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 …

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.

LETTERS: Bartering is effective in many instances  —  To the editor:  —  Jay Leno recently made fun of U.S. Senate candidate Sue Lowden's remarks that one possible solution to help control the cost of health care is to encourage physician-patient bartering.

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.

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 …

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:

Steele: No reason for black GOP base  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told a group of students that African-Americans “don't have a reason” to vote for Republicans.  —  Steele was asked Tuesday night during a speech to roughly 200 students at DePaul University …

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.”

Five Reasons Why American Conservatives Should be Worried about Nick Clegg — By: NRO Staff  —  Thursday night will see the second of three U.S.-style televised debates between the leading candidates in the upcoming British general election: Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Nick Clegg.

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.”

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 …

Bertha Lewis Unleashed: Bashes Conservatives and the Tea Party, Promotes Socialism  —  Apparently CEO Bertha Lewis said of ACORN yesterday “we're on life support”.  Well, I think ACORN's remaining benefactors might be a little closer to pulling the plug once and for all after watching …

Testimony Could Undercut SEC Charge Against Goldman  —  The government has testimony from a Paulson & Co. official that could contradict its own claims against Goldman Sachs, CNBC has learned.  —  Paolo Pellegrini told the government that he informed ACA Management that Paulson intended to bet against …

The Wrong Man  —  In the fall of 2001, a nation reeling from the horror of 9/11 was rocked by a series of deadly anthrax attacks.  As the pressure to find a culprit mounted, the FBI, abetted by the media, found one.  The wrong one.  This is the story of how federal authorities blew …

FBI, Justice Dept. open probe of Massa payments after retirement announcement  —  Federal authorities have launched a public corruption investigation into events surrounding former representative Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

Bush Still Gets More Blame for Economy Than Obama  —  Of the three party groups, only Republicans say Obama bears more blame than Bush  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More than a year into Barack Obama's presidency, Americans are more likely to say George W. Bush is responsible for today's economic problems …

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.

IMF Raises Forecast for Global Growth, Sees Multispeed Recovery  —  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the world economy is recovering from the global crisis better than expected, but sees activity reviving at different speeds in different parts of the world.

A smear's path  —  I've been avoiding an immigration critic's unsupported claim about Senator Lindsey Graham's sexuality for the usual reason that reporters shouldn't go around repeating such things for fear of abetting a smear campaign.  That was the reason many were slow to cover rumors that Barack Obama was a Muslim.