Just 53% Say Capitalism Better Than Socialism  —  Only 53% of American adults believe capitalism is better than socialism.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 20% disagree and say socialism is better.  Twenty-seven percent (27%) are not sure which is better.

The Elephant in the Room: Obama vs. United States  —  The president is contemptuous of American values.  And one key nominee prefers the judgment of other countries and global elites.  —  Watching President Obama apologize last week for America's arrogance - before a French audience that owes …

The President Has Become a Divisive Figure  —  Compare his start with George W. Bush's.  —  The Pew Research Center reported last week that President Barack Obama “has the most polarized early job approval of any president” since surveys began tracking this 40 years ago.

Connecting the Dots: The Link Between Gay Marriage and Mass Murders  —  On April 4 the NY Times ran adjacent front-page articles on the Iowa Supreme Court decision legalizing ‘gay marriage’ and the gunman who murdered 13 people in New York.  That day the Times also ran an op ed article …

Lawmaker defends comment on Asians  —  Call for voters to simplify their names not racially motivated, Terrell Republican says  —  AUSTIN — A North Texas legislator during House testimony on voter identification legislation said Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are “easier for Americans to deal with.”

Bush Aides Challenge Biden's Boasts of Oval Office Slapdowns  —  Aides to former President George W. Bush are challenging the veracity of Vice President Joe Biden's claim this week of having privately castigated Bush.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Aides to former President George W. Bush are challenging …

Special ops ‘itching’ to fight pirates, just waiting for Obama to say go  —  The Maersk Alabama was hijacked while delivering relief supplies to Kenya.  The ship's captain, Richard Phillips (inset), is reportedly still being held hostage.  —  WASHINGTON - U.S. military commanders …

Oops!  Obama's press office has an e-mail snafu  —  (CNN) — The White House Press Office accidentally e-mailed a draft version of President Obama's Thursday schedule on Wednesday night that included the back-and-forth between White House staffers.  —  The e-mail, sent on a daily basis …

HILARIOUS PIRATE SOLUTION.  —  The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a conservative think tank that regularly blasts out press releases condemning the Obama administration's various economic depredations, but today they demonstrate their intellectual consistency by wandering into the pirates debate:

You Can Lead A Reporter to Water, But You Can't Make Him Call It A Spending Increase  —  They just can't help themselves!  In a live Q&A session today, a reader asked Washington Post Congressional reporter Paul Kane a question that's been on our minds for days now.

Meghan McCain's Book Sold to Hyperion For High Six Figures  —  John McCain's 24-year-old daughter Meghan has a book deal!  Sources say Hyperion has prevailed over at least three other publishers in an auction that began earlier this week, following a round of meetings during …

The Palins, The Johnstons, And Republican Class Politics  —  Now it gets more interesting, doesn't it?  In the Judge Judy world Sarah Palin lives in, there is always the risk of turning into Jerry Springer.  And so an already very messy family situation - the two pregnancies, Trig's and Tripp's …

The curious case of 200 nearly identical MSM headlines  —  The following headlines have appeared in newspapers within the last 24 hours.  This is not an inclusive list.  —  • Third of Illinoisans went without health insurance in last 2 years: Sun-Times

Republican leads by 24 votes in NY House race  —  ALBANY, N.Y. - Republican Jim Tedisco is leading Democrat Scott Murphy by 24 votes in the latest count of a too-close-to-call special congressional election in New York state.  —  The state Board of Elections reports Thursday …

‘Kooks,’ Blue-State Republicans, Rick Moran, and the Messaging Problem  —  Hot Air headlined Rick Moran's lengthy examination of the “kook” charges against Glenn Beck, which involves a discussion of the general problem that conservatives face in terms of messaging.  This passage catches my attention:

Eugene Robinson: George Will “Crossed the Line”  —  The pushback on George Will continues as Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson slams Washington Post columnist George Will.  Robinson also becomes the first Postie to note the role played by Will's editors in helping him attempt to deceive the Post's readers.

Is Silicon Valley a Systemic Risk?  —  Treasury decides to treat venture capitalists like hedge funds.  —  The Obama administration wants to regulate venture capital firms to prevent systemic risks.  Silicon Valley residents are scratching their heads and asking: What risks?

AP ups stupidity quotient another 16,000 notches  —  Is there anything more stupid than the AP threatening an AP affiliate for embedding video from the AP's YouTube channel?  It's doubtful. … No, it's not a story from the Onion, and it's no longer April Fools Day.

Bail out journalism  —  Other democracies pay for accurate reporting, so why shouldn't the U.S.?  —  » Discuss Article This will be my last column for the L.A. Times.  After four years, I'll soon be starting a stint at the Pentagon as an advisor to the undersecretary of Defense for policy.

Right Wingers Just Don't Understand Business. . . and the Stupid Continues  —  It's staggering just how ignorant right wing bloggers are about how the business of media works, or business in general.  Which wouldn't be so ironic if they didn't run around thumping their chests about the virtues of …

With ‘Annapolis,’ a Warning to Israel  —  WASHINGTON—Watchers of Middle East politics were quick to take note of a line in President Obama's address before the Turkish Parliament on Monday in Ankara, in which he mentioned “Annapolis.”  —  By bringing up the word, Mr. Obama was sending …

The Incredible Shrinking Public Pension Funds  —  America's public sector pensions have been a scandal for years.  It wasn't that long ago that they finally got around to doing their accounting the way that normal pensions do: by showing how likely their assets were to generate enough revenue to pay for future benefits.

The Tragic Democratic Class of '08  —  It made headlines a few days ago when word leaked that Oprah Winfrey had been in North Carolina to tape an interview with Elizabeth Edwards that will air in early May—just as Edwards' new book, which will supposedly address her husband's extramarital affair, is released.

Conway announces bid for U.S. Senate  —  Attorney General Jack Conway said today that he will seek the Democratic nomination next year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Jim Bunning.  —  The Louisville Democrat announced his intention in a video that is scheduled to be posted on his campaign Web site later today.