Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain  —  Barack Obama has sent Sir Winston Churchill packing and pulse rates soaring among anxious British diplomats.  —  A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned …

TIME TO REFORM THE FILIBUSTER.... One of the striking aspects of the political process on the Hill is how quickly everyone has adapted to a once-rare tactic becoming routine.  Senate filibusters used to be exceedingly rare — a dramatic challenge only to be used under extraordinary circumstances.

The 7 stimulus lessons for the Dems  —  The stimulus fight is now history — but Democrats who don't study their stimulus mistakes are doomed to repeat them.  —  Two weeks of highly concentrated debate, backroom maneuvering, internecine fighting and reconciliation have taught …

Graham: Nationalizing Banks Should Be On The Table  —  In a gloomy segment about the financial sector on ABC'S This Week, two self-avowed fiscal conservatives said that the U.S. Government should at least consider nationalizing the country's banking system as a means of moving beyond the current lending crisis.

A Torture Report Could Spell Big Trouble For Bush Lawyers  —  From the magazine issue dated Feb 23, 2009  —  An internal Justice Department report on the conduct of senior lawyers who approved waterboarding and other harsh interrogation tactics is causing anxiety among former Bush administration officials.

Open Letter to a Craven Reporter in Iraq  —  I'm an independent reporter in Iraq, on assignment for a U.S. magazine (as well as a Huffingtonpost.com blogger).  I've just come off a three-week civilian tour of Anbar Province, living with sheiks and Iraqi civilians, trying to get a feel …

Taxpayer revolt: Porkulus protest in Seattle, Obama to sign theft act in Denver  —  There should be one of these in every town in America.  What are you doing?  Liberty Belle announces a taxpayer protest against the porkulus tomorrow in Seattle: … If you can get a real pig roast going, all the better!

Why Americans Hate the Media  —  In the late 1980s public-television stations aired a talking-heads series called Ethics in America.  For each show more than a dozen prominent citizens sat around a horseshoe-shaped table and tried to answer troubling ethical questions posed by a moderator.

WHAT'S THE RUSH?  —  ‘URGENT’ $TIMULUS ON HOLD FOR BAM'S WEEKEND OFF  —  After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway.  —  Obama arrived at his home in Chicago on Friday …

Gingrich's obstructionism becomes role model for House GOP.»  —  In 1993, former Speaker Newt Gingrich notoriously whipped the House GOP into opposing President Clinton's major initiatives, ranging from the budget to health care reform.  The New York Times reports that Gingrich …

Burris confirms request for Blagojevich donation  —  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Raising fresh questions about his appointment to Congress, Sen. Roland Burris admitted in a document released Saturday that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother asked him for campaign fundraising help before the governor named Burris as Illinois' junior senator.

Pakistan makes sharia law concession  —  Pakistan is to impose Islamic law in a vast region of the north-west called Malakand in an attempt to placate extremists, even as President Asif Zardari warns that they are “trying to take over the state”.  —  Pakistani Taliban militants who are in control …

Dems Fed Up With McCain: “Angry Old Defeated Candidate"ompr  —  Democrats are growing increasingly frustrated with the brash political attacks Sen. John McCain has launched against Barack Obama in the weeks since the new president took office.  No one expected the Arizona Republican to be a legislative ally for this administration.

Axelrod: Obama Has ‘Solid’ Housing Plan  —  The Obama administration this week will announce a “good, solid” plan with the goal of stemming mortgage foreclosures and putting a floor under falling real estate prices, a senior White House aide said on Sunday.  —  Speaking on “Fox News Sunday …