dubious outcome.  Thanks to the machinations …

Top Of The Morning  —  Countercyclical spending: Obama plans payroll tax relief for those receiving the earned income tax credit — that's a direct stimulus jolt for lower middle class Americans.  A second part would give cash to struggling businesses by allowing them to write off …

Restore the Senate's Treaty Power  —  THE Constitution's Treaty Clause has long been seen, rightly, as a bulwark against presidential inclinations to lock the United States into unwise foreign commitments.  The clause will likely be tested by Barack Obama's administration …

The 7th Annual “20 Most Annoying Liberals Of 2008”  —  Honorable Mentions: Bill Ayers, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Juan Cole, Kent Conrad, The Daily Kos, Bill Delahunt, Glenn Greenwald, Alcee Hastings, Christopher Hitchens, The Huffington Post, Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. Caroline Kennedy …

The Times to Sell Display Ads on the Front Page  —  In its latest concession to the worst revenue slide since the Depression, The New York Times has begun selling display advertising on its front page, a step that has become increasingly common across the newspaper industry.

Bush first ex-prez to face limit on Secret Service protection  —  WASHINGTON — President George W. Bush's “after-life,” as Laura Bush calls the post-presidency, is shaping up to be pretty comfortable, with a Dallas office, staffers, Secret Service protection, a travel budget …

Speaker Makes Room for New No. 1 Democrat  —  WASHINGTON — When the 111th Congress convenes Tuesday, Representative Nancy Pelosi will return to her post as House speaker but in an entirely new role.  —  For the last two years, Ms. Pelosi, 68, of California, has been the driving force behind …

Argentina Is Short of Cash - Literally  —  Spare some change?  —  Suppose you want to ride the bus or feed a parking meter without exact change.  Or suppose you just want to drop a few cents in a street musician's hat.  Nothing easier, right?  Not if you live in Argentina.

As Vacant Office Space Grows, So Does Lenders' Crisis  —  Vacancy rates in office buildings exceed 10 percent in virtually every major city in the country and are rising rapidly, a sign of economic distress that could lead to yet another wave of problems for troubled lenders.

Kagan nominated for solicitor general  —  Elena Kagan, Harvard law school's dean, will be the new solicitor general, President-elect Barack Obama's transition office announced.  —  She will be Obama's voice at the US Supreme Court, and she has been considered a potential Democratic appointee to the Court itself.

One Gender's Crash  —  Let me begin with the caveats: I like men.  My husband is one, as are my two sons.  I have spent most of my career surrounded by men, and I have no major complaints.  But as the financial debacle unfolds, I can't help noticing that all the perpetrators …

Washington Post's Managing Editor to Step Down  —  Philip Bennett, The Washington Post's managing editor, said today he is stepping down after four years as the paper's second-ranking news executive.  —  Bennett, 49, said he had “a feeling that I'd been running for a long time as fast as I could go …

‘Like Son Jeb as President’  —  Former President Bush (there's currently only one of those!) has endorsed his other governor-son for president.  As we await David Paterson's Caroline Kennedy Senate appointment, I have to think that Jeb for President is not the craziest idea.

Can the US economy afford a Keynesian stimulus?  —  Economic policy is based on a collection of half-truths.  The nature of these half-truths changes occasionally.  Economics as a scholarly discipline consists in the periodic rediscovery and refinement of old half-truths.

Obama Girls Start School at Sidwell  —  It remains awfully difficult to catch a glimpse of First Kids-to-Be Malia and Sasha Obama, but at least we can say for certain where they are this morning: getting to know their new classmates at the Sidwell Friends campuses in upper Northwest Washington and Bethesda.