A gaffetastic new Miss USA  —  She nearly tripped over her gown.  —  She called birth control a “controlled substance.”  —  She argued that contraceptives should be covered by health insurers because they are “expensive” — and then said you could get them for “free” from your OB/GYN's office.

The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment  —  In 2003, several prominent Jewish philanthropists hired Republican pollster Frank Luntz to explain why American Jewish college students were not more vigorously rebutting campus criticism of Israel.  In response, he unwittingly produced …

Answer the lesbian question, Ms Legal Eagle  —  The nominee to be the next justice of the Supreme Court has no opinion on anything.  Well, that's not entirely true.  She did believe in providing free coffee for students when she was dean of Harvard Law School.

Specter-Sestak Dem Primary Down To The Wire, Quinnipiac University Pennsylvania Poll Finds; Onorato Leads Dem Governor Primary  —  The Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary goes down to the wire with U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak taking 42 percent of likely primary voters to Sen. Arlen Specter's 41 percent …

Who is Michael Posner, and why is he apologizing to China?  —  Actually, I phrased the title question wrong.  —  Question: Who the hell is Michael Posner, and why the hell is he apologizing to China?!  —  Answer: Michael Posner is the former head agitator at the transnationalist Human Rights First …

White House bracing for Arlen Specter loss?  —  If this is true, it's significant: CBS chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer is now saying that he has it on good authority that the White House is privately bracing for Arlen Specter to lose tomorrow.  —  Schieffer, to my knowledge, has not said this on national TV yet.

Video: The greatest political ad ever?  —  It's not the greatest ad ever.  If he had roped a calf or branded a steer or something, then it would have been the greatest ad ever.  I watched it twice before googling around to see if it was some sort of stunt candidacy or “Funny or Die” parody.  Nope.

Newt Gingrich says President Obama is Nazi-Commie “threat to our way of life.”  —  Will Howard Kurtz ask Chris Wallace why FOX News decided to make Newt Gingrich's new book their number one segment of the day?  Then they followed it up by interviewing Laura Bush and proceeded into their wingnut panel discussion.

Obama's terms for financial overhaul remain mostly intact  —  The Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not long ago.  —  Passage of a 1,400-page bill to overhaul …

The amazing campaign ads of Alabama  —  Alabama Republicans have, for reasons that I don't understand but which I hope a reader will explain, produced a raft of strange and memorable television ads this cycle: Young Boozer's broadside; ‘This is Alabama.  We speak English’; the scornful attack on an accused evolutionist.

A Conservative's Case for Sarah Palin's Genius  —  I hadn't seen Sarah Palin speak in person since the 2008 elections.  If one just watched or read mainstream media accounts of her paid speeches and appearances since then, including some accounts that have been featured on this site …

Mr. Gates and the Pentagon Budget  —  There has been a feeding frenzy at the Pentagon budget trough since the 9/11 attacks.  Pretty much anything the military chiefs and industry lobbyists pitched, Congress approved — no matter the cost and no matter if the weapons or programs were over budget …

Class Warfare: Hundreds Protest Outside Bankers' Houses In DC  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Huge raucous crowds converged outside bank employees' houses on Sunday afternoon to demand banks stop lobbying against Wall Street reform.  —  “Bank of America: bad for America!” …

Today's orders and opinions  —  The Court issued four opinions today, including two in the long-awaited cases about juvenile imprisonment without parole, Graham and Sullivan v. Florida.  The rulings are:  —  In United States v. Comstock (08-1224), in an opinion by Justice Breyer …

Too Far?  Family Guy's Vietnam Veterans Memorial ‘Joke’  —  It's not a secret that Family Guy is famous for its offensiveness and tendency to cross the politically correct line.  That said, I suspect they may be called upon to issue some sort of apology after tonight's episode (not that they will …

Going to Extreme  —  Utah Republicans have denied Robert Bennett, a very conservative three-term senator, a place on the ballot, because he's not conservative enough.  In Maine, party activists have pushed through a platform calling for, among other things, abolishing both the Federal Reserve and the Department of Education.

In Europe, Fears of a Deeper Crisis Are Intensifying  —  After a brief respite following the announcement last week of a nearly $1 trillion bailout plan for Europe, fear in the financial markets is building again, this time over worries that the Continent's biggest banks face strains that will hobble European economies.

Burns, Critz close  —  The special election to replace John Murtha looks to be headed for a photo finish, with Republican Tim Burns leading Democrat Mark Critz 48-47 in PPP's final poll of the race.  —  PA-12 provides a clear example of how dimly voters are viewing politicians and parties across the board right now.

Late deal segues into special session  —  Agreement on the budget came very late Sunday, then the Legislature went into a post-midnight special session to approve it.  —  In the end, lawmakers had to go into overtime.  They and Gov. Tim Pawlenty reached a deal late Sunday to conclude …