This is the kind of stuff that happens in Venezuela or Banana Republics...

In a one-two punch at the pay culture of banks and Wall Street firms blamed for the financial crisis, the U.S. government announced plans to aggressively regulate compensation at thousands of lenders and impose steep pay cuts at seven companies that received billions in federal aid.

When it comes to sending more troops to Afghanistan, Obama voted "Present". But there's one enemy the White House is more than willing to take on: Fox News.

The White House is calling on other news organizations to isolate and alienate Fox News as it sends out top advisers to rail against the cable channel as a Republican Party mouthpiece.

Top political strategists question the decision by the Obama administration to escalate its offensive against Fox News. And as of Monday, the four other major television networks had not given any indication that they intend to sever their ties with Fox News.

But several top White House officials have taken aim at Fox News since communications director Anita Dunn branded Fox "opinion journalism masquerading as news" in an interview last Sunday.

The Magazine Publishers of America, who as James Taranto notes, put Obama in an award category all by himself.

What media bias??

The Magazine Publishers of America's American Society of Magazine Editors has added a category to its annual magazine cover awards: Obama. This new category is the only ASME category focused on a single person, and highlights the reverential attitude for the President widely held in the magazine publishing community.

"Let me emphasize something very strongly as we begin this discussion. The United States has already this year alone achieved a 6 percent reduction in emissions simply because of the downturn in the economy, so we are effectively saying we need to go another 14 percent." -- Sen. John Kerry D-Mass., promoting the Cap'n Tax bill.

All of this renewed talk of Vast Right Wing Conspiracies from the Clinton's has been good for recruitment. Membership is through the roof.

With our newest member joining this week, we have already topped last year's recruitment totals and are rapidly approaching the 2007 totals.

Although we must admit that the McCain Moderation Movement of 2008 made it difficult to be right wing, much less a vast conspirator.

CNN/Money, who at times solicits financial advice from Wall Street magnate Billy Joel, hasn't updated their Recession Watch page since 2008. I wonder what happened?