My Tortured Decision  —  FOR seven years I have remained silent about the false claims magnifying the effectiveness of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques like waterboarding.  I have spoken only in closed government hearings, as these matters were classified.

Shepard Smith Uncensored: “We Are America, We Do Not F**king Torture!”  (VIDEO)  —  Update: scroll down for Smith's uncensored comments  —  Fox News viewers witnessed a rather incredible scene on Wednesday as anchor Shepard Smith and Fox contributor Judith Miller (of CIA leak infamy) …

Wiretap: The plot thickens in Harman drama  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was notified that intelligence agents had eavesdropped on Rep. Jane Harman's conversations three years ago.  —  This means the Speaker knew about the wiretap when she decided to stop Harman from becoming chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Lewis Testifies U.S. Urged Silence on Deal  —  Bank of America Chief Says Bernanke, Paulson Barred Disclosure of Merrill Woes Because of Fears for Financial System  —  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and then-Treasury Department chief Henry Paulson pressured Bank of America Corp …

AP Poll: Americans high on Obama, direction of US  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days …

Obama at 100 Days: Strong Job Approval, Even Higher Personal Ratings  —  Better Ratings for Foreign Policy than Domestic Issues  —  As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, Barack Obama's job approval ratings are higher than those of his most recent predecessors.

Presidential Poison  —  His invitation to indict Bush officials will haunt Obama's Presidency.  —  Mark down the date.  Tuesday, April 21, 2009, is the moment that any chance of a new era of bipartisan respect in Washington ended.  By inviting the prosecution of Bush officials …

Pakistan Sends Special Police to Taliban-Held Area  —  ISLAMABAD — Pakistani authorities on Thursday deployed special constabulary forces to a strategically important district only 70 miles from the capital, Islamabad, that has come under the effective control of the Taliban in the last several days, police and residents said.

Obama's Budget Satire  —  Monday morning the government braced for austerity, as the government understands that.  Having sent Congress a $3.5 trillion budget, the president signaled in advance — perhaps so his Cabinet members could steel themselves for the new asceticism …

Commentary: Obama waffled on torture, looks weak  —  Editor's note: Ed Rollins, a senior political contributor for CNN, was political director for President Ronald Reagan and chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Like so many politicians I have known …

Drama at GE shareholders meeting  —  ‘Open hostility’ toward execs over MSNBC's ‘leftward tilt’  —  Things got testy Wednesday at the GE shareholders meeting courtesy of several complaints about political bias at its media division, NBC Universal.  —  Just don't expect to see the fireworks …

Some Immigrants Who Lose Freedom Face Loss of Custody  —  CARTHAGE, Mo. — When immigration agents raided a poultry processing plant near here two years ago, they had no idea a little American boy named Carlos would be swept up in the operation.  —  One of the 136 illegal immigrants detained …

Tarheel Fascism  —  6 people, presumably students, have been arrested protesting Virgil Goode's speech against illegal immigration at UNC-Chapel Hill.  They seem to be every bit as tolerant as the Carolina blue fascists that violently ended Tom Tancredo's attempted speech last week.

Rep. Joe Barton: I ‘Stumped’ Nobel Prize Winning Scientist  —  Oh the (rare, but occasionally exceptional) joys of Twitter.  Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX)—the ranking member on the House Energy & Commerce Committee—says (tweets?)  “I seemed [sic] to have baffled the Energy Sec with basic question - Where does oil come from?”

The Case for a Federalism Amendment  —  How the Tea Partiers can make Washington pay attention.  —  In response to an unprecedented expansion of federal power, citizens have held hundreds of “tea party” rallies around the country, and various states are considering “sovereignty resolutions” …

The President's Apology Tour  —  Great leaders aren't defined by consensus.  —  President Barack Obama has finished the second leg of his international confession tour.  In less than 100 days, he has apologized on three continents for what he views as the sins of America and his predecessors.

Want to Prosecute the Lawyers?  Cite Ministries — Not the Justice Case  —  Scholars who believe that the individuals who wrote the OLC memos authorizing torture should be criminally prosecuted — as I do — normally cite the Justice Case, decided by the Nuremberg Military Tribunal (NMT) …

FDA to allow morning-after pill over the counter for 17-year-olds  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The “morning-after pill” will be available without a prescription to women 17 and older, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.  The minimum age has been 18.

Serving Under the Army's Most Ruthless Soldier  —  Blogs and Stories  —  When Scott Beauchamp first described misconduct by American soldiers in Baghdad, the political right accused him of lying.  Last week, one of the soldiers who denounced him became the highest-ranking service member to be found guilty of murder in the Iraq war.

Was Freddie pressured to toe Obama line?  —  Both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal are reporting that Freddie Mac's Chief Financial Officer, David Kellermann, who was found dead Wednesday in an apparent suicide, was involved in recent months in a heated dispute with Freddie's regulator …

Man guilty of hate crime, first-degree murder in transgender slaying  —  A Colorado judge sentences Allen Andrade to life in prison for killing Angie Zapata.  Gay, lesbian and transsexual groups hail the landmark verdict.  —  Reporting from Denver — A Colorado man who says he bludgeoned …