Governors and attorneys general might be the ones leading the way on issues related to consumer protection and the environment during the Obama administration. A New York Times article says Washington will be open to looking to states for new ideas. But free-for-all federalism is bad for business, some say.

Vice President Joe Biden is launching a task force, preparing for an overseas trip and, perhaps, choosing his words more carefully. With a somewhat awkward first week behind him, his colleagues say he is making a difficult adjustment, and pursing an activist role. Biden is striving to become an influential second-in-command says Monica Langley of the Wall Street Journal.

Republicans who voted no on the stimulus package should prepare themselves for the backlash. Their solidarity may carry a steep political price, says Politico's Ben Smith.

While congressional Democrats have been fully supportive of the stimulus plan, economists have been divided. One Nobel laureate economist worries that big spending could do more harm than good. Read more here.

In Barack Obama's first week as president he's made good on a few campaign promises, gathered additional support and tried to keep Democratic interest groups content. Despite what most would call a good start, the scrutiny has begun. Tom Raum of the Associated Press has written an analysis.

President Obama should win the house vote on his economic stimulus plan today, but without overwhelming support from Republicans. About 12 Republicans in the Democratically controlled house are expected to vote in favor of the $825 billion plan later today. Read more here.

President Barack Obama chose an Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal TV interview as president, "part of a concerted effort to repair relations with the Muslim world that were damaged under the previous administration," the Associated Press reports.

"The interview on the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news channel aired as Obama's new envoy to the region, former Sen. George J. Mitchell, arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also take him to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia," the AP said.

Obama "cited his Muslim background and relatives, practically a taboo issue during the U.S. presidential campaign, and said in the interview, which aired Tuesday, that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims 'that the Americans are not your enemy.' "

You can read more of the story here.

President Barack Obama met for more than two hours with Republican members of Congress today, making the case for his economic-stimulus plan and submitting himself to questions.

"A week after being sworn into office, Mr. Obama returned to the Capitol for the first of what his advisers said would be frequent visits with members of Congress," the New York Times reported. "Yet it was still a rare event for a president, particularly a Democratic one, to sit down with the entire Republican conference. ...

"It was far too early to say whether Mr. Obama’s visit to Capitol Hill would attract any more Republican votes for the economic recovery plan that is scheduled to be considered on Wednesday in the House. But officials from both sides said it was the beginning of a dialogue between Congressional Republicans and the White House that did not exist even when George W. Bush was in the Oval Office."

You can read more of the story here.

Spokesman for the Iranian government, Gholam Hossein Elham, quoted by the ISNA news agency, expressed the need for "concrete change" in U.S. policy toward Iran. "On several occasions our president has defined Iran's views and the need for a change in U.S. policies," Elham said. Read the rest of the AFP story here.

The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has called on the Obama administration to honor its commitment to transparency by releasing records withheld from public view by the Bush administration. "Signing an executive order signaling openness is one thing, actually releasing documents is another. This the perfect opportunity for the Obama administration to back up its words with concrete action," says CREW's executive director Melanie Sloan. Read the press release at MarketWatch for a list of the specific requests.