Roman the Rapist  —  A Commentary By Susan Estrich  —  He had sex with a 13-year-old girl.  He got her to go to Jack Nicholson's house by promising that she would be in a photo shoot.  When she got there, he fed her a Quaalude and alcohol — champagne for a 13-year-old, how enticing — and then he raped her.

Stimulus Spending Doesn't Work  —  Our new research shows no evidence of a Keynesian ‘multiplier’ effect.  There is evidence that tax cuts boost growth.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The global recession and financial crisis have refocused attention on government stimulus packages.

Republicans decide not to introduce Grayson resolution  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Republicans changed course on Wednesday and decided not to move forward with a resolution condemning Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, for saying that the GOP health care plan calls for sick people to “die quickly.”

Palin co-author: Evangelical, partisan  —  Sarah Palin's most consequential choice since leaving the Alaska governor's mansion may be her co-author - a staunch conservative, devoted evangelical Christian, and intensely partisan Republican from far, far outside the Beltway.

Carper quietly devises third option  —  Sen. Tom Carper bided his time on health care reform.  —  Rarely in the spotlight, and unfailingly restrained, the Delaware Democrat never staked out a public position on the government insurance option, solidifying his status as the model of an undecided moderate in need of persuading.

Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants, POLITICO has learned.

Obama's not-so-secret plan to raise taxes  —  Does President Obama have a secret plan to raise taxes on middle-class Americans — and,well, pretty much everybody else — with a European-style, value-added tax?  Actually, it's not such a big secret.  Connect the dots:

Portsmouth PD: Shea-Porter was removed from Bush town hall by two police officers  —  Two officers of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department removed Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer from a February 2005 town hall event hosted by then-President George W. Bush at the request of the owner …

Politico: Freaky-deaky Edwards love child scandal even freaky-deakier than thought  —  Add six cups of freaky, a quart of deaky, stir well, then let chill overnight.  The next day: Voila.  If you're reading this on the east coast, where it's already past nine, I'd advise turning on a light …

Exclusive: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric (updated)  —  Deal was negotiated at a meeting among bankers in New York on Tuesday.  Comcast denies a deal is done, but does not deny talks  —  Comcast, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment …

Gates Doubts U.S.'s Afghan Strategy  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met with senior counselors for three hours Wednesday to launch his review of Afghan war strategy, amid indications that his defense secretary — the key link between the White House and the military — is among those undecided about the right approach.

White House slams Glenn Beck on blog  —  The official White House blog slammed Glenn Beck today, accusing the host of displaying a “disregard for the facts in an attempt to smear the Administration's efforts to win the Olympics for the United States.”  —  Last night, the conservative firebrand attacked …

Obama Can't Outsource Afghanistan  —  George Bush succeeded in Iraq by talking to his generals regularly.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  So our top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has told CBS's “60 Minutes” that he has spoken with President Barack Obama only once since June.

Pennsylvania Senate Seesaw Tips To Toomey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama's Approval Drops Below 50 Percent  —  The seesaw 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania tips to Republican Pat Toomey, who has 43 percent to recently converted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter's 42 percent, too close to call …

Fit for Combat  —  I had a few minutes to kill today and finally picked up a copy of J.D. Johannes new book, Fit for Combat: When Fitness is a Matter of Life or Death.  For those of you not familiar with J.D.'s work, he is a former Marine, filmmaker and war correspondent covering Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama, Dictators and democrats  —  How many rogue nations can President Obama hold in one hand?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In his Inaugural Address, President Obama spoke directly to the world's rogue nations.  “[W]e will extend a hand,” he said, “if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

Owner of Dallas topless club The Lodge stripped of entrepreneur award  —  Dawn Rizos had been named ‘entrepreneur of the year’ by Gingrich-led group  —  [email protected]  —  Dawn Rizos didn't need any formal recognition that The Lodge, one of the best-known gentlemen's clubs in Dallas, was a successful small business.

Michelle, Oprah Launch Olympic Push  —  First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Campaign in Copenhagen for Hometown  —  Michelle Obama began the day today with a very important meeting with the president.  But it wasn't President Obama she was meeting.  It was Jacques Rogge …

Tracking the recovery: One in four households has suffered a layoff over the past year  —  The official unemployment rate hovers near 10%, suggesting that one in 10 American workers is out of work.  But that figure masks the extent to which unemployment has devastated American families.

National Review's John Derbyshire: Women Should Not Have The Right To Vote  —  John Derbyshire, a British-American conservative author and columnist for the National Review, has written a new book titled We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism.  The book contains a section called “The Case Against Female Suffrage.”

Iran Meets U.S. and Allies for Nuclear Talks in Geneva  —  GENEVA — Critical talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions began Thursday morning in the Geneva countryside, with Washington and its allies hoping to draw Iran into a serious negotiation that will open up the country to serious nuclear inspections …

Consumers Union joins health care battle  —  The venerable advocacy group Consumers Union, best known for publishing Consumer Reports, will dive into the health care fray Monday with a television ad making the case for passing health care reform legislation.

One Man's Utopia  —  A first-time novelist imagines an America made wonderful by Warren Buffett, Phil Donahue and Yoko Ono.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Here's the bad news: Ralph Nader has written a novel.  Here's the good news: There's no sex in it.  Wait.  That's not strictly true.

Possibility of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Alarms Arabs  —  CAIRO — As the West raises the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, Arab governments, especially the small, oil-rich nations in the Persian Gulf, are growing increasingly anxious.  But they are concerned not only with the prospect …