JAMES TARANTO: A new rendition of an old song. Meet the new boss, yada yada.

I GUESS A CABINET SLOT CAN’T BE FAR AWAY: Prosecutors Want Barry Jailed Over Tax Returns. “For the second time in two years, frustrated federal prosecutors took aim at Marion Barry’s chronic failure to file his tax returns and urged a judge to put him in jail.”

CNN: Obama’s approval is high — but the stimulus isn’t as popular.

Plus, Stuart Rothenberg: This Can’t Be What Obama, Pelosi and Reid Expected. “Either Congressional Democrats went from undeniably brilliant to unbelievably inept in just a few weeks, or being in the majority in Congress isn’t nearly as easy as being the opposition. Those seem to be the two obvious alternatives that follow from the problems Democrats have had selling an economic stimulus package that began with considerable public support and the backing of a popular president. I’ll cast my vote for the second alternative. . . . Spending $198 million to compensate Filipino veterans who fought in World War II, or $2 million to train Native Americans to become plumbers and pipefitters, or $150 million for renovations to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, or even $3.26 billion for the Western Area Power Administration won’t strike most voters as the kind of spending that will help rescue the economy from recession.”

FIVE TAKES ON DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA V. HELLER: As part of a Heller symposium in the Ohio State Law Journal, Brannon Denning and I look at what the Supreme Court’s decision that the Second Amendment protects an individual right is likely to mean. It’s relatively short for a law review article, and it is available for free right here. (Bumped).

MICHAEL S. MALONE FINDS SOME (BIO)TECH GOOD NEWS.

JULES CRITTENDEN on Obama’s Iran Question.

ANDREW BREITBART: The con artists have taken over the asylum.

GOOD THING THE ERA OF BUSH IS OVER! Obama Administration Invokes State Secrets Privilege in Anti-Torture Lawsuit. ‘Cause if Bush did this, it would be a sign of lawlessness, and incipient fascism. [Well, sure, if Bush did it. — ed. Yeah, that’s what I said.]

Plus, Glenn Greenwald: “Obama fails his first test on civil liberties and accountability — resoundingly and disgracefully. . . . What makes this particularly appalling and inexcusable is that Senate Democrats had long vehemently opposed the use of the ‘state secrets’ privilege in exactly the way that the Bush administration used it in this case, even sponsoring legislation to limits its use and scope. Yet here is Obama, the very first chance he gets, invoking exactly this doctrine in its most expansive and abusive form.” Meet the new boss, yada yada. Some of us are more surprised about this than others . . . .

UPDATE: Much more at Memeorandum. And this comment from reader Douglas Mortimer: “So. Greenwald concludes that the Obama administration has adopted this litigation position for the obvious (to him) reason that they advocate having Executive Branch officials being able to act above and beyond the reach of the rule of law. Now why, pray tell, would they want a ruling like that? He makes it sound like they are simply squeamish about a prosecution of those GOP officials. However, the real justification couldn’t be bare and blatant self-interest and future self-protection of President Obama and his officials for doing the same things, could it? Could it?” Greenwald has shown a touching naivete where Obama is concerned, though it appears to be wearing thin.

ANOTHER UPDATE: “Change, hope, and torture coverups.”

A.C. KLEINHEIDER thinks that Phil Bredesen was campaigning for HHS Secretary in his State of the State speech tonight. I noticed that bit too.

UPDATE: More from Bredesen here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reader Richard Finlay writes: “One indicator that there is too much money and power channeled through Washington is the eagerness with which sitting governors seek cabinet posts — even second tier cabinet posts. Why is HHS Secretary ‘better’ than Governor of Tennessee?” Well, the choices are a lot easier.

50 REASONS TO HATE THE STIMULUS.

THE NOTE: Obama Returns to the Trail in Weakened State. “It’s President Obama as a salesman-in-chief now — and he hopes that what Washington isn’t really buying still sells to an outside audience.”

UPDATE: Ann Althouse is liveblogging Obama’s presser. Excerpt: “He’s filibustering — using the boring professor mode.”

Plus this: “That’s the characterization of the opposition to the stimulus. Make those of us who are hesitant sound like some kind of disease. . . . Well, I respond to civility and rational argument, but I believe you just talked about me like I was some kind of disease!”

And Althouse voted for Obama.

OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, various readers — and even, in person, SayUncle — have encouraged me to try out the Leatherman Skeletool. So I finally ordered one, and I’ve used it for various chores around the house. The knife blade is wicked sharp, the interchangeable-bit screwdriver works really well, the trademark pliers/wirecutters are solid, and the bottle-opener is serviceable. It also has a strong feeling of quality and precision. I’m still a Swiss Army guy at heart, but this is an excellent little tool.

POLITICO: Heath Shuler: Pelosi and Reid have “failed.”

READ YOUR BOOK, win a Grammy!

SO I DONATED BLOOD TODAY — no picture, because, once again, I neglected to take a camera. On the other hand, I’ve probably gotten all the mileage I can out of the blood-donation photo op already. This time it was at my gym where they were having a blood drive, and, as is often the case, I was the only male donating. If I were single, I think I’d donate more often — there are lots of young, attractive women there, they’re presumptively healthy and probably somewhat altruistic, and it’s natural to strike up a conversation since they keep you waiting a lot. (I chatted with a lovely oncology nurse today). I didn’t really start giving blood until after I got married, so this is all academic to me, but you single guys out there take note. And besides, it’s embarrassing that men are so underrepresented.

GOOGLE: The next victim of creative destruction?

REVERSE-ENGINEERING THE MIND with cognitive computing.

HMM: Toyota: Reports That the Plug-in Prius Gets 65 MPG are Wrong.

SHIFTS IN MATE PREFERENCES: “Mate preferences studies show big changes in preferences since the 1930s. Men measure women more by their esthetics and income while women care less about whether a guy is nice.” Is it all about evolution and declining social constraints? “Strip away tradition. Strip away religious beliefs. What happens? Men and women are looking at each other in ways that seem even more influenced by their evolutionary heritage. The mating market looks like it is becoming more competitive.” Interesting discussion in the comments.

FROM OBAMA TO O-SPAM-A? “Obama’s Insipid Emails Are Annoying Leon Wieseltier.”

Plus, this advice: “Yo, Leon, you can unsubscribe from the list.”

FORD FUSION HYBRID VS. THE PRIUS? USA Today picks the Ford.

MICKEY KAUS ON THE “STIMULUS” AND WELFARE REFORM: “That welfare-expanding provision remains in the Senate stimulus compromise, alas, the language of which has now been released. (You can read it here.) I can’t help but think that if even a few Republicans squawked the potentially damaging publicity might force the Dems to drop it or at least rewrite it.”

NEWS ON Optimizing hierarchical protein design for nanotechnology.

IMAGINE IF Karl Rove had run the census.

DON SURBER: “If Gitmo helped al-Qaeda, then shouldn’t this video of another beheading trigger liberals from the Ivy League colleges to enlist?”