New York Post Chimp Cartoon Compares Stimulus Author To Dead Primate  —  A cartoon likening the author of the stimulus bill, perhaps President Barack Obama, with a rabid chimpanzee graced the pages of the New York Post on Wednesday.  —  The drawing, from famed cartoonist Sean Delonas …

Report: Hitchens beaten by pro-Syrian thugs in Beirut?  Update: “I was on the ground and getting it in the head”  —  Look on the bright side: This'll make for one hell of a Slate column once he gets back.  —  I can only assume they didn't recognize him, as the opportunity to scalp …

White House: Obama Opposes ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Revival  —  A White House spokesman tells FOXNews.com President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine.  —  FOXNews.com  —  President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine, a spokesman told FOXNews.com Wednesday.

Dems abandon Burris  —  Sen. Roland Burris is rapidly losing any political support he once had among colleagues, with Democrats from the statehouse to the White House raising questions about his entanglements with ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.  —  On Wednesday afternoon …

Holder: ‘Nation of cowards’ on race  —  Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that despite advances, the United States remains “a nation of cowards” on issues involving race.  —  “Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial …

Earmark Scandal Breaking  —  There's a potentially big story brewing on Capitol Hill... Apparently 104 members of Congress of both parties — 42 Republicans and 62 Democrats — secured earmarks for a lobbying firm linked to Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) in a single bill.

KANSAS GOVERNOR SEEN AS TOP CHOICE IN HEALTH POST  —  Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is emerging as President Obama's top choice for secretary of health and human services.  — Times Topics |  The New Team

Headless Body in Legless Story  —  Kathryn, that self-pitying imam is part of a now familiar pattern: Pay no attention to that dead body; the real victim here is Islam.  —  Beheaded woman in Buffalo?  “Shocked friend says murder damages Islam's image.”  —  Hindus, Jews and Christians massacred in Bombay?

Note, Mike Allen Fans Flag Non-Story  —  The Washington Times has a story trying to make a big deal out of the fact that Barack Obama often appears with American flags in public: “Look.  It's President Obama, and he's surrounded by American flags,” the piece said.

Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes  —  Prof. Marshall Grossman has come to expect complaints whenever he returns graded papers in his English classes at the University of Maryland.  —  “Many students come in with the conviction that they've worked hard and deserve a higher mark,” Professor Grossman said.

E.P.A. Expected to Regulate Carbon Dioxide  —  WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to act for the first time to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that scientists blame for the warming of the planet, according to top Obama administration officials.

ND House Passes Abortion Ban  —  North Dakota's House of Representatives has passed a bill effectively outlawing abortion.  —  The House voted 51-41 this afternoon to declare that a fertilized egg has all the rights of any person.  —  That means a fetus could not be legally aborted without the procedure being considered murder.

More scenes from Mesa: “I need a beachfront condo, Mr. President!”  —  I love this.  At the Mesa AZ protest against President Obama today, KFYI listeners brought signs telling Santa Obama what they wanted from the savior-based economy.  Hats off to KFYI's Bruce Jacobs and J.D. Hayworth.

A Swiss Bank Is Set to Open Its Secret Files  —  In the hush-hush world of Swiss banking, the unthinkable is happening: secrets are spilling into the open.  —  UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, agreed on Wednesday to divulge the names of well-heeled Americans whom the authorities suspect …

CA Lt. Gov. Garamendi: GOP an infection ‘spreading across the nation’ : Updated  —  The Republicans in the California legislature are trying to close down the entire state.  As everyone across America watches with awe how f*&ked up these idiot Republican politicians are acting …

GOP governors consider turning down stimulus money  —  BATON ROUGE, La. - A handful of Republican governors are considering turning down some money from the federal stimulus package, a move opponents say puts conservative ideology ahead of the needs of constituents struggling with record foreclosures and soaring unemployment.

Sam Donaldson: Media to End Kid Gloves With Obama  —  President Barack Obama has yet to get his feet on the ground.  George H. W. Bush is underrated, while John F. Kennedy is overrated.  Ronald Reagan did indeed help to end the Cold War.  And while he may have been a crook …

Accused Financier Under Federal Drug Investigation  —  Authorities: Stanford May Have Laundered Drug Money for Mexican Cartel  —  The SEC's fraud charges may be the least of accused financial scammer R. Allen Stanford's worries.  Federal authorities tell ABC News that the FBI and others …

Dobson students question Obama's plan  —  A Dobson High School Advanced Placement government class with strong opinions about Barack Obama watched the president's speech Wednesday on a small, grainy TV in the corner of their classroom.  —  Some of the students attentively watched the speech …

The New Deal and right-wing revisionism  —  ONE OF THE most diverting aspects of the debate over President Obama's stimulus plan has been the concerted conservative attack on the New Deal.  —  One might have thought that voters of that day had pretty much settled the question of whether …

KNOWLEDGE MAY BE POWER, BUT INFORMATION IS PROFIT.  —  Doc-blogger Kevin Pho — no liberal, and no fan of government action — writes in defense of federally-funded comparative effectiveness research.  “Physicians need an authoritative source of unbiased data, untainted by the influence …

Is That Fabulous New Toy Safe?  —  The American International Toy Fair in New York City this week has offered the newest and most tantalizing playthings in the world: walking plastic bugs, 3-D coloring sets, even Barbie, now 50 and wearing a golden outfit for the occasion.

Jury: Rancher didn't violate illegal immigrants' rights  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — A federal jury found Tuesday that a southern Arizona rancher didn't violate the civil rights of a group of illegal immigrants who said he detained them at gunpoint in 2004.  —  The eight-member civil jury …