Obama suggests value-added tax may be an option  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days.

Why The GOP Suddenly Let Up On Financial Reform  —  Within 48 hours, the Republican line on financial regulatory reform went from “filibuster” to “we're very close to a deal.”  Why the shift?  Republicans and Democrats will offer up spin all day, chalking up the progress to their own doggedness …

ChickenCare Goes Viral  —  Perhaps inevitably, as you can see in the picture at the left, a progressive group has now created a special ChickenCare dance remix of senate candidate Sue Lowden's proposal to bring down health care costs by adopting a barter economy in medical care.

GOP chairman: African-Americans not given good reason to vote for party  —  Why should an African-American vote Republican?  —  “You really don't have a reason to, to be honest — we haven't done a very good job of really giving you one.  True?  True,” Republican National Chairman Michael …

The tea party's exaggerated importance  —  2009 was the year when many journalists concluded they were slow to recognize the anti-government, anti-Obama rage that gave birth to the tea party movement.  —  2010 is the year when news organizations have decided to prove they get it.  —  And get it.

Oil rig explodes off La.; 11 missing, 17 hurt  —  NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard by sea and air planned to search overnight for 11 workers missing since a thunderous explosion rocked an oil drilling platform that continued to burn late Wednesday, more than a day since it sent a fireball into the night sky.

In WH meeting, ‘Only two of the elected officials in the room had never filibustered a Supreme Court nominee’  —  When Senate leaders went to the White House Wednesday morning to discuss the Supreme Court opening, the meeting was attended by President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden …

MSNBC Pulls the Plug on Donny Deutsch's Weeklong Anchoring Stint  —  A week-long anchoring stint on MSNBC by Donny Deutsch ended abruptly on Wednesday, and four people briefed on the decision said the cancellation stemmed from an unflattering mention of that channel's No. 1 anchor, Keith Olbermann, a day earlier.

In Judicial Bouts, Diane Wood Shows a Persuasive Punch  —  WASHINGTON — There were few liberals and just one woman on the federal appeals court in Chicago when Diane P. Wood, an antitrust expert with a flair for foreign language and an ear for playing the oboe, showed up in the summer of 1995.

There is no liberal Rush Limbaugh  —  I didn't have a Sarah Palin moment when asked to name one.  My silence was my answer  —  I'm traveling this week so blogging is light.  But I'm compelled to comment on the way the right is hyping my Tuesday appearance on “Morning Joe.”

General Election 2010: Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem donors and payments into his private bank account  —  Nick Clegg received a series of payments from party donors directly into his private bank account, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.  —  The Liberal Democrat leader was paid regular monthly sums by three senior businessmen during 2006.

Beck vs. Markos  —  Well, well, well.  Guess which Mullah of the American Taliban has decided to take on Markos?  —  It's none other than Glenn Beck, who fired back at comments that Markos made Monday evening on Countdown.  —  Beck was angry at Markos for characterizing his rhetoric as “eliminationist.”

Shocking Report: Police Find TEA Parties More Peaceful Than Anti-war Protests  —  On Monday, the Christian Science Monitor bucked its mainstream peers by reporting something truthful about the TEA party movement: police officials have begun to relax security requirements at conservative rallies …

The Filter That Protects Palin From Scrutiny  —  Here's a revealing glimpse into how a delusional, incompetent, pathological liar has managed never to hold a real press conference and yet remains a credible public figure.  She avoids the filters - i.e. skeptical journalists - and deploys one simple propaganda tool:

A Republican May Test Odds as an Outsider  —  COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida darted out of the Tallahassee rain on Tuesday, dragging a band of reporters to his office before answering The Question: Will you leave the Republican Party to run for the United States Senate as an independent …

Gas in the tank: GM repays $8.1B in gov't loans  —  WASHINGTON - Fallen giant General Motors Co. accelerated toward recovery Wednesday, announcing the repayment of $8.1 billion in U.S. and Canadian government loans five years ahead of schedule.  —  The Obama administration crowed about the …

Senators close to a deal on financial regulation bill  —  Key members of both parties said Wednesday that they are close to agreeing on the main elements of a bill to overhaul the nation's financial regulations, raising the prospect that the Senate could begin formal discussion of the landmark legislation early next week.

Liberty and Tyranny and Epistemic Closure — By: Jim Manzi  —  Jonah notes Ross Douthat's very interesting post, in which Ross had this to say:  —  Conservative domestic policy would be in better shape if conservative magazines and conservative columnists were more willing to call out Republican politicians …

Born in 1970, event has cause for celebration — and a midlife crisis  —  Before Earth Day became what it is — a national ritual halfway between a street party and a guilt trip — it was a bunch of 20-somethings working in an office over a diner in Dupont Circle.  —  It was 1970.  They worked 15-hour days.