Obama's Sister Soulja Moment?  —  President Obama's decision this week to reconsider release of inflammatory Pentagon interrogation photos may mark a shift in his administration's handling of politically charged national security issues — upsetting his allies on the left but making some new friends among conservatives in the military.

Shanna Moakler Resigns as Miss California Pageant Director  —  The day after Carrie Prejean was told she could keep her Miss California crown, Shanna Moakler has resigned, she confirms to Usmagazine.com exclusively.  —  “Since the press conference yesterday, I had a chance …

GOP to rebrand Dems as ‘socialists’  —  A member of the Republican National Committee told me Tuesday that when the RNC meets in an extraordinary special session next week, it will approve a resolution rebranding Democrats as the “Democrat Socialist Party.”  —  When I asked if such a resolution …

Sotomayor's Medical History Sparks Wider Debate  —  With President Obama's Supreme Court choice expected within weeks, the vetting process for prospective candidates has grown more intense.  Judicial rulings, legal papers, public statements and financial records all are being pored over with eagle eyes.

Not one dime to the NRSC  —  If you have Facebook, I encourage you to join the group.  —  You know, I can slightly understand the NRSC getting into the Chaffee race, though it was a stupid waste and mismanagement of funds.  —  I can kind of understand them getting behind Specter.

Vets expose advocate as impostor  —  The leader of a statewide veterans group who fought for homeless veterans in Colorado Springs was in the Denver County jail on Wednesday, unmasked as a former psychiatric patient who posed as a wounded Marine officer and 9/11 survivor.

Ancient Figurine of Voluptuous Woman Is Found  —  No one would mistake the Stone Age ivory carving for a Venus de Milo.  The voluptuous woman depicted is, to say the least, earthier, with huge, projecting breasts and sexually explicit genitalia.  —  Nicholas J. Conard …

Obama warns Netanyahu: Don't surprise me with Iran strike  —  U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Israel not surprise the U.S. with an Israeli military operation against Iran.  The message was conveyed by a senior American official …

Senate Rejects Limit on Credit-Card Interest Rates  —  Despite complaints that banks and credit card companies are gouging customers by charging outrageous interest rates, the Senate on Wednesday easily turned back an effort to cap interest rates at 15 percent.

PREDICTION: PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL NOMINATE JUDGE DIANE WOOD OF SEVENTH CIRCUIT  —  With all the talk about whom the President should nominate, there's been less focus on whom the president will nominate.  You can look at the Intrade predictions market here, which reflects Judge Sotomayor in the lead …

Democrats to Develop Plan to Sell Health Care  —  WASHINGTON — Alarmed at Republican attacks on President Obama's health care proposals, Senate Democrats huddled Wednesday with White House officials to formulate a response.  —  Democrats said they felt an urgent need to devise a “message” …

Audio: Schumer in 2004 on enhanced interrogation techniques; Update: Hypocrisy confirmed  —  In fairness, I don't know that I've heard Senator Chuck Schumer among the voices looking to round up a lynch mob for those in the Bush administration who approved, conducted, or advised …

Obama and the Alternative Energy Fiasco  —  It's only a matter of time before President Barack Obama's vast popularity runs aground on his energy policies.  In the name of saving the planet from global warming, he has delayed new oil drilling, an action that will have major political repercussions once the world economy recovers.

Unease Grows for Democrats Over Security  —  WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are voicing growing unease over the Obama administration's national security policies, including the seemingly open-ended commitment in Afghanistan and the nettlesome question of what to do with prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Obama Urges Rules on Investments Tied to Crisis  —  WASHINGTON — In its first detailed effort to overhaul financial regulations, the Obama administration on Wednesday sought new authority over the complex financial instruments, known as derivatives, that were a major cause of the financial crisis …

GOP PAC warns Senate Republicans  —  The National Republican Trust PAC, currently the best-funded and most aggressive independent Republican group, has dispatched a round of letters to Republican senators threatening to go after senators who back President Obama's judicial nominees.

Ben Nelson All Alone In Quest To Block Health Care Reform  —  Sen. Ben Nelson announced at the beginning of this month that he opposed the creation of a public health care plan that people would have the option to buy into.  He'd be gathering together a coalition of like-minded senators to oppose the plan …

‘Top Line’: Colorado Senate Candidate — New Face for GOP?  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Ryan Frazier is not a well-known entity in Washington political circles.  —  But that may change soon — and if it does, the Republican Party may have a new face to showcase in 2010 and beyond.

Bruce Springsteen D.C. show overbooked by TicketsNow  —  Fans eager for premium seats at the Verizon Center show lose their spot  —  It seems Ticketmaster just can't do right by Bruce Springsteen fans.  —  According to the Associated Press, the ticketing giant's resale website TicketsNow oversold …

The Truth Behind the Social Security and Medicare Alarm Bells  —  What are we to make of yesterday's report from the trustees of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds that Social Security will run out of assets in 2037, four years sooner than previously forecast, and Medicare's hospital fund …

Barack Obama, Wanda Sykes and the Politics of Humorlessness  —  There's nothing un-funnier than Saturday night's jokes reviewed by the caffeinated light of Monday morning.  —  Which is why we probably shouldn't quarterback a comedian over coffee when she was performing for a crowd primed on cocktails.