Recess Appointments  —  Craig Becker is getting all the attention out of yesterday's batch of recess appointments, but a fuller look at the list is really required to understand how absurd the level of GOP obstructionism has become.  For example: … There are also others.  But I've picked these out.

Obama Makes a Surprise Visit to Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on Sunday, his first visit as commander in chief to the site of the war he inherited and has stamped as his own.  —  Air Force One landed at nighttime at Bagram Air Base …

CNN on Size of Searchlight Tea Party Rally: “Hundreds of People, At Least Dozens”  —  Just in case you still trusted the state-run media...  CNN on size of Saturday's rally: “At least dozens of people.”  —  This is dozens?  —  American Patrol Photos  —  NewsBusters reported on CNN's anti-Tea Party bias:

Fierce debate on Israel underway inside Obama administration  —  Since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's tense visit to the White House last week, an intense debate inside the Obama administration about how to proceed with Netanyahu to advance the Middle East peace process has grown more heated …

The Rage Is Not About Health Care  —  THERE were times when last Sunday's great G.O.P. health care implosion threatened to bring the thrill back to reality television.  On ABC's “This Week,” a frothing and filibustering Karl Rove all but lost it in a debate with the Obama strategist David Plouffe.

Graham: Obama done ‘almost nothing’ on immigration  —  The lonely leader for immigration reform legislation among Senate Republicans, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, is chafing at what he views as the White House's unwillingness to put political muscle behind the effort.

John King Lets Erick Erickson Tell Latest Right Wing Lie on Racial Slurs: They Didn't Happen  —  As Media Matters has been tracking, here's the latest defense by the right on the racial slurs directed at Democratic members of Congress: “Right-wing blogs trivialize threats, make excuses, blame Democrats”.

Pope faces another wave of scandal  —  The head of the Catholic church is bracing himself for a new round of allegations by victims of paedophile priests — in Italy  —  Pope Benedict XVI is facing growing pressure over his handling of paedophile priests as new cover-ups come to light in Italy …

It's over: MPs say the special relationship with US is dead  —  BRITAIN'S special relationship with the US — forged by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt in the second world war — no longer exists, says a committee of influential MPs.  —  Instead, America's relationship with Britain …

Washington Post poll finds split on health-care law remains deep  —  Americans overwhelmingly see the new health-care law as a major shift in the direction of the country, but they remain as deeply divided today over the changes as they were throughout the long congressional debate, according to a Washington Post poll.

UNAWARE OF THE CONTRADICTION.... There's an old joke that goes something like this: my neighbor went to public schools before joining the military.  He went to college on the G.I. Bill, bought his first home through the FHA, and received his health care through the V.A. and Medicare.

Democrats threaten companies hit hard by health care bill  —  Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles (Susan Walsh/AP)  —  Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has summoned some of the nation's top executives to Capitol Hill to defend their assessment …