Sotomayor's Sharp Tongue Raises Issue of Temperament  —  WASHINGTON — Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, has a blunt and even testy side, and it was on display in December at an argument before the full federal appeals court in New York.

Kicking & Screaming: Journo Dragged From Near AF1  —  A reporter for a small newspaper was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One shortly before President Barack Obama arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to depart California early Thursday.

THERE IS NO CAR-DEALER CONSPIRACY.... A whole lot of right-wing blogs are worked up today over a report about the political affiliations of Chrysler dealers who've been shut down. … Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), who has a dealership that will close, called this “an outrage.”

Sestak: Not Even Obama Can Talk Me Out Of Challenging Specter  —  In another sign of his determination to challenge Arlen Specter in the 2010 Democratic primary, Joe Sestak just told me in an interview that not even a personal plea from President Obama himself could dissuade him from making the race.

The Peter Principle  —  We hang together or hang separately. … All of us, every single person regardless of political persuasion who reads this, have a tendency to deny our friends and fellow travelers at times.  All of us.  —  Peter, under pressure and fear, denied Christ not just once, but three times.

Obama Rings Up Cash Among the Stars  —  The president basked in the glow of his Hollywood supporters.  —  BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The state budget may be severely overdrawn, but the California political A.T.M. seems to be working just fine.  —  President Obama arrived at a back-to-back fund-raising dinner …

Fox Nation Goes Nirther  —  At the Fox Nation website, unrestrained Nirth Certifikit insanity runs rampant in the comments for a video of Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs answering a question from a Nirther journalist (not sure who it is): Should Obama Release Birth Certificate?  Or Is This Old News?

Nelson Now Open To Public Health Care, Baucus Will Fight For It  —  The push to include a public health care option as part of a system-wide overhaul benefited from two major boosts Wednesday.  Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), the chairman of the Finance Committee and lead health care negotiator …

OBAMA: BUYER'S REMORSE  —  Admittedly, I was one of the moderate conservatives who was wooed by Obama during his PR campaign to become the country's next president.  Sadly, even though I was still unsure of my vote until the week before the election, I know better now.

Nader Accuses McAuliffe of Suppressing Votes  —  Consumer activist Ralph Nader accused Terry McAuliffe Thursday of orchestrating an effort to remove him from the presidential ballot in 2004 when McAuliffe was chairman of the Democratic National Committee.  —  Nader said that McAuliffe offered …

Pentagon denies report Iraq prison photos show rape  —  The Pentagon on Thursday denied a British newspaper report that photographs of Iraqi prisoner abuse, whose release U.S. President Barack Obama wants to block, include images of apparent rape and sexual abuse.

Evidence mounts that recession may be ending  —  But the economy's bounce along the bottom may be a very bumpy ride  —  msnbc.com staff and news service reports  —  The economy is throwing off signals that it may be bumping along the bottom, and the ride is likely to be rough.

Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Wars in Cyberspace  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to create a new military command for cyberspace, administration officials said Thursday, stepping up preparations by the armed forces to conduct both offensive and defensive computer warfare.

Why did Obama add Saudi Arabia to his itinerary?  —  The Arab media is buzzing today over the announcement that President Obama will travel to Riyadh before arriving in Cairo for his big address to the Islamic world.  Why the late addition to his itinerary?

The 10 Most Powerful Political Daughters  —  For more from Carlos, check out “How the Prop 8 Ruling Will Help Gay Marriage” and “Torture Won't Be Solved on Cable News.”  —  Father's Day  —  is still a few weeks off, but in the loving world of politics—some daughters have already given generous gifts to Dad.

For Teenagers, Hello Means ‘How About a Hug?’  —  There is so much hugging at Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, N.J., that students have broken down the hugs by type:  —  There is the basic friend hug, probably the most popular, and the bear hug, of course.

Please uncover your face.  It's our custom  —  Why are women's faces concealed in East London but not in Damascus?  —  Funny to return from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey - where women go unveiled - and return to Britain, the land of the full hijab.  I see more women with their faces covered in Tower Hamlets than I did in Damascus.

Especially The Blacks And The Latinos  —  My former colleague Tim Padgett has an unfortunate and deeply problematic article on Sotamayor's effect on the relationship between blacks and Latinos, a subject that major media has never gotten a solid handle on, for reasons that are made clear in Padgett's lede:

Speaking Bluntly  —  On Tuesday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid threw one heck of a book party.  His memoir, The Good Fight: Hard Lessons from Searchlight to Washington, just came out in paperback, and to celebrate the occasion the Nevada senator held a fundraiser at Caesar's Palace.

When Sallie Met Barack  —  There are so many things I don't understand in this world.  Why can't we do something about North Korea?  Why are all the bees dying?  How did I miss knowing about “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” until last week?  —  None of these things, however, are nearly as confusing as student loans.