President Obama, shown last week arriving at a town hall meeting sponsored by MTV and BET, has renewed his call for $50 billion to improve roadways and airports. But with nervous lawmakers worried about their jobs, that may be a tough sell. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Construction worker Jimmy Martinez works at a site funded by federal stimulus money in Lakewood, Colo. Economic historian Niall Ferguson cautions that another stimulus would carry tremendous risk. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

Paris' Cafe de Flore is known for its history of serving intellectual clientele, including existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, journalist and writer Albert Camus and Cubism co-founder Pablo Picasso. AP hide caption

Andrew Sullivan says writing a blog is "pure journalism": "This is not just writing. It's taking writing right up to the edge of speaking, really." Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images hide caption