White House: If GOP Filibusters, We'll Pass Health Reform Via Reconciliation  —  The game of chicken commenceth — right now.  —  In the course of unveiling Obama's new health reform proposal on a conference call with reporters this morning, White House advisers made it clearer than ever before …

Republicans Voting Against Stimulus Then Asked Obama for Money  —  Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) — Alabama Republicans Jo Bonner and Robert Aderholt took to the U.S. House floor in July, denouncing the Obama administration's stimulus plan for failing to boost employment.  “Where are the jobs?” each of them asked.

(2 of 2)  —  “Looking at it from a cultural, historical perspective, this organization should be called ‘Planned Barrenhood’ because they have nothing to do with families, they have nothing to do with responsibility,” Marshall said.  —  Nelson suggested that the organization be called …

THE DEFLATIONIST  —  How Paul Krugman found politics.  —  When it is cold at home, or he has a couple of weeks with nothing to do but write his Times column, or when something unexpectedly stressful happens, like winning the Nobel Prize, the Princeton economist Paul Krugman and his wife, Robin Wells, go to St. Croix.

On ‘ask,’ Lieberman answers the call: An exclusive chat about Don't Ask, Don't Tell  —  WASHINGTON - Just when you thought Joe Lieberman couldn't frustrate and perplex liberals any further, he is going off to become chief sponsor of the most significant piece of socially progressive legislation that Congress will deal with this year.

Zazi Pleads Guilty to Terror Charges; Admits Subway Plot  —  Najibullah Zazi, the Afghan immigrant who was a key player in what the federal authorities have said was one of the most serious threats to the United States since the 9/11 attacks, pleaded guilty on Monday to terrorism charges after admitting to a plot to blow up the subways.

Scientology Church hires reporters to investigate newspaper  —  After decades of digging into the Church of Scientology, reporters and editors at the St. Petersburg Times are accustomed to being denounced by its leaders.  —  But they find it unsettling that three veteran journalists …

The Torture Memo Author You've Never Heard Of  —  The Torture Memos will forever be known as the work of John Yoo, the former Office of Legal Counsel lawyer who took the lead in preparing them.  But the internal Justice Department report on the memos, released Friday, reveals …

The Bankruptcy Boys  —  O.K., the beast is starving.  Now what?  That's the question confronting Republicans.  But they're refusing to answer, or even to engage in any serious discussion about what to do.  —  For readers who don't know what I'm talking about: ever since Reagan …

Obama Biography Is Coming From New Yorker Editor  —  Updated David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, who has already written extensively about President Obama in the pages of his own magazine, will soon have another platform to do so.  The Alfred A. Knopf imprint of Random House said Monday …

Sen. John McCain: I was misled on bailout  —  Under growing pressure from conservatives and “tea party” activists, Sen. John McCain of Arizona is having to defend his record of supporting the government's massive bailout of the financial system.  —  In response to criticism from opponents seeking …

EXCLUSIVE: Stack's Daughter Calls Dad a Hero, Plane Attack ‘Inappropriate’  —  Joe Stack's Daughter Samantha Bell: ‘Zero Signs’ to Father's Rage; Victim's Son Said His Dad's the Real Hero  —  The daughter of the man who carried out a suicide plane attack against the IRS in Texas said she considered …

Economist: If Only Obama Had Done Things He's Actually Done, Things Might Be Different  —  The Economist has put together a good website featuring a number of good blogs, which has tended to obscure from me the fact that their coverage of US politics remains remarkably bad—a mix of center-right ideological commitments and sloppiness.

National pollster: Gibbons closing, Tea Party a factor and voters super-negative  —  Those are the findings of a survey done for the retailers association by national GOP pollster Glen Bolger of 500 Nevadans who say they are likely to vote.  —  The survey, taken a week ago …

RESPONDING TO KEITH OLBERMANN: The Dallas Tea Party Invites the White People of MSNBC.  Heh.  —  The funny thing is, more people will probably watch these YouTube videos mocking Keith Olbermann . . . than watch Keith Olbermann.

Sting in the pay of tyrannical Uzbekistan regime  —  Sting accepted more than £1m to play for the Uzbek dictator's daughter, reports Marina Hyde  —  Once again we must ponder the question “how much money is enough?”, inspired by reports that Sting accepted between £1m and £2m …

Senate GOP worried tax credits in jobs bill could flow to illegal immigrants  —  Senate Republicans are concerned that the jobs bill set for a preliminary vote Monday could fund tax credits for employers to hire illegal immigrants.  —  The GOP expressed worries that the $15 billion jobs package crafted …