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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 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 …

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.

Full-Figured Statuette, 35,000 Years Old, Provides New Clues to How Art Evolved  —  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 genitals.

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.

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” …

FACT CHECK: Data belie Biden stimulus anecdotes  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In his first quarterly report on the nation's stimulus package, Vice President Joe Biden uses anecdotes to paint a glowing picture of an economy on the rebound.  In reality, the picture is incomplete and the colors far more muted.

White House Czar Calls for End to ‘War on Drugs’  —  Kerlikowske Says Analogy Is Counterproductive; Shift Aligns With Administration Preference for Treatment Over Incarceration  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration's new drug czar says he wants to banish the idea that the U.S. is fighting …

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.

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 …

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.

Police Pursuit Ends in Crash, Arrests  —  A driver who fled from an attempted traffic stop in El Monte led police on a high-speed pursuit on freeways and surface streets that ended with a collision in Pico Rivera, followed by a foot pursuit that prompted questions about whether officers used excessive force while arresting the man.

At ASU, Obama promotes service  —  TEMPE, Ariz. - President Obama used his first commencement speech since taking office to implore the graduates of Arizona State University to resist the temptations of materialism and status and instead choose a life of service and commitment to help rebuild the country.

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.