EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IMAGES IN THIS POST  —  It's been written countless times that Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino is something of a walking contradiction.  But let's take him at his word that the tragic death of his son Patrick in 2009 caused him to re-assess his life, his past, and his values.

Washington Memo: Baffled by Health Plan?  So Are Some Lawmakers  —  WASHINGTON — It is often said that the new health care law will affect almost every American in some way.  And, perhaps fittingly if unintentionally, no one may be more affected than members of Congress themselves.

Sarah Palin Has Earned an Estimated $12 Million Since July  —  With A Steady Stream of Six-Figure Speaking Gigs, The Former Alaska Governor's Haul May Be Even Bigger  —  Pundits can debate the political costs and benefits of Sarah Palin's decision to step down as Alaska governor …

SEIU officials: Stern to resign  —  Service Employees International Union President Andrew Stern, one of America's most prominent labor leaders, is set to resign, according to a member of the union's board and another SEIU official.  —  The President of an SEIU local based in Seattle …

Barney Frank gets a high-altitude haranguing on health care  —  Barney Frank has enemies, even 30,000 feet in the air.  —  Flying back to Boston from LA yesterday, the congressman was assailed by a pair of ophthalmologists upset about the health care reform bill.

Obama team points to smaller deficit numbers  —  The federal deficit is running significantly lower than it did last year, with the budget gap for the first half of fiscal 2010 down 8 percent over the same period a year ago, senior Obama administration officials said Monday.

Diverse Court List Floated  —  WASHINGTON—The White House said Monday it was considering a diverse list of about 10 candidates for the Supreme Court, including at least one Westerner, a former state court judge, two politicians and several women.  —  The list was part politics …

Lehman Channeled Risks Through ‘Alter Ego’ Firm  —  It was like a hidden passage on Wall Street, a secret channel that enabled billions of dollars to flow through Lehman Brothers.  —  In the years before its collapse, Lehman used a small company — its “alter ego,” in the words of a former Lehman trader …

Obama spokesman Gibbs sounds eager for future strategist role  —  Robert Gibbs does not seem particularly attached to his office.  —  There is a dormant fireplace ("a problem with the flue," Gibbs said), a cluttered desk, a flat-screen television and a smaller monitor simultaneously displaying C-SPAN, MSNBC, the networks.

Republicans Lead by 48% to 44% on Congressional Ballot  —  Republican Party maintains an advantage on voter enthusiasm  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup Daily tracking for the week ending April 11 puts Republicans slightly ahead of Democrats, 48% to 44%, in the congressional voting preferences of registered voters nationally.

Cyclist Killed By Military Vehicle  —  As part of the security related to the “nuclear security summit” a stretch of New York Avenue near my house is closed to traffic so that it can be used exclusively for motorcades for very important people.  At another stretch of New York Avenue a bit to the west …

Israeli Official Warns Against a U.S. Timeline for Peace  —  JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government said it would reject any moves by the Obama administration to set its own timeline and benchmarks for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, potentially establishing a new fault line between the U.S. and Israel.

Nuclear Security Summit: Obama Invokes Mushroom Clouds  —  Nearly a decade ago, a President of the United States used the specter of a nuclear blast to argue his case for invading a foreign country.  “We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud,” President Bush's …

Women, Liberty, and the Gilded Age: A Reply to My Critics  —  There's been a lot of pushback against my claim that women were freer during the Gilded Age than they are today.  I'm standing my ground.  Replies to leading criticisms:  —  1. I'm ignoring marital rape.  To be blunt, this issue is almost entirely symbolic.

Okla. tea parties and lawmakers envision militia  —  OKLAHOMA CITY - Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

U.S. Faces Shortage of Doctors  —  As Ranks of Insured Expand, Nation Faces Shortage of 150,000 Doctors in 15 Years  —  First-year resident Dr. Rachel Seay, third from left, circumcises a newborn in George Washington University Hospital's delivery wing on March 12.

Lieberman: ‘Thank God’ political momentum now with GOP  —  It's a good thing that voters have moved against the prospect of one-party control of Congress for decades, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said.  —  Lieberman, an independent senator who caucuses with Democrats, acknowledged momentum for the GOP …

Foes of tea party movement to infiltrate rallies  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Opponents of the fiscally conservative tea party movement say they plan to infiltrate and dismantle the political group by trying to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic.

JPMorgan Chase Argues Against Mortgage Modifications, Citing Sanctity Of Contracts  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  With millions of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure during this recession, megabank JPMorgan Chase plans to argue against the Obama administration's latest weapon …

Senators End Impasse on Extending Jobless Aid  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday agreed to consider a temporary extension of unemployment benefits after four Republicans joined Democrats in voting to debate the proposal, which has become the focus of an intensifying fight over deficit spending.

A GOP divide on Palin's Hub rally  —  Some key figures plan to stay away  —  Sarah Palin, 2008 vice presidential candidate, has her speech scheduled for 10 a.m. on Boston Common.  (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)  —  Unsure where they fit in among the restive masses of the “tea party movement …

‘A Different Creature’  —  Nancy Pelosi, at lunch, was making the point that this latest recession was not a typical cyclical downturn.  —  “This is a different creature,” she said, “and it demands that we see it in a different way.”  —  The evidence is stark.