The Obama administration is considering the creation of a “bad bank” to buy up billions in so-called toxic assets. We’re taking an in-depth look at this seemingly counter intuitive proposal — a proposal that could cost in excess of $2 trillion. Can bad banks be a good thing? The Takeaway is joined by Jane Sasseen, Washington Bureau Chief for BusinessWeek, and Freakonomics author Stephen Dubner.

This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of thousands of Iranians taking to the streets and changing history. Their demonstration started the Iranian Revolution that transformed the role of Iran and established Islamic law as a template for political governance. Their revolution resonates even today, particularly in our relations with Iran. Jon Leyne from the BBC joins us from Tehran to give a preview of the 30th Anniversary of the Revolution.

On Sunday, the powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl 43. The Cardinals are the underdog, so if you don't have loyalties to either team you might be tempted to root for Arizona. But hold on just a second. The Takeaway is talking to Stephen Dubner, author of Freakonomics and unabashed Steelers fan, who has a list of ten reasons to root for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Not a Steelers fan? Here are all the reasons to love the Arizona Cardinals.

Rod Blagojevich was impeached yesterday. So, when you’re a very recently out of work, 52-year old ex-governor with nice hair, but not much political capital, how do you begin your job search? Hank Sheinkopf, President of Sheinkopf Communications, is a political and governmental consulting firm in New York and he may be able to help answer that questions.

As we looked over the front page of today's New York Times, two stories caught our eye. The first, Iraqi Elections Face Crucial Test in Violent Mosul by Ian Fisher discusses how national politics in Iraq are actually local. The second, U.S. Says Jailed C.I.A. Mole Kept Spying for Russia by Eric Lichtblau is a fascinating account of a former CIA officer who never stopped being a Russian spy despite being in prison. Both authors join us today.

In a 59-0 vote, the Illinois State Senate ousted Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday and barred him from holding public office in the state again. Though the former governor showed up at the trial to make a closing statement in his own defense, senators were unmoved. Illinois Public Radio’s statehouse reporter, Amanda Vinicky, joins The Takeaway with the details.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their seventh Super Bowl. They’ve won five of those match-ups and, if they win on Sunday, they would break the record for most Super Bowl championships in the NFL. But there’s another Steelers legacy that many sports writers are celebrating this year and that is the so-called "Rooney Rule". Gene Wojciechoski is a senior national columnist for ESPN.com and joins us to talk about the rule and why it is getting so much attention this year.

President Barack Obama has been compared to great American leaders from Abraham Lincoln to John F. Kennedy, Jr.. But in a forthcoming piece in The New York Times Magazine, writer Matt Bai argues that the danger of looking back at history for parallels is that you fail to look forward. He joins us now for a sneak peak at his article.

As the civil war in Sri Lanka continues, the Sri Lankan army has hemmed in the rebels, the Tamil Tigers, in the northeast corner of the country. Caught in the crossfire are an estimated 250,000 civilians who live in the area. Food stocks are dwindling, and Sri Lanka's president today is urging Tamil Tiger rebels to allow the civilians trapped there to leave. For a closer look at these troubling events, we turn to Somini Sengupta, the New Delhi bureau chief for the New York Times.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union inflamed the nation when it revoked Pluto’s planetary status. When the former planet, formerly known as Pluto got downgraded, Americans overwhelmingly rallied to its defense. Now called a Plutoid, it forever has a place, if not in the planetary hierarchy, in Americans' hearts. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was at the frontline of Pluto’s reclassification and he’s captured, what he calls the “demotion commotion” in a new book: The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet.

Want to hear more from Neil deGrasse Tyson? Watch him on Nova's scienceNOW (a production of our partners WGBH) and if you live in New York City, he is lecturing at the 92nd Street Y.

The United States economy shrank at its fastest pace in 26 years from October through December. The grim GDP numbers reflect the toll of the credit crisis, but aren't quite as dismal as economists had predicted. For more, we talk to John Authers, Investment Editor for the Financial Times.