SEC staffers watched porn as economy crashed  —  WASHINGTON - Senior staffers at the Securities and Exchange Commission spent hours surfing pornographic websites on government-issued computers while they were being paid to police the financial system, an agency watchdog says.

Schumer: Obama's ‘counter-productive’ Israel policy ‘has to stop’  —  New York Senator Chuck Schumer harshly criticized the Obama Administration's attempts to exert pressure on Israel today, making him the highest-ranking Democrat to object to Obama's policies in such blunt terms.

Party Affiliation Gap in U.S. Narrowest Since 2005  —  Democratic advantage shrinks as more independents lean to the Republican Party  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The advantage in public support the Democratic Party built up during the latter part of the Bush administration and the early part …

Don't Cry for Wall Street  —  On Thursday, President Obama went to Manhattan, where he urged an audience drawn largely from Wall Street to back financial reform.  “I believe,” he declared, “that these reforms are, in the end, not only in the best interest of our country, but in the best interest of the financial sector.”

Potential Supreme Court pick Garland could find foes on left  —  Unlike several other possible candidates to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Merrick B. Garland probably won't face conservative opposition.  Instead, it could be liberals lining up against him.

GOP: Put Betty Sutton ‘back in the kitchen’?!  —  What's the best way to move women back decades?  Just ask the GOP.  —  The Republican Review, an apparent newsletter produced by the Medina County (Ohio) Republican Executive Committee, states the following:

Barack Obama Strangelove Backing A Weapon Too Crazy For Bush/Cheney  —  The NY Times continues to present the Administration spin in favor of reducing our nuclear arsenal.  Part of the rationale was that our conventional weapons, such as smart bombs and cruise missile, are much more accurate and powerful.

Report says health care will cover more, cost more  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law is getting a mixed verdict in the first comprehensive look by neutral experts: More Americans will be covered, but costs are also going up.  —  Economic experts at the Health …

Redactions Revealed: The Six Secrets You Need to Know From the Obama Subpoena Request  —  Former governor Rod Blagojevich's defense team asked Thursday to issue a trial subpoena to the President of the United States of America.  —  The motion, intended to be heavily redacted …

The Real Republican Civil War  —  The struggle between Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist for the Florida Senate seat symbolizes the rift between the reformers and the establishment in the GOP.  —  Marco Rubio appeared on a Sunday talk show this month to say something remarkable.

White House leaves Durbin hanging  —  Sen. Dick Durbin slipped into the West Wing last week to ask Rahm Emanuel for White House help in saving Barack Obama's old Senate seat.  —  But he didn't leave with any ironclad commitments.  —  Durbin told Emanuel that Democratic nominee Alexi Giannoulias …

Liberty, Tyranny, and the Globe — By: NRO Staff  —  I don't know Jim Manzi, but given his out-of-nowhere rant, you'd think I ran over his dog or something.  Feel free to read my book, and the chapter Manzi distorts and cherry-picks, yourself.  You don't need Manzi to interpret it.

Hoyer Sees Election Trouble for House Democrats  —  Nationally-recognized election prognosticator Charlie Cook isn't the only one who sees the majority for House Democrats slipping away.  Today, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer agreed, but said that he and others will mount a strong campaign …

Institutionalizing Crony Capitalism  —  In the wake of the recent financial meltdown, Americans know that we need reform.  Not only have many individuals learned lessons about personal responsibility through this, but we've been able to engage in a discussion about government's appropriate role.

David Cameron edges second leaders' debate, according to Times poll  —  David Cameron scored a narrow victory over Nick Clegg in the second leaders' debate last night after an impassioned contest turned personal.  —  The Tory leader scraped a win — on 37 per cent to Mr Clegg's 36 per cent — according to a Populus poll for The Times.

Democrat “Outs” Another Democrat For Being Straight  —  If you've been looking for further proof that American politics is going thoroughly bonkers as partisans claw for increasingly personal labels to hurl at and discredit foes or those who don't agree — it's a lot easier doing …

Fox News Poll: Obama Approval Up; Most Say Stop Blaming Bush  —  A Fox News poll released Thursday finds 66 percent of voters think President Obama should start taking responsibility.  That's more than three times as many as the 21 percent who think it's right to continue to blame …

Liberals and the Violence Card  —  Conservative protest is motivated by a love of what America stands for.  —  The latest liberal meme is to equate skepticism of the Obama administration with a tendency toward violence.  That takes me back 15 years ago to the time President Bill Clinton accused …