Republican centrists warn Reid's tough tactics could backfire  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has deployed unusually tough tactics to pressure Republicans to back Wall Street reform — a move that could shore up his liberal base, but one that GOP centrists say is counterproductive.

Dodd and Shelby to meet on financial bill as it nears the floor  —  The top two members of the Senate Banking Committee will meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss the financial regulatory bill as many on Capitol Hill anticipate the opening of formal debate on the measure.

Brown apology for ‘bigoted’ jibe  —  Gordon Brown describes pensioner as a ‘bigoted woman’  —  Gordon Brown has apologised after being caught on microphone describing a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale as a “bigoted woman”.  —  Sixty-five-year-old Gillian Duffy had challenged …

What America is Michael Gerson living in?  —  In the Washington Post, columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson pronounces the new Arizona immigration law “understandable — and dreadful.”  Gerson says states do not have the authority “to take control of American immigration policy …

Why reporters are down on Obama  —  One of the enduring story lines of Barack Obama's presidency, dating back to the earliest days of his candidacy, is that the press loves him.  —  “Most of you covered me.  All of you voted for me,” Obama joked last year at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner.

Laura Bush Opens Up About Fatal Crash  —  Laura Bush has finally opened up publicly about the mysterious car accident she had when she was 17, a crash that claimed the life of a high school friend on a dark country road in Midland, Tex.  —  In her new book, “Spoken from the Heart,” …

Obama is a Bully: Kneale  —  Will someone please rein in our relentlessly hectoring President?  Barrack Hussein Obama has taken his gift for inspirational oratory—one of the traits that got him elected—and turned it into something darker and more insidious.  —  Bam is a bully.

Spain's Debt Rating Cut, Heightening Concerns Over Europe  —  The ratings agency Standard & Poor's lowered the debt rating of Spain on Wednesday, its third downgrade of a European country in two days.  —  The downgrade came one day after the S.& P. cut the ratings of Greek and Portuguese debt …

Palin: Obama pushing racial ‘myth’  —  Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin on Tuesday night declared that there is “no ability or opportunity” for the new Arizona immigration law to encourage racial profiling, and blamed Barack Obama for “perpetuating this myth.”

Texas gov. shoots, kills ‘wily’ coyote during jog  —  AUSTIN, Texas — Pistol-packing Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for wily coyotes out there: Don't mess with my dog.  —  Perry told The Associated Press on Tuesday he needed just one shot from the laser-sighted pistol he sometimes carries …

Supreme Court Rules Mojave Cross Can Stay -ACLU Defeated (Video)  —  The ACLU went down in defeat today.  The Supreme Court ruled that the Mojave Cross can stay.  —  (Why this had to go so far in the first place is beyond belief.)  —  Via FOX News:  —  US Supreme Court rules Mojave cross can stay …

Poll finds Americans in an anti-incumbent mood as midterm elections near  —  Members of Congress face the most anti-incumbent electorate since 1994, with less than a third of all voters saying they are inclined to support their representatives in November, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

McCain's numbers plummet  —  John McCain has had a Charlie Crist like drop in his approval numbers over the last six months, seeing double digit declines in his popularity with Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike.  As a result a majority of Arizona voters now disapprove of his job performance.

Will the Kentucky Derby end the Republican filibuster of FinReg?  —  Word is that the Democrats might make the Republicans actually filibuster FinReg tonight.  That is to say, stand on the floor and talk and talk and talk.  And if the Democrats are serious about forcing the Republicans …

George Will On Hispanics  —  We've seen, repeatedly, that Fred Hiatt thinks it's not a problem if George Will wants to use his Washington Post column to mislead people about facts.  But Will's decided to enter a new kind of loathesomeness with this characterization of where one might meet a Hispanic:

'When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war:' US generals given baffling PowerPoint presentation to try to explain Afghanistan mess  —  Its coloured charts, graphs and bullet-points are supposed to make the most incomprehensible data crystal clear.

Suntanned women to be arrested under Islamic dress code  —  Iran has warned suntanned women and girls who looked like “walking mannequins” will be arrested as part of a new drive to enforce the Islamic dress code.  —  Brig Hossien Sajedinia, Tehran's police chief, said a national crackdown …

Crist's declaration of independence coming in St Pete  —  So the word is out: Crist is telling key financial backers that he's running for senate with no party affiliation.  The announcement is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Straub Park in downtown St Petersburg.  They're expecting a small army of media …

Regulators Approve First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S.  —  BOSTON — After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light Wednesday to the nation's first offshore wind farm, a highly contested project off the coast of Cape Cod.  —  The approval of the 130-turbine farm gives …

Opponents of immigration law call for boycott of Arizona Iced Tea - but it is brewed in New York!  —  Opponents of Arizona's new anti-immigrant law are calling for a boycott of the state's products - including the popular Arizona Iced Tea.  —  The problem: Arizona Iced Tea is actually brewed in New York.

Barack the Barbarian: Coffee table fare  —  It's been a year now since we first heard of the publication of the comic-book series, Barack the Barbarian, a Chicago production.  —  But it appears the Secret Service has done a fairly poor job of purging any copies from the trail that President Barack Obama follows on his daily rounds.