CQ Politics' Web Picks

ABC News: Bill Clinton Says Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

Former President Bill Clinton gives President Barack Obama an "A" grade for his first month in office, but tells ABC News that Obama needs to put on a more positive face when speaking to the American people about the economy and must keep pressure on Republicans who try to obstruct his plans.

Wall Street Journal: States Ponder How to Get Hands on Stimulus Funds

State officials nationwide are combing through the new $787 billion federal stimulus package, trying to figure out exactly what they have to do to get their hands on their share of the money. Already, the governors have been busy appointing task forces, ordering up state economic-recovery Web sites and naming stimulus czars.

DC Examiner: Mortgage Bailout Could Blow Back on Obama

With the introduction of his mortgage plan, President Barack Obama has deeply altered the dynamic of class warfare in America. The question for the president is whether he can avoid the fallout.Americans who have played by the rules are coming to resent being forced pay to protect others from the consequences of their bad choices. And if the Americans who are footing the bill notice that the foreclosures are still rolling in and driving down their own property values, that resentment may turn into outrage.

Bloomberg: North Dakota Draws Billionaire Icahn in Raider Quest

North Dakota, known for blizzards and badlands, may one day become a home for corporate America, should billionaire Carl Icahn get his way. The state has adopted a law, drafted by an attorney hired by Icahn and other investors, that lets shareholders more easily gain control of any company incorporated there. The law strips away anti-takeover measures, pays individuals for the cost of successful proxy battles, and allows investors to vote "on an advisory basis" on executive pay.

New York Times: Charities Now Seek Bankruptcy Protection

In the last six months, nonprofit groups that include cultural institutions and social service agencies have filed to reorganize or liquidate themselves under the bankruptcy code. While no one has compiled data on how many charities have turned to the courts for protection, experts in the field say it has become more common as nonprofits have been pressured by donors to operate more like businesses.

Fox News: Housing Bailout Draws Comparisons to McCain's Plan

President Obama's $275 billion housing bailout plan, aimed at halting mortgage foreclosures, is drawing comparisons to a proposal championed last year by John McCain. "I hope they took the best ideas wherever they found them. And, certainly, Senator McCain campaigned for a long time on this proposal," said Douglas Holtz Eakin, former economic adviser to McCain and author of McCain's plan.

Chicago Tribune: Why Roland Burris Keeps Fighting

Of course Sen. Roland Burris is fighting back, writes columnist Mary Smich. It's not just his Senate seat he's protecting, it's his life story, his legacy. All storytellers know that a story's ending shapes everything that came before.

Catholic Online: Nationwide Petition Launched To Withhold Communion From Pelosi

Pewsitter.com , a Catholic news web site, announced today that it is launching a nationwide "Withholding Communion" petition project - - to encourage the nation's Catholic Bishops to withhold communion from prominent Catholics in public life who obstinately persist in their dissent from Catholic teaching on serious moral issues.