New sex revelations fuel calls for resignation  —  Latest details tip scales for many  —  Six of 27 members of the conservative Senate Republican Caucus Tuesday night issued a letter calling on Gov. Mark Sanford to resign.  —  Two additional senators considered among Sanford's staunchest allies …

Inhofe says climate change bill will be “dead in the water” in Senate  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. Jim Inhofe, who earlier said a criminal investigation “probably should be” conducted into allegations the EPA suppressed a climate change report, conceded Tuesday he is not qualified to make that determination.

Morning Joe: Palin a “Circus Act,” “Joke”  —  Take a look at this Wednesday Morning Joe exchange between Willy Geist, Joe Scarborough and Mike Allen of the Politico.  You've got the full range of Sarah Palin two minutes hate in this one.  Mike Allen calls her a “circus act.”

Bush's ‘Town Halls’ vs. Obama's Town Halls  —  The New York Times is covering President Obama's health care town hall-style meeting today in Northern Virginia rather credulously.  This is the orchestrated political event that will feature a hand-picked audience and pre-screened questions about Obama's health care plan for the nation.

Michael Scheuer on Fox: America's only hope is for another terrorist attack  —  You can view this video right here by getting the latest version of Flash Player!  —  DOWNLOADS: (784)  —  PLAYS: (3189)  —  Good God.  They really are wishing and hoping for a terrorist attack.

Wal-Mart Backs Insurance ‘Mandate’  —  WASHINGTON — In a major break with most other large companies, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Tuesday told the White House that it supports requiring employers to provide health insurance to workers, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's effort to provide near-universal coverage to Americans.

Firefighter case shows seamy side of racial politics  —  The Supreme Court's decision in Ricci v. DeStefano, the case of the New Haven, Conn., firefighters, was a ringing endorsement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's ban on racial discrimination and a repudiation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia …

Joe the Plumber won't run for office: “You know, I talked to God about that and he was like, ‘No.’”  —  Last year at the height of his “fame,” Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher — aka “Joe the Plumber” — said that he was considering a run for public office.  “I'd be up for it,” he said.

Lieberman: I Stand With The Small Minority Of Americans Who Oppose Public Option  —  The surfeit of polling data showing broad public support for the public option hasn't swayed Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who's joining conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans in staunch opposition.

Fort Worth Police Chief: That Faggot Had It Coming  —  Most residents of Fort Worth have never even seen the inside of a gay bar.  Fort Worth's police chief Jeff Halstead is counting on that fact—counting on the average person's ignorance about gay bars and certain stereotypes about gay men …

Clinton urged Obama to talk tough on Iran  —  Shift was a ‘surprise’  —  Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged President Obama for two days to toughen his language on Iran before he did so, and then was surprised when he condemned Iran's crackdown on demonstrators last week, administration officials say.

The GOP's Real Problems for 2012  —  The Ensign and Sanford scandals are beside the point.  The Republican Party is going to have a hard time coming up with a strong presidential nominee in 2012.  —  The conventional wisdom, as recorded in the New York Times, is that the Republican party …

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis on Mark Sanford  —  If you saw the wire story we ran in today's paper about embattled S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford, you may have noticed quotes from a few local fellows inserted in.  What started out as a localized story (with me helping out master reporter Bob Dalton) …

Girls With Guns Get It  —  In both Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army and Marines found it useful to send a female soldier along on raids, as it was less disruptive to have a woman search the female civilians.  There was no shortage of volunteers for this duty.  The marines, as is their custom, saw more opportunities in this.

Internal GOP Memo Attacks Bush Handling Of Economy  —  An internal GOP memo prepared to brief some House Republicans as part of an ongoing probe into the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch deal takes direct aim at an unlikely target: Former President George W. Bush.

Just Go Be With Her!  —  In part two of his leave-no-rock-unturned interview with the Associated Press, Mark Sanford says that at least he will “be able to die knowing I had met my soul mate,” as David noted below.  And if that's not enough, he says that for all the grief his affair has caused …