When Anonymity Fails, Be Nasty, Brutish and Short  —  Throughout the Bush presidency, he toiled in secrecy deep within the White House, a mysterious and feared presence who never stepped into the sunlight of public disclosure.  —  Until yesterday.  —  There he sat, hunched and scowling …

In Unity, N.H., Clinton and Obama Set New Tone  —  UNITY, N.H. — Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton set off on their maiden political voyage on Friday, trading their rivalry from the presidential primary battle for a newfound display of harmony intended to set a fresh tone …

FIRST THOUGHTS: GET YOUR GUN  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro  —  *** Get your gun: Yesterday's Supreme Court decision on the 2nd Amendment elevated an issue — guns — that hadn't received that much attention until now.  Remembering that the subject hurt Al Gore …

The Federal Marriage Amendment is back — with Vitter's and Craig's support  —  Just this week, a group of Republican senators re-introduced the Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution, which, as we know, would ban gay marriage.  —  And once again, the language is pretty straightforward:

The Canadian Human Rights Commission blinks  —  See update below.  —  The Canadian Human Rights Commission, like any petty tyranny, has a strong instinct for survival.  As I predicted last week on the Michael Coren Show, that instinct would cause them to drop the complaint against Mark Steyn and Maclean's.

The Sam's Club Agenda  —  Among the many dark tidings for American conservatism, there is one genuine bright spot.  Over the past five years, a group of young and unpredictable rightward-leaning writers has emerged on the scene.  —  These writers came of age as official conservatism slipped into decrepitude.

This Recession, It's Just Beginning  —  So much for that second-half rebound.  —  Truth be told, that was always more of a wish than a serious forecast, happy talk from the Fed and Wall Street desperate to get things back to normal.  —  It ain't gonna happen.  Not this summer.  Not this fall.

Openly Gay Army Sergeant Discharged Under “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Decorated Army Sergeant Darren Manzella has been discharged under the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service, effective June 10.

Dancing In Pyongyang  —  North Korea just blew up the cooling tower on its own Yongbyon reactor, as part of an ongoing dismantlement deal with the United States.  This is a momentous step because it's largely irreversible: North Korea will never again be able to kick out inspectors …

The odd couple  —  Obama's advance staff is very good at the visuals, and the Unity event is flawless on TV.  —  Even better: It's dominating the news cycle without making any news.  —  And that's one of the key things Hillary (and Bill) bring to Obama: Whenever he wants to deliver …

Gallup Daily: Obama, McCain Still Tied at 44%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — For the third straight day, Gallup Poll Daily tracking shows Barack Obama and John McCain tied in national registered voter preferences for the fall election, each now with 44% of the vote.  —  Today's report is based …

Keith Olbermann's reply and Obama's secret plan to protect the rule of law  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  Keith Olbermann went to Daily Kos to respond to what I wrote yesterday regarding his and Jonathan Alter's statements on Obama's support for the FISA bill.