Freelancers who've wrestled with local business tax rules know they're a confusing mess. But then, most freelancers aren't married to Gregory Craig, the White House lawyer in charge of sorting through these kinds of messes.

The Obamas are just like us: drinking through this recession, at home! Well, not entirely like us. They're all wearing fancy clothes and they have jobs and Steve Wonder is there.

Barack Obama is widely expected to appoint as drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, who as Seattle police chief focused on intervention and treatment over arrests for drug possession.

White House general counsel Gregory Craig has seized control of Obama's vetting process after a series of nominees with unpaid taxes. But his wife's business may also have avoided taxes. Who vets the vetter?

[An embattled, but still beloved!, President Obama deplanes Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base today. My opinion? Get over it, America! Image via AP]

We are happy with his magical budget, and some of his hires, but let's not kid ourselves: Obama's new Iraq plan is pretty McCain-ish, right? So maybe we'll go join the Enraged Liberal Blogger PAC!

The Obamas picked a dog! And they had Robert Gibbs deliver a press release to the assembled White House press corps announcing that... no, wait, the First Lady just talked to People.

At last night's address by Barack Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanted America to know she stood behind her president. She stood behind him again, and again, and again. Watch the clip.

• President Obama's first Congressional address drew in 33.6 million viewers last night, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen. [ML]
• It was Chris Matthews who muttered "Oh, God" on MSNBC last night, right when Bobby Jindal was about to deliver the Republican response. [Politico]
• Fourth-quarter profit declined 77 percent at the Washington Post Co. [NYT]
• Remember the DABA Girls? Yea, well, much of what they told the Times was BS, which is why the paper issued a correction today. [Newsweek, NYT]
• The CW has renewed a bunch of shows, including 90210, Smallville, America's Next Top Model, and—most importantly—Gossip Girl. [Variety]
• Ex-Domino editor Deborah Needleman is "spending more time at the gym" in order to acquire "one of those Connecticut-housewife bodies," FYI. [MM]
• Jared Kushner may be cutting a deal to sell the Observer at Starbucks. [NYP]

Bobby Jindal's rebuttal to the president's Congressional address tonight sounded creepily like a monologue from Kenneth the Page, 30 Rock's bewildered hillbilly. Click for video of the Louisiana governor's most Kenneth-like moments.

In his not-really-but-actually State of the Union address, President Barack Obama did his best to inspire a nation scared out of its wits. After the jump, the speech text, as distributed while he delivered it.

Barack Obama is running 7 minutes late and he's not withdrawing from Iraq. God! Bring back that Bush guy! Hey, let's watch and learn.

Were you looking forward to an all-new Mentalist tonight? Sorry, America—Barack Obama's the only charming rascal solving complex problems in about an hour tonight. We'll be here, liveblogging away, at 9.

The saintly hero-pilot of Flight 1549 has at last looked to cash in on his heroism! Thank goodness. Waiting for Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to drop this shoe was killing us.

Steven Rattner's shameless gladhanding has finally paid off: The New York Times-reporter-turned-financier will advise the Obama administration on the auto bailout. His Quadrangle Group's record should give Detroit pause.

In good times, white dudes like Sandy Weill, Charles Prince, and Bob Rubin ran Citigroup. Now that the world's most tentacular megabank is running aground, who's working the buckets? People of color.

Those recordings of Barack Obama cussing for his book are being squandered. After three whole weeks there are barely any juvenile mashups! Apprently we have to get the ball rolling.

Hooray, we have a Commerce Secretary! And he adds yet more serious-minded post-partisan competence and diversity to the cabinet!

"The person called 'President Obama'," is destroying our borders and wants to kill all the babies, says heroic multiple election-loser Alan Keyes! Keyes knows Obama well, because he debated the secret Muslim back in 2004, when Keyes was the GOP's hilarious sacrificial lamb candidate running against the Chosen One.

White House decorator Michael Smith paid for and organized Thursday's Four Seasons media lunch in honor of Obama socialite-in-chief Desiree Rogers, a guest's friend tells us. The president should be wary.