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.

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,” …

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.

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.

Brown's bad apology  —  In a campaign mishap that's driving the U.K. election news today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was caught on tape insulting a disabled widow from whom he'd taken questions on crime and immigration — “She's just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour” …

Goldman Sachs campaign cash: Risky?  —  “Take it back, take it back” - take that cash right out of here.  —  It was inevitable, in the midst of all the exposure that Goldman Sachs' most controversial investment strategies have been getting lately, that politicians might start giving …

A test of Arizona's political character  —  Arizona's new immigration law is understandable — and dreadful.  —  Few Americans would happily tolerate living near a porous border with a failed state, or, in this case, a Mexican state that has failed in certain lawless regions.

Republicans Reject Finance Bill Again, and Offer a Plan of Their Own  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans thwarted the Democrats' efforts to overhaul financial regulation for a second day on Tuesday and floated an alternative proposal with some crucial differences in the regulation of consumer lending.

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 …

Swing and a miss  —  Yesterday we learned that another “ethics” complaint that was filed against Governor Palin was dismissed as baseless.  (If you are counting, the Governor is 26-0-1 regarding such complaints or suits, with one still pending).  Only this complaint was actually filed after she left office …

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.

Police state: How Mexico treats illegal aliens  —  This is what a “police state” looks like  —  My syndicated column today responds to Mexican President Felipe Calderon's demagoguery on Arizona's immigration enforcement law.  Calderon has a long history of bashing the U.S. …

Europe Worried That Greek Crisis Is Poised to Spread  —  With Greece inching closer to the brink of financial collapse, fear that the debt crisis will spread rattled global markets for a second day Wednesday as they awaited a signal from financial leaders gathering in Berlin.

City workers banned from official travel to Arizona  —  San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced today a moratorium on official city travel to Arizona after the state enacted a controversial new immigration law that directs local police to arrest those suspected of being in the country illegally.

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 …

Fisher Opens Big Lead In Ohio Dem Senate Primary, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dem Voters See Him As More Likely To Win In November  —  Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has a commanding 41 - 24 percent lead over Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in the race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination …

Huckleberry Hounds Senate: Graham Threatens to Filibuster Everything He Claims to Care About  —  Sen. Graham (R-SC) cares this much.  (photo: Michael Wuertenberg WEF)  —  I noticed with alarm that some of my friends on the left evinced a certain amount of sympathy for Lindsey Graham.

Obama's Jerusalem Stonewall  —  Demanding a construction freeze in the capital reverses decades of U.S. policy.  —  Thanks to a deadlock engineered by the U.S. government, the Middle East peace process is stalled.  President Obama began this stalemate last year when he called for a settlement freeze …