Paul Calls White House Pressure On BP ‘Un-American,’ Says That ‘Sometimes Accidents Happen’  —  In an interview on ABC News' Good Morning America today, host George Stephanopoulos pressed GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul on “how far” he would “push” his anti-government views.

Rodent scurries by as Obama lauds Wall Street vote  —  WASHINGTON - In his battle with the titans of Wall Street, President Barack Obama almost got upstaged by a rat.  —  But he didn't even seem to notice.  Assuming that's what it was, scurrying in front of his podium Thursday in a sun-drenched Rose Garden.

Why I Won't Be Participating in ‘Draw M******* Day’ (PBUH)  —  One of the most frustrating things that comes with being one of Eastern Iowa's top 500 political satire bloggers is dealing with readers who presume to know where I stand on the issues.  Worse yet, some even seem to think they can dictate the content of my posts.

Major Parts of the Financial Regulation Overhaul  —  The Senate on Thursday approved a far-reaching financial regulatory bill, 59 to 39.  Democratic Congressional leaders and the Obama administration must now reconcile it with the House bill that was passed in December.  —  Effect Notable differences between

Lost Decade Looming?  —  Despite a chorus of voices claiming otherwise, we aren't Greece.  We are, however, looking more and more like Japan.  —  For the past few months, much commentary on the economy — some of it posing as reporting — has had one central theme: policy makers are doing too much.

The Story of an Angry Voter  —  Let's imagine a character named Ben.  A couple of decades ago, Ben went to high school.  —  It wasn't easy.  His parents were splitting up.  His friends would cut class to smoke weed.  His sister got pregnant.  But Ben worked hard and graduated …

A letter to US legislators: Coffee, Tea's commonalities  —  The Conventional wisdom is that the Tea Party represents the far right and the Coffee Party Movement the left.  —  The Conventional wisdom is that the Tea Party represents the far right and the Coffee Party Movement the left.

Chuck DeVore has a staunch conservative record  —  The Senate candidate is a veteran of politics who portrays himself as an outsider.  —  Chuck DeVore argues that his military experience gives him an edge over his primary rivals.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

'I'm a Marxist' says Dalai Lama, but agrees capitalism has helped China  —  TIBETAN spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says he's a Marxist, yet credits capitalism for bringing new freedoms to China, the communist country that exiled him.  —  “Still I am a Marxist,” the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader …

Unions to spend $100M in 2010 campaign to save Dem majorities  —  At least two influential unions will spend close to $100 million on the 2010 election, with most of those funds going to protect incumbents.  —  Union officials told The Hill they plan to help endangered members …

Mayor Daley Threatens to Shoot the Messenger—Namely, Me  —  Mayor Daley loves to bag on the local media, and given my recent line of inquiry into his politics and policies, I've never expected to be greeted with a fruit basket at City Hall.  —  But even I was a bit taken aback this morning …

Infrastructure matters  —  I gave up my car yesterday.  Today I'll head to the Department of Motor Vehicles to turn in my tags.  It's a sad milestone for a native Californian like myself.  The years between birth and 16 were pretty much spent waiting until I get my driver's license.

Facing a Rift, U.S. Spy Chief to Step Down  —  WASHINGTON — Dennis C. Blair, whose often tumultuous tenure as director of national intelligence was marked by frequent clashes with White House officials and other spy chiefs in America's still fractured intelligence apparatus, announced Thursday that he was resigning.

The Fruits of Weakness  —  WASHINGTON — It is perfectly obvious that Iran's latest uranium maneuver, brokered by Brazil and Turkey, is a ruse.  Iran retains more than enough enriched uranium to make a bomb.  And it continues enriching at an accelerated pace and to a greater purity (20 percent).

Poll: Schedule fails to sway public  —  The White House has, for weeks now, rolled out popular health reform benefits well ahead of schedule, items like coverage for young adult children and tax credits for small business, hoping these early deliverables would shore up public support.

GOP fingers culprit in Pa. election  —  In the wake of Tuesday's Pennsylvania special election loss, disappointed House Republican leaders have engaged in a round of soul-searching to determine the causes behind the defeat and put an end to what they view as a potentially damaging campaign narrative.

Constitution is this year's big best-seller  —  Demand for copies of the U.S. Constitution is skyrocketing.  —  The increased interest comes amid the rise of the Tea Party movement and as both parties cite the Constitution to advance their agendas.  —  The pocket edition of the Constitution …

The Principles of Elena Kagan  —  There's been a lot of attention this week on Elena Kagan's 1983 master's thesis, a critique of the liberal Warren Court's methods, although not necessarily its outcomes.  —  One passage that jumps out is her assertion that “if a court cannot justify …

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie swiftly vetoes ‘millionaires tax,’ property tax rebate bills … TRENTON — It took about two minutes from the time Senate President Steve Sweeney certified the passage of the millionaires tax package for Gov. Chris Christie to veto the bills at his desk.