UPDATED: NY Times' Maureen Dowd Plagiarizes TPM's Josh Marshall  —  Maureen Dowd in today's NY Times: … TPM's Josh Marshall on Thurs: … All Dowd did was change “we were” to “the Bush crowd was”.  —  Now, I'm all for cutting & pasting.  As a blogger I do it all the time, but I always give credit.

On eloquence vs. prettiness  —  Based on its transcript — here at the Washington Post site, oddly not yet in any obvious place at WhiteHouse.gov — Barack Obama's Notre Dame commencement speech was another extraordinary performance.  “Extraordinary” meaning that it was like his speech …

Conditions for a coup in Congress  —  A congressional leader makes a startling statement.  The media jump on it, causing a firestorm.  The leader first fans the flames and then tries to put them out.  Speculation rises that the leader's colleagues are thinking about mounting a challenge.

Introduction  —  I'm not one for long introductions.  This is a blog.  I'm a blogger.  We'll have fun.  You'll see.  —  But the overlords say it's good form.  So!  Our topic will be the politics and policy of the economy.  But that doesn't limit us to the latest unemployment numbers or the wreckage of a freshly collapsed bank.

The Supreme Court's stealth hard-liner.  —  Chief Justice John Roberts, in 2007.  Photograph by Steve Pyke.  —  KEYWORDS … When John G. Roberts, Jr., emerges from behind the red curtains and takes his place in the middle of the Supreme Court bench, he usually wears a pair of reading glasses …

‘I, Jerk’  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  In this day of polarized politics, it's incumbent on good citizens to be vigorously truthful.  Even in the heat of battle, partisans should own up to their mistakes.  Rectifying errors builds credibility.  Honest self-criticism ensures a healthy debate and a healthier democracy.

Pakistan Is Rapidly Adding Nuclear Arms, U.S. Says  —  WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have been told in confidential briefings that Pakistan is rapidly adding to its nuclear arsenal even while racked by insurgency, raising questions on Capitol Hill about whether billions of dollars …

New York Times Finally Admits It Spiked Obama/ACORN Corruption Story  —  Acknowledging what the blogosphere has known for weeks, the New York Times finally went on record to admit that just before last Election Day it killed a politically sensitive news story involving corruption allegations …

Huntsman strategist: If Palin and Limbaugh dominate, GOP ‘headed for a blowout’ in 2012  —  The Republican strategist who helped Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman prepare for a possible presidential run says the Republican party is in for a devastating defeat if its guiding lights are Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney.

Prosecutors Block Access to DNA Testing for Inmates  —  In an age of advanced forensic science, the first step toward ending Kenneth Reed's prolonged series of legal appeals should be simple and quick: a DNA test, for which he has offered to pay, on evidence from the 1991 rape of which he was convicted.

Tax Audits Are No Laughing Matter  —  A president shouldn't even joke about abusing IRS power.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Barack Obama owes his presidency in no small part to the power of rhetoric.  It's too bad he doesn't appreciate the damage that loose talk can do to America's tax system …

A Smaller But Better Newsweek?  —  Jon Meacham admits it is hard to explain, even to his own people, why chopping Newsweek's circulation in half is a good thing.  —  “It's hugely counterintuitive,” the magazine's editor says.  “The staff doesn't understand it.”

Soak the Rich, Lose the Rich  —  Americans know how to use the moving van to escape high taxes.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  With states facing nearly $100 billion in combined budget deficits this year, we're seeing more governors than ever proposing the Barack Obama solution to balancing the budget: Soak the rich.

Democrats fix sights on GOP prosecutor  —  Easley, Edwards probes under way  —  John Edwards admits federal investigators are asking him questions.  Federal subpoenas were issued Friday related to Mike Easley.  —  As the separate federal probes into a former senator and the former governor are emerging …