WASHINGTON -- Disregard Barack Obama's rhetorical cotton candy about aspiring to be transformative. He is just another practitioner of reactionary liberalism and champion of a government unchastened by its multiplying failures.

Staged auto accidents and questionable medical treatment are adding around $1 billion to the costs of Floridas no-fault auto insurance system, the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) says.

While U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., has said he has no intention of running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, other candidates seem more than willing to take his place as one of the conservative favorites in the field.

A day after announcing his committee assignments, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio named conservative stalwart Cesar Conda, a veteran of Beltway politics and policy, as his chief of staff.

Doubts and controversy over Florida's high-speed rail venture aren't deterring high-powered European and Asian companies from lining up to bid on the project. Talgo Inc. figures to be at the head of the queue.

Deeper budget cuts may be needed to satisfy Wall Street, a top senator said Thursday, as a decade of heavy borrowing is forcing a call for higher budget reserves, which now loom as a driver of lawmakers spending decisions.

What America was to the world in 1950, General Motors was to the nation.