Most transparent White House ever...  Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”

Is Goldman Obama's Enron?  No, it's worse (Updated)  —  Campaign contributions from Goldman Sachs employees to President Obama are nearly seven times as much as President Bush received from Enron workers, according to numbers on OpenSecrets.org.  —  President Bush's connections to Enron …

Ariz House: Check Obama's Citizenship  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona House on Monday voted for a provision that would require President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate if he hopes to be on the state's ballot when he runs for reelection.  —  The House voted 31-22 to add the provision to a separate bill.

Lindsey Graham Gay?  Conservative Group ALIPAC Demands Senator ‘Admit Homosexuality’  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  William Gheen, head of the conservative, anti-"amnesty," anti-illegal immigration group Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC), spoke at a Greenville …

Next Up?  Obama Calls Sen. Scott Brown About Immigration  —  President Barack Obama called Massachusetts' new Republican senator, Scott Brown, from Air Force One today to deliver some news: Democrats are moving forward with an immigration overhaul in a month.

Arizona has turned into a police state: ‘Show me your papers’  —  I had a friend who isn't into politics, but would say that Bush's goal was to enact martial law over the country.  I told her she was not based in reality.  But this new law in Arizona gives the police exactly that type of power …

Ronald Reagan and James Dean: Rare Video From 1954  —  Today, it's an astonishing, even eerie, scene: the icon of modern American conservatism, whose rise to political prominence was galvanized by the cultural rebellion of the 1960s, fighting off an attack-at-gunpoint by the quintessential modern American rebel.

White House: Obama Won't Make Cautious Court Pick Because GOP Will Oppose Whoever He Nominates  —  President Obama thinks Republicans will engage in a full battle over his Supreme Court nominee regardless of the person's ideological leanings, and in some ways “that realization is liberating for the president” …

GOPer Tries to Ape My Snark  —  I'm not quite sure what to make of this.  A couple weeks ago our Eric Kleefeld came up with video showing Nevada Senate candidate Sue Lowden suggesting that “bartering” for medical care would be a good way to rein in spiraling health care costs.

U.S. attorney, IRS and FBI investigating Florida GOP credit card use  —  Federal law enforcement agencies have launched a criminal investigation into the use of American Express cards issued by the Republican Party of Florida to elected officials and staff, according to sources familiar with the probe.

Hitler Is Very Upset That Constantin Film Is Taking Down Hitler Parodies  —  For my money, memes on the Internet don't get any better than the Hitler one.  You know, the one in which you take some current event (the more mundane, the better) and shove it into the scene from the German film Downfall …

Matthews: Republicans Like Rubio Taking Part in ‘Stalinesque’ Purge of GOP  —  Chris Matthews — who was offended by Rush Limbaugh calling the Obama administration the “regime”— claimed the Republicans were engaged in a “Stalinesque” purge.  On Tuesday's Hardball Matthews charged …

McCain's Integrity  —  There is a new round of “where have you gone, John McCain?” liberal commentary starting up.  I used to find this amusing, but it is all based on a profound misunderstanding of McCain the politician.  Recently, McCain has been making a fool of himself by repudiating …

McCaskill presses GOP to reveal holds  —  Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is trying to flush out Senate Republicans who have placed secret holds on nearly 80 of President Barack Obama's nominees.  —  McCaskill asked for unanimous consent to vote on the 18 nominees.

Obama Approval Slips Further in Fifth Quarter to 48.8%  —  Ranks among lowest fifth-quarter averages for elected presidents  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama averaged 48.8% job approval for his fifth quarter in office, spanning Jan. 20-April 19 Gallup Daily tracking.

Halperin Takes A Stand  —  It isn't every day that a consumate inside-game reporter/pundit type like Mark Halperin aggressively calls out one party for lying, but that's exactly what Halperin did early this morning on MSNBC, talking about the GOP claim that the Dem financial reg reform bill will lead to a permanent bailout.

U.N.'s Ballooning $732 Million Haiti Peacekeeping Budget Goes Mostly to Its Own Personnel  —  The United Nations has quietly upped this year's peacekeeping budget for earthquake-shattered Haiti to $732.4 million, with two-thirds of that amount going for the salary, perks and upkeep of its own personnel …

420 Meaning: The True Story Of How April 20 Became ‘Weed Day’  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  This piece was first published last year on April 20.  —  Warren Haynes, the Allman Brothers Band guitarist, routinely plays with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, now touring as The Dead.

Lucy And The Football  —  Talking Points Memo reports that Democrats are largely unprepared for the possibility that Republicans will filibuster financial reform.  —  Is this really possible?  I'm afraid it is.  My own conversations with administration officials over the past few weeks …

Bill Black Testimony on Lehman Bankruptcy - Transcript and Video  —  FDL Contributor Bill Black scorched everyone with his testimony on the failure of Lehman Brothers before the House Financial Services Committee today.  His prepared remarks can be found here (PDF).