The Mask Slips  —  I haven't read much Karl Marx since the early 1980s, when I taught political philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.  Still, it didn't take me long this weekend to find my copy of “The Marx-Engels Reader,” edited by Robert C. Tucker — a book that was assigned …

56% Disagree with Obama's Comments on Small Town America  —  Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters nationwide disagree with Barack Obama's statement that people in small towns “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

Megyn Kelly, Fox News's Fast-Rising Anchor  —  NEW YORK — It's just after 10:30 Monday morning on “America's Newsroom,” and Megyn Kelly has bounced from riots in Paris to storms in the Midwest, from a truck-and-train collision to a strange interview about the 1969 Manson family murders with the sister of slain actress Sharon Tate.

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL  —  Democratic Candidates Compassion Forum  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  BROWN: Good evening, everybody, to our viewers in the United States and around the world.  Welcome to Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.

No ‘bitter’ aftertaste?  How Obama gaffe plays  —  JACOBUS, Pa. — Phil Little seems like just the sort of Pennsylvanian voter who might have been offended by Sen. Barack Obama's comments that small-town residents “get bitter” and “cling to guns or religion.”

Obama Goes on Offense After Fumble  —  GRANTHAM, Pa. — Sen. Barack Obama sharply mocked his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sunday night as he found himself defending his candidacy to white working-class voters for the second time in a month.  —  Sen. Obama accused Sen. Clinton …

For Better or for Worse  —  WHY THE CLINTONS WILL STAY MARRIED, WIN OR LOSE.  —  When Bill and Hillary Clinton's friends say they are exactly the same in public and private—well, except for the F-bombs—they tend to mean it literally: “I don't think I've ever heard them talk about anything but politics …

A Libertarian Surge?  —  Bob Barr will be dry-eyed if his candidacy is to John McCain what Ralph Nader's was to Al Gore in 2000.  —  Compact and Feisty Bob Barr, 59, probably will seek and get the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, which convenes in Denver on Memorial Day weekend.

FEC nominee drops out amid continued stalemate  —  The top Democratic nominee for the Federal Election Commission has withdrawn his name from consideration, deepening the nomination meltdown that has effectively shut down the commission during a critical election year.

Gallup Daily: Obama Numbers Holding Strong  —  Maintains a 10-point lead over Clinton for Democratic nomination  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama, who has come under attack by his presidential rivals for describing small-town voters as “bitter,” seems to be weathering the storm to this point as far as voters are concerned.

Yes We Can: Wonkette Goes Solo  —  So, anything happening in the media news today?  Wait, WHAT?  Yes it's true: Wonkette is bravely leaving the Gawker Media nest, along with Gawker's music and travel sites.  Why on Earth is a beloved publication such as Wonkette taking this plunge …

Israel snubs Carter and declines security help  —  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's secret service declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders shunned him over his plans to meet Hamas, U.S. sources said on Monday.

Despite Tough Times, Ultrarich Keep Spending  —  Who said anything about a recession?  Sometime between the government bailout of Bear Stearns and the Bureau of Labor Statistics report that America lost 80,000 jobs in March, Lee Tachman spent roughly $50,000 last month on a four-day jaunt to Miami for himself and three close friends.

Full Text of Obama's Speech to the Alliance for American Manufacturing  —  Being here in Pennsylvania with the primary coming up, I know that politics is what's on a lot of people's minds.  But as I look out at this crowd, I also know that being here isn't just about politics for me.  It's personal.

Housing Woes in U.S. Spread Around Globe  —  DUBLIN — The collapse of the housing bubble in the United States is mutating into a global phenomenon, with real estate prices swooning from the Irish countryside and the Spanish coast to Baltic seaports and even parts of northern India.

YOU BITTER?  —  I've gotten asked by a lot of readers what I make of this whole “bitter” controversy.  So a few thoughts.  —  In cases such as this I think it is always crucial to distinguish in our own minds between what we find offensive and what we've been conditioned to believe that others will find offensive.

Iraqis aren't stupid — and they're watching us  —  Last month, Vets for Freedom visited the Twin Cities to talk about their experience in Iraq — and got rewarded by being booted from a local high school.  Michael Honeycutt and I, along with hundreds of people from our community …