Security Lapses Let Bomb Suspect Board Plane  —  WASHINGTON — Why was Faisal Shahzad permitted to board a flight for Dubai some 24 hours after investigators of the Times Square terrorism case learned he might be connected to the attempted bombing?  —  Though Mr. Shahzad was stopped …

Black Hopefuls Pick This Year in G.O.P. Races  —  Among the many reverberations of President Obama's election, here is one he probably never anticipated: at least 32 African-Americans are running for Congress this year as Republicans, the biggest surge since Reconstruction, according to party officials.

Dem Turnout Falls Off A Cliff  —  Turnout among Dem voters dropped precipitously in 3 statewide primaries on Tuesday, giving the party more evidence that their voters lack enthusiasm ahead of midterm elections.  —  In primaries in NC, IN and OH, Dems turned out at far lower rates than they have in previous comparable elections.

Meet Geo, The Male Prostitute Hired By NARTH Member & Family Research Council Co-Founder Dr. George Rekers  —  I was going to withhold the identity of the male prostitute hired by Dr. George Rekers, the virulently anti-gay NARTH board member and Family Research Council co-founder.

Why Charter Schools Fail the Test  —  THE latest evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the oldest and most extensive system of vouchers and charter schools in America, came out last month, and most advocates of school choice were disheartened by the results.

Lieberman's Weird Citizenship-Stripping Proposal  —  When Joe Lieberman mentioned the idea of not mirandizing US citizen terrorism suspects because they should be stripped of citizenship, I thought this was just some nonsense he said on television.  The proposal is obviously unworkable …

Wash Post shifts leftward online  —  The once-cautious Washington Post has begun to invest heavily in the liberal blogosphere, transforming its online presence - a combination of accident and design - into a competitor of the Huffington Post and TalkingPointsMemo as much as the New York Times.

Amount of Spill Could Escalate, Company Admits  —  WASHINGTON — In a closed-door briefing for members of Congress, a senior BP executive conceded Tuesday that the ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico could conceivably spill as much as 60,000 barrels a day of oil, more than 10 times the estimate of the current flow.

Washington Post Co. to Sell Newsweek  —  Chairman Donald E. Graham cites multi-year losses.  ‘We are exploring all options to fix that problem,’ he said.  —  Newsweek Web Exclusive  —  The Washington Post Co. announced today that it has retained Allen & Company to explore the possible sale of NEWSWEEK magazine.

Time for some oil spill perspective  —  Eleven people died when BP's Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform exploded nearly two weeks ago in the Gulf of Mexico, 53 miles southwest of the Louisiana coast.  It's a sad measure of how much of the subsequent commentary on this disaster …

To replace John Paul Stevens, an atheist  —  It's something Thomas Jefferson might have done: nominate a nonbeliever to the Supreme Court  —  As President Obama considers nominees to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a debate bubbles as to whether religion should play a role in his choice.

Fox refuses climate ad  —  Fox News last week refused to carry an advertisement from the liberal group VoteVets on the grounds that it was “too confusing,” a spokesman for the group said.  —  The ad, above, seeks to make the familiar case that climate legislation would have national security benefits …

US takes early lumps in case against Mich. militia  —  DETROIT (AP) — Federal authorities touted the arrests of nine members of a Michigan militia as a pre-emptive strike against homegrown terrorists, declaring at an initial court hearing that the suspects with “dark hearts and evil intent” wanted to go to war against the government.

Obama administration says Emirates Airlines Dropped the Ball; 9/11 Commission Vice-Chair Says U.S. Govt Is Dropping the Ball  —  Senior administration officials say that Faisal Shahzad was put on the no fly list on Monday at 12:30 pm ET.  —  So how was he able to board the Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai?

Pence invokes Katrina in slamming Obama's response to oil spill  —  A top House Republican on Wednesday slammed President Barack Obama's responsiveness to a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, invoking the response to Hurricane Katrina.  —  House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence …

Wyden, Grassley want end to secret holds as part of Wall Street reform bill  —  The two senators have offered an amendment to the Senate's financial reform legislation.  —  Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) are moving to end senators' ability to place secret holds as part of Wall Street legislation.

GOP House candidate runs TV ad calling for racial profiling  —  You absolutely have to see this TV ad that a House GOP candidate hoping to take on Dem Rep Alan Grayson has run in Florida.  It not only supports racial profiling, but urges it as a matter of policy — and even suggests explicitly …

Automakers Seek to Delay Ethanol Blending Raise  —  WASHINGTON — Citing new test data, the auto industry says the federal government's plan to raise the amount of ethanol mixed into gasoline will damage cars and increase the amount of pollution they emit.  —  The Environmental Protection Agency …

Obama Portrays Blanche Lincoln As A Populist Crusader In Radio Ad  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  President Barack Obama has cut his first ad in support of Sen. Blanche Lincoln's re-election campaign, urging Arkansans to back the incumbent Senator for her work on two policy topics that have become focal points of her primary campaign.