Some preliminary reflections on Heller  —  There are many things that one can say about today's today's decision in the Heller case from both “external” political perspectives or from a more “internal” legal one.  No doubt I (and others) will have more to say about Heller in coming days.

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.

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 …

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 …

Let McCain Be McCain  —  The big political headline this week, of course, involves John McCain's endless and humiliating attempts to placate Mitt Romney by bowing to demands he hire his operatives and pay his campaign debt.  So far all he's got is a grudging one-sentence endorsement from that rampaging rage-aholic Ann Romney.

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 …

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!”

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.

Citing Need for Assessments, U.S. Freezes Solar Energy Projects  —  DENVER — Faced with a surge in the number of proposed solar power plants, the federal government has placed a moratorium on new solar projects on public land until it studies their environmental impact, which is expected to take about two years.

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.

Media Watch … Dear Mr. Foxman,  —  I respectfully disagree with your assessment of my position.  First of all, I have never said that Jewish neocons were the primary reason we went to war in Iraq.  The reason we went to war was that George Bush was foolish and uninformed …

Have You Heard McCain Was a POW?  —  Candidates whose biographies provide compelling campaign material use that fact to their advantage.  And John McCain's biography does just that.  Not only is it regularly mentioned explicitly by his supporters, but it underlies many of the implicit themes of the campaign.

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 …

The Ever-Malleable Mr. Obama  —  “To be clear: Barack will support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies.”  —  That was then: Democratic primaries to be won, netroot lefties to be seduced.  With all that (and Hillary Clinton) …