If you're a Republican, it's a scenario straight out of "Alice in Wonderland." Fourteen Wisconsin state senators, all Democrats, flee the state for three weeks, bringing government to a halt in an effort to stop Gov. Scott Walker's budget bill. After three weeks, the fugitive Democrats return in failure. And then, when a rich and highly organized effort to punish lawmakers is launched, it's directed not at the Democrats who ran away but at the Republicans who stayed home and did their job. Read More

President Obama urged Congress Monday to overhaul the nation's central education law before the next school year, asking for an injection of new money for instruction at a time when lawmakers are wary of rubber-stamping any program that would deepen the red ink on the balance sheets. Read More

President Obama's economic philosophy is corporatism, and the two corporate executives reportedly on Obama's short list for commerce secretary are perfect specimens of this state-industry collusion. If Obama chooses former Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler or former Google chief Eric Schmidt to head the Commerce Department, the media will declare it part of a "tack to the center" or "making amends with business." Instead, it would simply confirm what we already know about Obama: His type of businessman is oriented toward government more than the market. Read More

President Obama has made it clear that political pressure will not compel him to steer Congress toward a budget compromise, rein in soaring oil prices or crack a harder whip on Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi, frustrating his allies almost as often as his foes. Republicans and Democrats have grown anxious over the budget stalemate. With the federal government set to run out of money on March 18, congressional leaders of both parties are calling on Obama to get more involved, warning that a government shutdown is imminent. Read More