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Some reads from this morning...

1. The NYT did a great two-story lead on Afghanistan: a summary of Obama's plan to increase troops, and a piece about the decision of Taliban leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan to set aside differences and unify in response to the new offensive.
2. According to WSJ's David Wessel, Geithner's plan for bank bailout carries a "new set of risks."
3. Slate's John Dickerson thinks Obama's on-line town hall meeting was a gimmick--but an effective one.
4. What the Likud-Labor alliance means for Israel.

5. Soros says a 30% drop in commercial real estate is "inevitable."

6. Which presidential precursor is Obama most like?  According to this article, Bush.

Some of my morning reads...

1. E.J. Dionne says it's time to admit it: taxes will have to rise.

2. Karl Rove thinks the president's budget--which puts spending and taxing "front and center" --creates an opportunity for the GOP.

3. North Korea raises the stakes, mounting a rocket on its northeast coast.

4. Secretary Clinton says US' "insatiable" appetite for drugs is in part to blame for Mexico's drug war.

5. Dr. Doom economist Nouriel Roubini is, unsurprisingly, not too optimistic about the stock market's recent rally.

6. Obama's balancing act, according to Slate's John Dickerson?  Convincing America it needs to be patient...and impatient.

Some things I have my eye on this morning...

1. Steven Pearlstein backs Geithner, boos Krugman.  (For Krugman's article, click here.)
2. President Obama's op-ed in today's Chicago Tribune: calls for "a new kind of global economic cooperation."
3. For the S&P, biggest 10-day gain since 1938.
4. Fifteen of 20 AIG execs give back bonuses. 
5. A good analysis of how Obama's approach to Iran differs from his predecessor's.

Some reads from today...

1. Geithner takes to the op-ed page to explain his bank bailout...
2. ...and Krugman doesn't like the plan one bit.
3. Rick Pearlstein renames the buzzword populism: "American common sense."
4.  Gov. Sanford explains why he doesn't want stimulus money.
5. It's a big week for Israel: What will Ehud Barak's role be?
6. So I'm not the only person in love with my Kindle...

Some of my morning reads...

1. Fed to buy$300 billion in Treasuries.  LA Times says the move makes it "more likely that the country's 15-month-old recession will be over by the end of this year."
2. Some AIG execs agree to pay back parts of bonuses, but public outrage is still alive and well.
3. Rove sees an opportunity for the GOP.
4. In a co-authored opinion piece, McCain and Lieberman call Afghanistan a "must-win" war.
5. Obama on the Tonight Show: does he risk demeaning the oval office? 
6. March Madeness: Obama picks McCain's team to lost in first round.  (Click here for Obama's NCAA bracket.)

Some things I have my eye on today...

1. AIG's Liddy faces the outrage in a Washington Post op-ed.

2. Eliot Spitzer's take on the AIG scandal in Slate.

3. Bush backs his successor in his first speaking engagement since inauguration.

4. Lawmakers implicate the US  in Mexican drug war.

5. The four countriesForeign Policy magazine's Will Inboden says we should lose sleep over.

6. President Obama's "real test," according to Tom Friedman, is going to be selling more money for a bank bailout in the wake of AIG.

Some reads from this morning...

1. Are there any "legal avenues" to block AIG bonuses? Some say yes, some say no.

2. Bonuses aside, where did AIG's bailout money go?

3. Reformist Khatami withdraws from Iranian presidential election.

4. Is Afghanistan a "mistake"?  More Americans say yes, according to USA Today poll.

5. Good news for small business.

6. Gates indicates new military priorities with big cuts in weapons.

Some things I have my eye on this afternoon...

1. Finding a middle ground on stem cell research: a Georgetown professor offers suggestions
2. Ron Brownstein identifies five crossroads health care reform will face.
3. Scale and speed of job losses indicates we'll need a new kind of fix.
4. What to do about Bush era secrets? The left and right of the debate. 
5. Forbes critiques mark-to-market.