The President Ties His Own Hands on Terror  —  The point of interrogation is intelligence, not confession.  —  The Obama administration has declassified and released opinions of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) given in 2005 and earlier that analyze the legality …

Veterans a Focus of FBI Extremist Probe  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this year launched a nationwide operation targeting white supremacists and “militia/sovereign-citizen extremist groups,” including a focus on veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan …

In Texas, 31% Say State Has Right to Secede From U.S., But 75% Opt To Stay  —  Thirty-one percent (31%) of Texas voters say that their state has the right to secede from the United States and form an independent country.  —  However, the latest Rasmussen Reports poll in the state finds …

Tedisco asks to be declared winner  —  COLUMBIA COUNTY — 20th Congressional District candidate Republican Jim Tedisco submitted a petition to the Dutchess County Supreme Court Thursday asking the judge to declare him the winner of the extremely close special election race …

We Are Now Indonesia  —  Greenwald points to this nugget: … And this is, in fact, the Bush-Cheney position.  Because America did these things, they are not torture.  This is also, by the way, the position of the news reporters and editors at the New York Times and the Washington Post.

3 Courses With Sarkozy, Skewered Leaders on Side  —  PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy is known for his love of action.  But he also likes to brag and run down his fellow world leaders in not-so-private gatherings, like a cross-party lunch on Wednesday for 24 members of Parliament engaged in economic issues.

Green Shoots and Glimmers  —  Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, sees “green shoots.”  President Obama sees “glimmers of hope.”  And the stock market has been on a tear.  —  So is it time to sound the all clear?  Here are four reasons to be cautious about the economic outlook.

Stiglitz: Blame Summers … First Krugman, now Stiglitz; let's call it “When Nobel Prize winners agree with Barry” day.  —  Over the past few months, I have criticized CEA director Lawrence Summers “Sacred Cows/Save the Banks” approach, rather than a save the financial system approach.

Tinklenberg v. Bachmann redux?  DFLers already eyeing 2010  —  Michele Bachmann represents the most Republican-friendly congressional district in Minnesota.  John McCain carried the area by eight percentage points in 2008 — the largest spread in the state.

New gun law aimed at asserting sovereignty  —  Gov. Brian Schweitzer has signed into law a bill that aims to exempt Montana-made guns from federal regulation, adding firepower to a battery of legislative efforts to assert states' rights across the nation.  —  “It's a gun bill …

Obama Adviser Said to Be Tied to Pension Deal  —  The man leading the Obama administration's efforts to restructure the auto industry has been described in Securities and Exchange Commission documents as having arranged for his investment firm to pay more than $1 million to obtain New York State pension business.

Sarah Palin: I Had to ‘Walk the Walk’  —  At Anti-Abortion Rights Event, Gov. Palin Gets Personal About her Last Pregnancy  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin doesn't get out much.  Out of Alaska that is.  —  Last night, on her second trip outside the state this year, Palin reflected a bit …

Obama Averages 63% Approval in His First Quarter  —  Highest first-quarter average since 1977  — USA - Government and Politics - Presidential Job Approval - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's first quarter in office concludes on Sunday …

Barack Obama's ‘New Foundation’ - a Sting in Four Parts  —  Franklin Roosevelt gave us the New Deal.  John Kennedy gave us the New Frontier.  In a major domestic policy address at Georgetown University this week, Barack Obama promised — eight times — a “New Foundation.”

Do We Hate Credit Default Swaps for The Wrong Reasons?  —  There's a lot of crazy ignorant hating on CDSs out there, especially from certain political journalists who displayed no interest in learning about the financial community until they found that pronouncing the words “credit default swaps” …

Christopher Hill: Deep Kimchee for Iraq  —  Of the many things that will be written about North Korea this week, the least likely of these is, “Now there's the kind of diplomacy we need more of.”  Consider just the events of the last few days: the missile test itself, which may have hit closer …

Dean, Emanuel bury the hatchet  —  The feud between Howard Dean and Rahm Emanuel appears to be over.  —  Dean told The Hill that he recently had lunch with the White House chief of staff, signaling a thaw in their once icy relationship.  —  Dean, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee …

Alternative Fuel Folly  —  Every so often Washington throws out a controversy that brilliantly illustrates everything wrong with Washington.  Consider the brewing outrage over “black liquor.”  —  This is the tale of how a supposedly innocuous federal subsidy to encourage “alternative energy” …

Dodd faces steep road to reelection  —  Conn.'s senior senator trails 3 Republicans  —  HARTFORD - The election is still more than 18 months away, but US Senator Chris Dodd is barnstorming Connecticut this week like an incumbent in trouble.  Voters who have supported him for 29 years …

White House Cheat Sheet: Influencing the Influencers  —  President Obama ran against the chattering class politics of Washington but since coming into office has effectively manipulated this elite group of influencers using a variety of techniques from small group sitdowns to opinion pieces …