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 …

ASU Stiffs Obama, Claims Too Inexperienced For Honorary Degree  —  TEMPE, ARIZONA - Universities typically confer an honorary degree on commencement speakers, particularly those who have reached the pinnacle of their career or achieved the top of their field.

Post Reporter Says It's Not His Job to Check the Accuracy of People He's Quoting  —  You rarely see the kind of full-throated defense of journalism-as-stenography that The Washington Post's Paul Kane offers up here: … This is fairly simple.  What we want is that if you're …

Kerry calls for pirate hearings as drama continues  —  The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for hearings on the mounting piracy threat as the fate of an American cargo-ship captain remained in limbo Thursday.  —  “These acts of piracy off of Somalia's coastline may seem surreal …

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 …

Did He Bow?  The Last Word  —  Some people think that President Obama's bow to King Abdullah was significant, not only because it was a naive breach of protocol, but because such signs of submission are taken seriously in the Arab world.  (In fact, Obama's bow received approving coverage in the Arab press.)

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.

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 …

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 …

Obama Reaches Out to ‘Moderate’ Pirate Community  —  After maintaining his silence for two days, President Obama will soon make his first public statement about the pirate attack upon an U.S.-flagged vessel off the Horn of Africa.  After several inquiries and a few well-placed bribes …

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.

Schumer: ‘The Hard Right, Which Still Believes’ in ‘Traditional Values’...'All That Is Over.'  —  Thank you Jillian Bandes for posting on this.  —  Schumer also says this in the clip:  —  “I think President Obama has a pretty smart strategy.  He is going to talk bipartisanship to the American people.

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:

Sabotage attacks knock out phone service  —  (04-09) 17:16 PDT SAN JOSE — Vandals cut fiber-optic cable lines belonging to AT&T at two locations early today, knocking out phones and access to 911 emergency services to thousands of residential customers and businesses in southern Santa Clara County …

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 …

The Mysterious Case of CIA Interrogator Mark Swanner  —  There are 14 names in the confidential Red Cross report that surfaced last week on the CIA's “ill treatment” of detainees.  —  But you will not find in it the name of Manadel al-Jamadi, an Iraqi who was picked up by U.S. Navy SEALS in Baghdad and interrogated by the CIA.

Economists See a Rebound in September  —  Economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey expect the recession to end in September, though most say it won't be until the second half of 2010 that the economy recovers enough to bring down unemployment.

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.”

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?

Obama Offers Plan to Improve Care for Veterans  —  President Obama announced plans on Thursday to computerize the medical records of veterans into a unified system, a move that is expected to ease the now-cumbersome process that results in confusion, lost records and bureaucratic delays.

Exclusive: Roy Beck From NumbersUSA — Amnesty Won't Pass House Or Senate  —  At the top of the Drudge Report today is an ominous warning for people who care about the future of this country: NYT: Obama to push Immigration bill, … I have absolutely no doubt that Barack Obama would love …

White House hit by swarm of bees  —  (CNN) - The Secret Service is always on the alert for aerial assaults — but on Thursday, White House grounds were hit by one unexpected airborne threat.  —  A swarm of honey bees took over a bush located between the Northwest security gate of the White House …

Wells Fargo Posts Record Profit  —  When you hear about something like Wells Fargo posting record profits, I think you should resist the temptation to do what I saw some TV anchors doing this morning and start wondering if banks are in better shape than you thought.

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 …