In Obama's Inner Circle, Debate Over Memos' Release Was Intense  —  Some Feared That a Partisan Outcry Could Obstruct Larger Agenda  —  As President Obama met with top advisers on the evening of April 15, he faced one of the sharpest policy divides of his young administration.

Election 2010: Pennsylvania Republican Senate Primary  —  Pennsylvania Senate Primary: Toomey 51% Specter 30%  —  Incumbent Senator Arlen Specter trails former Congressman Pat Toomey by 21 points in an early look at Pennsylvania's 2010 Republican Primary.  Fifty-one percent (51%) …

Key Dem Senator Likely To Vote Against Top Obama Legal Nominee  —  Uh oh.  This could signal real trouble for a key Obama nominee under assault by the right: Office of Legal Counsel chief Dawn Johnsen, a fierce Bush critic who would be at the center of the war over whether Obama …

Obtained: Cheney's Request Form Detailing The Two CIA Torture Docs He Wants  —  I've just obtained from the National Archives the actual request form that Dick Cheney submitted for CIA documents he claims will prove that torture worked.  —  Cheney requested all of two CIA documents, a total of 21 pages.

Taliban Spokesman Blames American Women  —  Update |  1:25 p.m. Britain's Channel 4 News aired a video report on Thursday night showing Taliban forces on the streets of the strategically important Pakistani town of Buner, just 70 miles from the country's capital, Islamabad.

Poll: Public thinks highly of Obama  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's opening months in the Oval Office have fortified his standing with the American public, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, giving him political capital for battles ahead.  —  As his 100th day as president approaches next Wednesday …

Minnesotans won't know second Senator until at least June  —  The state Supreme Court set the schedule today for the legal showdown between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman over the Senate seat that has been vacant since January.  —  Minnesotans won't know who will be their second U.S. Senator until at least June.

Reclaiming America's Soul  —  “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.”  So declared President Obama, after his commendable decision to release the legal memos that his predecessor used to justify torture.  Some people in the political and media establishments have echoed his position.

Ambushing Bill O'Reilly's Ambusher  —  Gawker has some questions for Jesse B. Watters, the Fox News producer that Bill O'Reilly likes to send out to ambush his enemies.  So we're outside his building in Long Island.  Right now.  (Hi, Jesse!)  —  This apartment building is the last known address …

Gingrich vs. Gore in global warming showdown  —  It's Gingrich vs. Gore at Friday's global warming hearing.  —  The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee has added former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) to the roster of witnesses for its hearing on a climate bill Friday.

Palin, Fundraising Firm Part Ways  —  Campaign Solutions, a Republican consulting firm advising Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee, has parted ways with the former Republican vice presidential nominee.  —  The group had been working with the Palin operation to raise money …

Chris Matthews changes book title Jon Stewart mocked  —  Could the interview Chris Matthews called “the worst he's ever had” have something to do with his decision to change the title of his most recent book before its paperback edition is released?  —  In 2007, the “Hardball” host went on …

BANANA REPUBLICS.... To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, Republicans keep using this phrase, but I don't think it means what they think it means.  —  On Tuesday, Karl Rove argued on Fox News that accountability for Bush administration officials who broke the law would make United States …

Video: Frank in 2005 — Bubble?  What bubble?  —  Barney Frank argued this week that he had always warned about the excesses of pushing home ownership and had advocated for rentals instead.  Our friends at Verum Serum couldn't believe their ears, because Frank has long been one of the loudest …

Note To McCain And Fox News: Bush's DHS Also Objected To Terms Like ‘Islamic Extremists’  —  Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) went on Fox News to add to the right-wing backlash against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.  When Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade asked McCain …

A Limited Love of Liberty  —  A former ACLU board member says that the organization has lost its way.  —  When the American Civil Liberties Union comes under attack, the salvos are often launched from the right.  The ACLU, after all, is as enthusiastic about protecting the interests of feminists …

Clinton Counters Israeli Stance on Palestinians and Iran  —  Progress on establishing a Palestinian state must go “hand-in-hand” with efforts to stem Iranian influence in the Middle East, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday, implicitly rejecting the emerging position of the new Israeli government.