First-person Socialism  —  I think our president needs to invest more in the use of the third-person “government,” since his speeches more and more center on the narcissistic “I” and “me.”  Even the car-takeover speech was “I-ed” to death.  E.g. My Auto Task Force And so today …

‘New York Times’ Spiked Obama Donor Story  —  Congressional Testimony: ‘Game-Changer’ Article Would Have Connected Campaign With ACORN  —  A lawyer involved with legal action against Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) told a House Judiciary subcommittee on March 19 …

Despite McCain's Comments, Senate GOP Not Offering Detailed Budget  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Much has been made in recent days about divisions inside the House Republican caucus over how to frame the party's opposition to President Obama's budget.

DNC chair infuriates abortion backers  —  Tim Kaine, the Virginia governor and President Barack Obama's hand-picked choice as the head of the Democratic National Committee, infuriated abortion-rights groups Monday by signing legislation that gives abortion foes an important symbolic win.

Angie Harmon: I'm Not Racist Because I Disagree With Obama  —  Angie Harmon is not afraid to come out and say she doesn't like how President Obama is handling the job — but she's sick of having to defend herself from being deemed a racist.  —  “Here's my problem with this, I'm just going to come out and say it.

U.S. Decides to Release Detainee at Guantánamo  —  The Justice Department announced Monday that the administration had decided to release a detainee at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, a Yemeni doctor who the Bush administration once claimed had taken part in an anthrax program of Al Qaeda.

Dem Strategists: Sarah Palin Is The New Rush Limbaugh  —  Is the Rush Limbaugh strategy giving way to the Sarah Palin strategy?  —  Multiple Democratic strategists say the party plans to increasingly elevate Palin in the same manner it has employed Rush for weeks, using her high-visibility …

Legal Group's Neutrality Is Challenged  —  Two weeks ago, the American Bar Association's eight-year exile ended.  The Obama administration restored the group to the special status it had enjoyed since the Eisenhower years, and it will once again get early word about potential nominees to the federal bench.

Murtha's defense of earmark gobbling  —  But it was this line that caught our eye:

PAYDAY: GM's Rick Wagoner Drives Away with $20M Retirement  —  Critic Calls Multi-Million Package “Perfect Example” of Frustration with Industry  —  Rick Wagoner will leave his post as CEO of bailed-out General Motors with a $20 million retirement package, the company's financial filings show.

Most Americans Don't Blame Obama for Economy, Poll Finds  —  The number of Americans who believe that the nation is headed in the right direction has roughly tripled since Barack Obama's election, and the public overwhelmingly blames the excesses of the financial industry, rather than the new president …

Clinton Calls Years of Afghan Aid ‘Heartbreaking’ in Their Futility  —  The billions of dollars spent in U.S. aid to Afghanistan over the past seven years have been largely wasted, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday.  —  “For those of you who have been on the ground in Afghanistan …

Experts: Obama needs to watch the gaffes  —  Instant Internet communication and an explosion in political commentary are magnifying President Obama's gaffes and administration missteps, and could erode his popularity faster than that of other presidents, say experts from both left and right.

OBAMA'S MOST PERILOUS LEGAL PICK  —  JUDGES should interpret the Constitution according to other nations' legal “norms.”  Sharia law could apply to disputes in US courts.  The United States constitutes an “axis of disobedience” along with North Korea and Saddam-era Iraq.

POLITICS-US: Let Spy Laws Fade into the Sunset, Group Urges  —  One of the nation's leading legal rights groups is calling on the U.S. Congress to make major changes in the USA Patriot Act to reverse parts of the hurriedly passed law that have been found unconstitutional or have been abused to collect information on innocent people.

Romney's work puts him in 2012 political spotlight  —  BOSTON (AP) — Mitt Romney is building toward a White House bid in 2012 by judiciously engaging and disengaging with the national debate.  —  The former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican presidential candidate is speaking at a political fundraiser Tuesday in Chicago.

Fire kills child, 3, and parents as police prevent neighbours from trying to rescue them  —  A pregnant woman, her husband and their three-year-old son were killed in a house fire early yesterday as police who arrived before the fire brigade prevented neighbours from trying to save them.

The Swastika and the Cedar  —  In newly liberated Lebanon, the signposts on “the Arab street” point in opposite directions.  The author's experiences—he was buoyed by a huge rally for democracy in downtown Beirut, then beaten up by Fascist bullies—show how much this diverse society offers hope …

Obama hits e-campaign trail  —  Who's going to ignore an e-mail from “President Barack Obama”?  —  He's hitting in-boxes Monday night with a reminder to Democrats in New York's 20th Congressional District to get out and vote Tuesday for businessman Scott Murphy.

How a Modern Depression Might Look — If the U.S. Gets There  —  In the wake of the biggest financial shock since 1929, economists say the odds of a depression are less than 50-50 — though still uncomfortably high.  But even if a depression comes to pass, a 21st-century version would look very different from the one 80 years ago.

Banks Starting to Walk Away on Foreclosures  —  SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Mercy James thought she had lost her rental property here to foreclosure.  A date for a sheriff's sale had been set, and notices about the foreclosure process were piling up in her mailbox.

House rejects Flake's call for PMA investigation  —  For the sixth time, the House has rejected a resolution by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to initiate an ethics investigation into the relationship between lawmakers at the PMA Group.  This time, however, Flake gained more Democratic supporter than any of the previous votes.

The soul-fixer-in-chief is here to dry your tears  —  Reuters is running a story on the Obama administration's new federally subsidized counseling services/referrals for those suffering from depression related to the economy.  As usual, the government's prescription for pain is...more government.

Americans Divided on Treasury Secretary Geithner  —  Democrats approve; Republicans disapprove  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are split essentially down the middle when asked to assess the job Tim Geithner is doing as Treasury secretary: 42% say they approve, 40% disapprove, and 18% have no opinion.

Catholics Similar to Mainstream on Abortion, Stem Cells  —  Catholics actually more liberal on some issues  — USA - Abortion - Moral Issues - Religion - Religion and Social Trends - Stem Cell Research - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Despite the Roman Catholic Church's …

20th CD, La Deluge  —  Even as Jim Tedisco plans an all-night sprint of campaigning leading up to tomorrow's 20th CD special election, Republicans are privately lowering expectations and rather gloomily suggesting that this could be the beginning of the end for them in New York.  Again.