JUSTICE BREYER AND THE CULTURE WARS: I think it's illuminating to compare Justice Breyer's dissent in DC v. Heller with his dissent in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, 536 U.S. 693 (2002), the Cleveland school voucher case from a few years ago.  Like Heller, Zelman is a “culture wars” case.

Obama Lead Tight Over McCain  —  Illinois Senator Barack Obama enters the General Election with a tight lead, 43% to 38%, over Arizona Senator John McCain, according to a new TIME Magazine poll of registered voters.  The poll shows Obama gaining only a slight bounce from Hillary Clinton's departure from the campaign early this month.

Tensions Remain Among Clinton Donors  —  ABC's Kate Snow reports: The crowd's mood was but strained but supportive at Thursday's meeting between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and about 150 of Clinton's top donors at a Washington hotel.  —  The former rivals appeared upbeat …

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 …

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.

Tanden signs on  —  Hillary Clinton's former policy director, Neera Tanden, will start next week in Chicago as Barack Obama's Director of Domestic Policy, reporting to policy director Heather Higginbottom, a source familiar with the plans said.  —  Tanden is the most senior Clinton loyalist to join Obama …

Sadr's army dissolving?  —  According to the Middle East Times, Moqtada al-Sadr's militia has begun to disintegrate after a series of confrontations with the Iraqi Army throughout the south of Iraq.  The remnants of the Mahdi Army have gone underground, forming an armed network on a much smaller scale.

Cheer up.  We're winning this War on Terror  —  Al-Qaeda and the Taleban are in retreat, the surge has worked in Iraq and Islamism is discredited.  Not a bad haul  —  “My centre is giving way.  My right is in retreat.  Situation excellent.  I shall attack!”

Keith Olbermann's reply and Obama's Secret Plan to Protect the Rule of Law  —  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.  Despite his having packed his response with substance-free invective …

Fuels on the Hill  —  Congress has always had a soft spot for “experts” who tell members what they want to hear, whether it's supply-side economists declaring that tax cuts increase revenue or climate-change skeptics insisting that global warming is a myth.  —  Right now, the welcome mat …

North Korea Destroys Tower at Nuclear Site  —  SEOUL, South Korea — In a gesture demonstrating its commitment to halt its nuclear weapons program, North Korea blew up the most prominent symbol of its plutonium production Friday.  —  The 60-foot cooling tower at the North's main nuclear power plant collapsed …

New Ad Hits Obama on Abortion  —  The lobbying arm of the Family Research Council, the conservative Christian organization, is going on the air in several cities on Friday with a television ad featuring a personal note from the group's president, Tony Perkins, to Senator Barack Obama.