TRANSPARENT BIGOTRY.... Following up on an earlier item, at least one high-profile Republican senator announced he doesn't want to see President Obama nominate a gay American for the Supreme Court. … I don't expect much from Thune, but I have to wonder if he realizes how incredibly ridiculous this is.

UPDATED: Steele Condemns Maine Decision, Revealing Split With Snowe and Collins  —  After the RNC said he wouldn't be issuing a statement on Maine's decision to legalize gay marriage today, RNC Chairman Michael Steele is in fact condemning the decision, a position that puts him at odds …

House bypasses governor's veto to claim Oklahoma's sovereignty  —  Although Gov. Brad Henry vetoed similar legislation 10 days earlier, House members Monday again approved a resolution claiming Oklahoma's sovereignty.  —  Unlike House Joint Resolution 1003, House Concurrent Resolution 1028 does not need the governor's approval.

JOHN EDWARDS' MISTRESS DEMANDS DNA TEST FOR BABY!  —  John Edwards' furious mistress is demanding he submit to a DNA test, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively!  —  Rielle Hunter - the longtime secret lover of the disgraced 2-time presidential candidate - wants definitive proof that Edwards …

A Cheney Cover-Up?  —  Someone in the White House tried to deep-six Philip Zelikow's anti-torture memo.  Welcome to the latest Bush-era whodunit.  —  Post Comment  —  Who in the George W. Bush White House tried to shred a memo challenging the use of torture?

Poll: Don't investigate torture techniques  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new national poll indicates that most Americans don't want to see an investigation of Bush administration officials who authorized harsh interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists, even though most people think such procedures were forms of torture.

Meltdown: Specter stands alone  —  Arlen Specter infuriated Senate Republicans when he bolted from their party last week.  Now he's alienated just about everybody in the Senate Democratic caucus, too.  —  Since declaring himself a Democrat last Tuesday, Specter has defied Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid …

Ed Gillespie: There wasn't a single woman of comparable ‘temperament and intellect’ to Alito.  —  On “The Situation Room” this afternoon, former Bush counselor Ed Gillespie said that “it would be wrong” if President Obama looks at only women for potential Supreme Court nominees …

Limbaugh Responds To Powell: He Needs To ‘Close The Loop And Become A Democrat’  —  On Monday, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he believed the Republican party is in “deep trouble,” “getting smaller,” and being led by polarizing figures like Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and Rush Limbaugh.

IS CONGRESS TURNING TOWARDS SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM?  —  Steny Hoyer, it seems, is making some noises about Social Security reform.  Good luck with that, I guess.  The interesting nugget in the article, however, is that “House and Senate leaders have resisted the idea of naming a special commission …

Obama Offers D.C. Voucher Program Extension for Existing Students  —  President Obama will seek to extend the controversial D.C. school voucher program until all 1,716 participants have graduated from high school, although no new students will be accepted, according to an administration official …

Pakistan-US Relations Are Upside Down  —  I think the headline “U.S. Presses Visiting Pakistani Leader on Taliban Threat” pretty much sums up what's gone wrong in the US-Pakistan relationship.  The Pakistani Taliban are waging a war whose aim is to overthrow the government of Pakistan.

Obama's Global Tax Raid  —  President Obama revealed Monday that he's half a supply-sider.  If only someone could explain to him the other half.  We have a tax code, the President said, “that says you should pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, New York.”

The Price of the King's Shilling  —  Apparently, the $34 billion figure is good news because BAC has all those preferreds at Treasury that can be converted to common stock, leaving Treasury with $34 billion of common and $11 billion of preferreds.  But Joe Weisenthal asks a good question:

Cap and Trade vs. Carbon Tax  —  The Waxman-Markey Climate Bill sets up a so-called “cap and trade” framework to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.  The canonical alternative approach is commonly though incorrectly, called a carbon tax.  In the current Grist, Joseph Romm tees up James Hansen …

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Limbaugh Mocks Recession During Speech To Wealthy Right-Wing Donors  —  Last night, Rush Limbaugh came to Washington, D.C. to address the President's Club Dinner, a meeting of wealthy donors and supporters of the Heritage Foundation.  The audience included Supreme Court …

Stress Tests Separate Strong From Weak  —  Fed Separates Strong From Weak in Stress-Test Results; Six Get Clean Bill of Health, Seven Told to Shore Up Balance Sheets  —  The Federal Reserve directed at least seven of the nation's biggest banks to bolster their capital levels by $67 billion …

Too Much, Magic Bus  —  PajamasTV hasn't really been in the news since it hired Sam “Joe the Plumber” Wurzelbacher to report on the war in Gaza, but it's still kicking.  Some of its most popular content is coming from black conservative comic Alphonzo Rachel, who sometimes appears as “President Zobama.”