There Will Be Blood  —  Former Senator Alan Simpson is a Very Serious Person.  He must be — after all, President Obama appointed him as co-chairman of a special commission on deficit reduction.  —  So here's what the very serious Mr. Simpson said on Friday: “I can't wait for the blood bath in April. ...

View from Mideast: Obama's a problem  —  JERUSALEM — Vowing to change a region that has resisted the best efforts of presidents and prime ministers past, Barack Obama dove head first into the Middle East peace process on his second day in office.  —  He was supposed to be different.

Obama Politically Tone Deaf On TSA Outrage  —  President Obama spoke yesterday about the outrage that has swept the country over new TSA screening procedures, and his response strikes me as being incredibly non-responsive to the concerns that people have raised about procedures that many consider to be incredibly invasive:

Special Underwear Makes Your Privates Invisible to TSA Scanners  —  Citizens, take heart: Even as our country falls under the total domination of our new TSA overlords, capitalism continues unabated.  A Colorado man has developed undergarments with special body scanner-blocking fig leafs to hide your privates.

Huckabee in Iowa: Palin potentially “a force” in 2012  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, one of three 2012 GOP presidential prospects in Iowa this month, said Sunday the next one on the schedule, Sarah Palin, would be a strong contender, should she decide to run.

Ailing Ireland Accepts Bailout  —  Nation Asks EU, IMF for Tens of Billions to Boost Banks and Public Finances  —  Ireland finally sought tens of billions in bailout money from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund after weeks of bickering that has exposed the limits …

Warren Buffett: Read My Lips, Raise My Taxes  —  Billionaire Buffett tells Amanpour Bush-era Tax Cuts for Rich Should Expire  —  In an exclusive interview on “This Week,” Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, told Christiane Amanpour that the rich should be paying more taxes …

'Don't ask, don't tell' study to be released day earlier than planned  —  Signaling the growing seriousness of the Obama administration's commitment this year to ending the military's ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces, the Defense Department said Sunday that it will release …

The Impact Today and Tomorrow of Chalmers Johnson  —  Next week, Foreign Policy magazine and its editor-in-chief Susan Glasser will be releasing its 2nd annual roster of the world's greatest thinkers and doers in foreign policy.  I have seen the list — and it's impressively creative and eclectic.

For NBC Sale, Tensions Rise in Washington  —  Comcast is still in negotiations with the government over its proposed takeover of NBC Universal, but that did not stop the cable company from announcing a new management slate for the entertainment giant last week.

Response to “Young Boy Strip Searched by TSA”  —  A video is being widely circulated showing a shirtless boy receiving secondary screening from a Transportation Security Officer (TSO).  A passenger filmed the screening with their cell phone and posted the video on the web.

Hillary Clinton Says She Won't Run Again for Elective Office  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today she won't run again for elective office, ruling out a future presidential bid.  —  “I am very happy doing what I'm doing and I am not in any way interested in or pursuing anything …

Deposition: Countrywide Never Sent Mortgage Notes to Trust; Mortgage-Backed Securities in Question  —  Christine at Foreclosure Industry gives her 10 reasons why the MERS problem cannot be fixed by legislation, and it's a pretty good list.  I would add that it's simply not the only problem …

WHAT GOOD IS WALL STREET?  —  Much of what investment bankers do is socially worthless.  —  A few months ago, I came across an announcement that Citigroup, the parent company of Citibank, was to be honored, along with its chief executive, Vikram Pandit, for “Advancing the Field of Asset Building in America.”

TSA airport screeners gone wild in San Diego- again  —  In what can only be described as TSA handlers gone wild, the San Diego Harbor Police arrested an area resident for refusal to complete the screening/security process yesterday.  This is the same airport that created the TSA security catch phrase “don't touch my junk.”