Via AFP:
President Barack Obama made an emotional, moral and economic case for extending long-term unemployment benefits on Tuesday, kicking off his first skirmish of the year with Republicans.
The spat over prolonging the lifeline to 1.3 million Americans, among millions looking for work, represents the first political test of wills in Washington at the start of a mid-term election year.
"I can't name a time when I met an American who would rather have an unemployment check than the pride of having a job," Obama said, surrounded by people who lost their benefits when Congress failed to act las...