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.

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

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.

Another Case of Blumenthal Misstating Service  —  WASHINGTON — Broader newspaper archival searches continue to turn up instances in which Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut portrayed himself as a Vietnam War veteran even though he did not serve in the war.

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 …

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 …

Washington Times Debuts Dale ‘N-Word Sign’ Robertson as Tea Party Columnist  —  According to a press release, self-described “Tea Party Founder” Dale Robertson has joined the Washington Times' “Tea Party Report” blog.  Robertson, you may recall, was thrust back into the limelight in March …

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.

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.

U.N. sanctions loophole: Russia can send missiles to Iran  —  A draft U.N. resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran, including limits on global arms transfers, will not block the controversial transfer of Russian S-300 missiles to the Iranian military, according to U.S. and Russian officials.

EXCLUSIVE: Bob Kerrey Tapped to Head MPAA  —  Former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey has been tapped to be the next chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, TheWrap has learned.  —  Kerrey has won approval from the heads of the movie companies that make up the powerful Hollywood lobby …

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 …

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.

'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 …

Why is Sarah Palin in Boise?  Vaughn Ward defends campaign  —  BOISE — Sarah Palin is in Boise to campaign for Republican Vaughn Ward — who is vying for a seat in congress.  —  Ward admits that in recent weeks — he has experienced what he calls mis-steps.

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.

Forget Greece: Europe's real problem is Germany  —  Ground zero of Europe's debt-currency-banking crisis isn't in Greece, or Portugal, or Ireland or even Spain.  It's in Germany.  —  So says Martin Wolf, the estimable economics columnist of the Financial Times, who this week offered …