Republicans say Obama's Supreme Court pick must be mainstream  —  Senate Republican leaders declined to rule out a filibuster of President Obama's nominee to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, if they think the pick falls outside the judicial mainstream.

1994 Republican Rout Is Casting Shadow in 2010  —  WASHINGTON — The year was 1994.  Congressional Democrats were battered after a failed fight to pass a health care bill.  It was the first midterm election for a new Democratic president, Bill Clinton.  By overwhelming numbers …

Washington Readies for Huge Nuclear Summit  —  Top of the Agenda: Securing Loose Nuclear Materials that Could End Up in the Hands of Al Qaeda  —  (CBS) The nation's capital is gearing up for a very busy couple of days.  President Obama opens a summit on nuclear security Monday with dozens of world leaders scheduled to attend.

Hallucinogens Have Doctors Tuning In Again  —  As a retired clinical psychologist, Clark Martin was well acquainted with traditional treatments for depression, but his own case seemed untreatable as he struggled through chemotherapy and other grueling regimens for kidney cancer.  Counseling seemed futile to him.

The Better Pope  —  The world didn't always agree with Pope John Paul II, but it always seemed to love him.  Handsome and charismatic, with an actor's flair and a statesman's confidence, he transformed the papacy from an Italian anachronism into a globe-trotting phenomenon.

Bishop ‘blames Jews’ for abuse row  —  A furious transatlantic row has erupted over quotes that were attributed to a retired Italian bishop, which suggested that Jews were behind the current criticism of the Catholic church's record on tackling clerical sex abuse.

Zazi, Al Qaeda pals planned rush-hour attack on Grand Central, Times Square subway stations  —  Chilling new details about the foiled Al Qaeda plot to blow up the city's busiest subways have emerged as a fourth suspect was quietly arrested in Pakistan, the Daily News has learned.

So How's the Economy Doing, Anyway?  —  Business Week's Mike Dorning thinks the economy is on the mend: … Floyd Norris of the New York Times agrees that a lot of people are being too pessimistic: … There's a lot to this.  But just off the top of my head, here are the things that gnaw at me when I hear stuff like this:

Tea Party Rallies Remain a Cauldron for Conspiracy Theories  —  The Tea Party Express has toured state after state trying to kick up a debate about constitutional rights and cast doubt on the legality of the recently passed health care overhaul, all with an eye toward the 2010 elections.

Greece Saved For Now - Is Portugal Next?  —  The Europeans announced Sunday they would provide 30 billion euros of assistance to Greece, amid informed rumors that the IMF will offer another 10-15 billion.  With a total of say 40-45 billion euros in the bag - more than the market was expecting — the Greeks have time to make changes.

Lieberman: Obama Won't Get Nukes Treaty Without Major Changes  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) predicted on Sunday that President Obama would not get the votes needed to pass his nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia unless there were significant modifications to the administration's approach.

Bill to extend jobless benefits faces Senate showdown  —  Congress is poised for another partisan showdown over extending unemployment insurance, as concerns about the growing budget deficit have complicated the path forward for an otherwise popular program.

Mississippi Gov. Barbour Thinks Slavery Omission 'Doesn't Matter For Diddly'  —  This morning on CNN's State of the Union, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) defended Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R-VA) omission of slavery from his proclamation on Confederate History Month.  Barbour told CNN host Candy Crowley …

Poll Finds Pessimism Among Print and Broadcast Journalists  —  Most newspaper and broadcast news editors think American journalism is in decline, and about half believe that their employers will go out of business if they do not find new sources of revenue, according to a survey to be released on Monday.

So, 'Voicemails Expose Left's Racism'... Where's The MSM Been All This Time?  —  When I read Monica Crowley's piece on Big Government, I must admit to being thoroughly disgusted.  —  Not because she posted racial-slur laden voicemails sent to Dr. Christopher Metzler, Associate Dean …

What the Euphemisms Tell Us  —  In the latest installment of politically correct, not to say Orwellian, language emanating from the Obama administration, the term “rogue states” has been sidelined in favor of “outliers.”  The switch was unveiled as part of the just released Nuclear Posture Review.

Op-Ed Columnist: Bank Failures: Why Georgia?  —  As we look for ways to prevent future financial crises, many questions should be asked.  Here's one you may not have heard: What's the matter with Georgia?  —  I'm not sure how many people know that Georgia leads the nation in bank failures …

Fisking the WaPo's Ombudsman, Andrew Alexander  —  Andrew Alexander's column today concerning the Washington Post's reporting on the alleged “spitting and slurs” episode on March 20 offers a partially accurate thesis based on unsubstantiated details.  In short, it doesn't work.  —  Here's Alexander's thesis: