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 …

President Obama Reverses Course on Releasing More Detainee Abuse Photographs  —  President Obama met with White House counsel Greg Craig and other members of the White House counsel team last week and told them that he had second thoughts about the decision to hand over photographs of detainee abuse …

Reid: Johnsen Doesn't Have Votes for DOJ Post  —  As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moves to ease a backlog of executive branch nominations, he suggested on Tuesday that he does not have the votes to bring up President Barack Obama's pick to run the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel.

Source: Aide told Pelosi about waterboarding  —  CNN Congressional Producer  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah.

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.

Chrysler and the Rule of Law  —  The Founders put the contracts clause in the Constitution for a reason.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The rule of law, not of men — an ideal tracing back to the ancient Greeks and well-known to our Founding Fathers — is the animating principle of the American experiment.

Analysis: Cheney attacks may not help GOP  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — To the chagrin, perhaps, of Republicans looking to rebuild the tattered party, Dick Cheney has grabbed the spotlight.  —  The recurring theme of the once-reclusive and largely unpopular former vice president …

Foreclosures: ‘April was a shocker’  —  A record number of foreclosure filings took place during April, but the number of repossessions fell 11%.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Foreclosures in April exceeded even March's blistering pace with a record 342,000 homes receiving notices of default …

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.

Officials Knew of AIG Bonuses Months Before Firestorm  —  As American International Group chief executive Edward M. Liddy returns to Washington to face Congress today, new details are emerging about how long federal officials were aware of the company's recent bonus payments to its executives …

U.S. Eyes Bank Pay Overhaul  —  Administration in Early Talks on Ways to Curb Compensation Across Finance  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has begun serious talks about how it can change compensation practices across the financial-services industry, including at companies …

No Clamor for High Court Appointee to Be Woman, Minority  —  As in 2005, majority of Americans say gender, race, and ethnicity of appointee don't matter  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Despite the widely reported expectation that President Barack Obama will be looking for a qualified woman …

Rise of the soda jerks  —  “And he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the Pepsi drinker!”  —  There has to be a statement about soft drinks tucked somewhere in Leviticus.  I have assurances, after all, that such beverages are wicked.

Ire Over a Columnist, an Author of Torture Memos  —  When The Philadelphia Inquirer hired as its new opinion columnist, John C. Yoo, an author of the Bush administration's widely criticized legal memos on harsh interrogation techniques, it was probably inevitable that the decision would draw complaints.

Madigan mulling bid for U.S. Senate  —  Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, who has been eyeing a run for the governor's seat, is now also mulling a bid for the U.S. Senate, a move that could put her on a collision course with the beleaguered Sen. Roland Burris.  —  •