Q & A: ‘Joe the Plumber’  —  Samuel Wurzelbacher was launched into the public arena after Senator John McCain used him as an example of an average American during a presidential debate last fall.  “Joe the Plumber” quickly became a celebrity because he questioned then-candidate Barack Obama …

Obama official Kareem Dale confirms White House's love for MSNBC  —  (UPDATED: A second video has been added below.)  —  For some inexplicable reason having to do with who knows what, a widespread impression has grown among many politics fans that MSNBC and its crowd of talkers …

Hatch: W.H. may reveal name this week  —  After talking to President Barack Obama on the phone today, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch says he believes the White House will move swiftly on its Supreme Court nominee, perhaps making an announcement by the end of this week.

We Can't Subsidize the Banks Forever  —  Government has to show it can handle major insolvencies.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The results of the government's stress tests on banks, to be released in a few days, will not mark the beginning of the end of the financial crisis.

U.S. denies letting troops convert Afghans  —  KABUL (Reuters) - The U.S. military denied Monday it has allowed soldiers to try to convert Afghans to Christianity, after a television network showed pictures of soldiers with bibles translated into local languages.

Is Sarah Palin Snubbing GOP's New Relaunch Effort?  —  The GOP has launched a major new effort to remake the party and cast it as forward-looking and constructive, but one person may not be all that interested in participating: Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  —  Sources in the office of GOP …

Obama celebrates Cinco de Mayo a day early  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is celebrating Cinco de Mayo a little early.  —  On the eve of the Mexican holiday, Obama on Monday had an event in the East Room of the White House with Mexico's Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan (sahr-oo-KHAN').

Emanuel: Thwarting Iran hinges on Israeli-Palestinian talks  —  Article's topics: Rahm Emanuel, Iran, AIPAC  —  Thwarting Iran's nuclear program is conditional on progress in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, according to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Criminal charges filed against ACORN, two employees  —  Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Secretary of State Ross Miller announced Monday that voter registration fraud charges have been filed against an organization that works with low-income people and two of its employees in its Las Vegas office.

Obey warns Afghanistan funding may slow unless significant progress made  —  House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) signaled he might not be so generous in funding the Afghanistan war next year unless significant progress is made — progress that could be difficult to achieve.

Records show appointees gave Perry $5 million  —  But governor's office says donations are not considered in job assignments  —  AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has accepted nearly $5 million in political campaign donations from people he appointed to state boards and commissions …

I Like Gloats!  —  The MSM is sick.  John Edwards runs an entire presidential campaign based in large part on his character as shown by his loyalty to his brave, ill wife, etc.—when in reality he's cheating on her, practically setting up a second family—and the press doesn't care (or …

A VERY WEIRD FORM OF CONSISTENCY.  —  Not to fill the blog with Arlen Specter related content this morning, but this bit from Meet the Press deserves to be quoted. … The thing about the Wyden-Bennett plan — the aspect that actually makes it different from virtually every other plan on offer …

Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts  —  Millions in Work Came Without Competition  —  The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life.  On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot …

Hackers Break Into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom  —  Hackers last week broke into a Virginia state Web site used by pharmacists to track prescription drug abuse.  They deleted records on more than 8 million patients and replaced the site's homepage with a ransom note …

New PA Poll: Specter 42% Toomey 36%, Ridge 39% Specter 38%...  116 Pine Street, Suite 201, Harrisburg, PA 17101  —  RIDGE SPECTER A STATISTICAL DEAD HEAT; TOOMEY TRAILS  —  (Harrisburg) Former Governor Tom Ridge and US Senator Arlen Specter are neck-and-neck across Pennsylvania …

Libertarian Democraphobia  —  If you're a new-school classical liberal (neoclassical liberal?) like me, you like democracy just fine.  This puts you somewhere between (a) modern liberals in the post-Rawlsian vein who tend toward not-actually-very-liberal Rousseuvian romanticism about democracy and …