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.

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 …

Lieberman: ‘Thank God’ political momentum now with Republicans  —  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 …

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.

Street Execs Give Pols Earful on Financial Reform  —  As a financial reform bill starts to take shape in Washington, two key lawmakers came to New York City last week to explain what it means for Wall Street, and how financial executives might help prevent some of its least market-friendly aspects …

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 …

Andrew Ross Sorkin Owes Several People An Apology … I certainly never said anything like that, and I don't think Nouriel did either.  First of all, I never called for “nationalizing the entire banking system” — I wanted the government to take temporary full ownership of a few weak banks …

Staffers' accounts paint more detailed, troubling picture of Massa's office  —  Just three months after Eric Massa was elected to Congress, his young male employees on Capitol Hill began complaining to supervisors that the lawmaker was making aggressive, sexual overtures toward them, according to new interviews and internal documents.

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 …

What's the Matter With Fox News?  —  I've been reading the debates touched off by Julian Sanchez's post on “a systematic trend toward “epistemic closure” in the modern conservative movement”.  I'm nervous about wading in because almost anything I say is bound to offend someone I like.

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.

Cuomo Stomps Little-Known Republicans 2-1, Quinnipiac University New York State Poll Finds; Pataki Would Top GOP Field, Lead Gillibrand  —  New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has a 74 - 14 percent job approval rating and commanding leads of 2-1 or more against the little-known Republican contenders …

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.

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 …

‘Learn to Speak Tea Bag’ cartoonist wins Pulitzer  —  A few months ago, I wrote here about an animated cartoon on the National Public Radio website entitled “Learn to Speak Tea Bag.”  The cartoon, by satirist Mark Fiore, was a mock instructional video in which viewers were told that if they were …

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.

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.

‘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.

The Ghost of Bobby Lee  —  Ken Burns' Civil War documentary makes note of the fact that General Lee was opposed to slavery.  I basically took that as true, until—in all honesty—some of my commenters informed me that it, in fact, was not.  One of the saddest, and yet telling, aspects of the War …