Top Republican calls Limbaugh, Gingrich comments ‘terrible’  —  (CNN) — A top Senate Republican is taking aim at recent statements from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich suggesting Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a “racist.”

Bush: ‘The information we got saved lives’  —  BENTON HARBOR, Michigan (CNN) - Former President George W. Bush on Thursday repeated Dick Cheney's assertion that their enhanced interrogation program was legal and garnered valuable information that prevented future terrorist attacks.

On the NRSC Endorsement  —  Thanks very much to Sen. Cornyn for his willingness to reach out to us on this issue.  — Erick  —  Two and a half years ago, the Republican Party suffered a major blow in the 2006 midterm elections as the Democrats regained control of Congress and began laying …

HOT  —  Lady Gaga and Small Wars Journal.  Both hot.  But don't take my word for it.  Rolling Stone: … Yeah, well, anyone with a Y chromosome can see the chick with the Phyllis Diller fright wig and the bubble bikini is hot.  * Glad to see RS is getting hip to how hot Small Wars can be.

The Big Inflation Scare  —  Suddenly it seems as if everyone is talking about inflation.  Stern opinion pieces warn that hyperinflation is just around the corner.  And markets may be heeding these warnings: Interest rates on long-term government bonds are up, with fear of future inflation …

Obama says nation needs more nerds  —  Inside the Cyberspace Policy Review report that President Obama will unveil in moments at a White House press event is a call for an amped-up effort to get more of the USA's students trained to participate in the digital revolution.

Did Erich ‘Mancow’ Muller Fake His Waterboarding for Publicity?  —  Yesterday we showed you video of Erich “Mancow” Muller, a Chicago-based right-wing shockjock, appearing as a guest on Keith Olbermann's show to discuss his being waterboarded.  He claimed it led to an ideological conversion!

Netanyahu: “What the hell do they want from me?”  —  Last night, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told journalists that the Obama administration “wants to see a stop to settlements — not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a confidante.

Video: O'Reilly apologizes to Hot Air, sort of  —  Yes, he concedes, the quote last night should have been specifically attributed to a commenter, not to the site itself — but that's what we get for letting stuff like that be posted, now isn't it?  Do a better job of moderating comments and we won't have this problem.

Brenda Lee, Reporter, Dragged Kicking And Screaming From Near Air Force One  —  LOS ANGELES — A writer for a small Georgia newspaper who wanted to give President Barack Obama a letter was forcibly removed from a press area near Air Force One on Thursday shortly before he arrived at the airport.

EXCLUSIVE: Career lawyers overruled on voting case  —  Black Panthers had wielded weapons, blocked polls  —  Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding …

Levin Calls Cheney A Liar On Torture  —  Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) spoke last night at a dinner of the Foreign Policy Association, where he lambasted former Vice President Dick Cheney's speech last week for dishonestly claiming that the interrogation techniques he approved were not torture …

Nader: McAuliffe Offered Money To Avoid Key States in '04 Race  —  Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader went public Thursday with an allegation that Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe offered his campaign money to stay off the ballot in key states during the 2004 elections …