WSJ on the Shite Dagwood: Instead, Mr. Obama chose to let House Democrats write the bill, and they did what comes naturally: They cleaned out their intellectual cupboards and wrote a bill that is 90% social policy, and 10% economic policy. (See here for a case study.) It is designed to support incomes with transfer payments, rather than grow incomes through job creation. (h/t Darleen) Screwjob: Obama Bans Non-Union Contractors

A bipartisan commission in the state Legislature investigated allegations that Palin fired [Public Safety Commissioner] Monegan after he refused to sack her ex-brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten. The governor, first elected in 2006, has denied wrongdoing. In court papers, Palin called her sister’s ex-husband a “rogue trooper” who threatened the governor’s family during a bitter divorce and custody battle. Complaints from Palin’s family led to a five-day suspension for the

Mother and father of slain Cole sailor write an open letter to the President. An excerpt: President Obama, now I fear these sailors who died in the service of the United States will be abandoned again. It will be one more tragedy in a long list of tragedies in the Cole attack. With the suspension of the trials at Guantanamo Prison, we are deeply and painfully concerned that Abd al

Inquiring minds want to know: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s office moved on Friday to quash claims he attended a mystery concert featuring ABBA lookalikes singing to him from behind a veil at a military-style compound. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted after the London-based Bjorn Again, a long-established act that imitates 1970s pop super-group ABBA, said it had put on a show, cloaked in secrecy, for Putin, seven male guests