Tea Partiers Are Fairly Mainstream in Their Demographics  —  Skew right politically, but have typical profile by age, education, and employment  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Tea Party supporters skew right politically; but demographically, they are generally representative of the public at large.

A maverick fights for his political life—and his soul. … From the magazine issue dated Apr 12, 2010  —  Late last month, at a dusty fairground outside Tucson, John McCain stood behind the person who is, at least for the next few years, surely his most important legacy to American politics.

Exclusive: White House Blasts Steele for Playing ‘Race Card’ on ABC  —  Embattled RNC Chair Said on “GMA” African-Americans Like Obama Have A ‘Slimmer Margin of Error’ Because of Their Race  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's comment on “Good Morning America” …

The End of Candidate Giuliani?  —  Rudy Giuliani's decision to endorse Marco Rubio in the hotly contested Florida senatorial primary may be more than an act of revenge.  By backing a candidate that has little overlap with the brand of Republicanism that he embodies, Rudy may be signaling …

Obama throws the opening pitch  —  President Obama tossed out the first pitch at Nationals Park Monday afternoon, throwing high and wide to start the Washington team's opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.  —  Obama drew a mixture of cheers and boos from the crowd as he strolled out onto …

Karl Rove appears in TV ad for Census  —  Author and former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove will appear in a new public service announcement from the U.S. Census Bureau designed to convince people to mail back their 2010 census forms by the end of the month.

RNC loses top fundraiser  —  In another serious blow to the Republican National Committee, one of its top fundraisers — and its few remaining connections to the traditional GOP donor base — has resigned a senior, unpaid position.  —  Former Ambassador Sam Fox, a top supporter of George W. Bush …

Unemployment benefits expire for thousands  —  (CNN) — Extended unemployment benefits will temporarily expire for thousands of Americans on Monday because the Senate went on its spring recess without approving a one-month deadline extension.  —  The extension, which had bipartisan support …

Making Financial Reform Fool-Resistant  —  The White House is confident that a financial regulatory reform bill will soon pass the Senate.  I'm not so sure, given the opposition of Republican leaders to any real reform.  But in any case, how good is the legislation on the table …

Fake story meant to ensnare bloggers catches NYT instead  —  And these clowns wonder why they are circling the drain?  This lawyer pulled the fake story stunt to entrap us - political bloggers - because “fact checking is not” our “strong suit,” so he claimed.  We ignored the story, and the NYT ran with it.

Tina Fey interview: Sarah Palin in her sights  —  Tina Fey talks about her new film - and plans to revive her sensational impression of the former vice-presidential candidate.  —  One day Tina Fey was an actress in a little-seen television sitcom, worshipped by an ardent cult following but mainly ignored by mainstream audiences.

The Media Equation: Sarah Palin's Lucrative Career in Mainstream Media  —  When Sarah Palin made her debut as the host of “Real American Stories” on Fox News on Thursday night, she described several triumphs of regular people over insurmountable odds, but she missed an obvious one: her own.

Can CNN Be Saved?  —  Listening to Jon Stewart helped destroy CNN.  Now imitating him might be the network's only hope of salvation.  —  It was October of 2004, the heat of the presidential campaign, when Stewart showed up on “Crossfire,” long CNN's flagship political program, and delivered a now-legendary tirade.

Court Challenge: Replacing Stevens  —  Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens's latest public musings about retirement highlight the challenge President Barack Obama faces in choosing a successor for the leader of the court's liberal minority.  —  Whomever Mr. Obama chooses …

Small Bras and the Value-Added Tax  —  Taxing consumption sounds easy.  Wait until government starts to carve out the political exceptions.  —  So we are to have a European-style value-added tax (VAT).  That's the emerging consensus in Washington as people come to recognize the reality …

Lawmakers: Afghan leader threatens to join Taliban  —  KABUL (AP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai threatened over the weekend to quit the political process and join the Taliban if he continued to come under outside pressure to reform, several members of parliament said Monday.

Why Sen. Ensign should be worried about possible indictment  —  In the federal penal code, it is known as “structuring.”  —  And it is a word Sen. John Ensign should remember because it is very likely to be on any indictment with his name on it.  —  That's what I am told by a reliable source familiar …