Republican lawmakers gird for rowdy tea party  —  So who wants to join Rand Paul's “tea-party” caucus?  —  “I don't know about that,” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) replied with a nervous laugh.  “I'm not sure I should be participating in this story.”  —  Republican lawmakers see plenty …

Changing Stance, Administration Now Defends Insurance Mandate as a Tax  —  WASHINGTON — When Congress required most Americans to obtain health insurance or pay a penalty, Democrats denied that they were creating a new tax.  But in court, the Obama administration and its allies now defend …

Biden: GOP forced smaller stimulus  —  Vice President Joe Biden said that the Recovery Act was undersized because the White House shrunk the economic stimulus package to win Republican votes in Congress to pass it.  —  “I think it would have been bigger,” he told ABC's Jake Tapper in an interview airing Sunday.

The Day The Controversy Over The New Black Panther Case Fell Apart.  —  So, a number of things have happened in the past few hours that should really discredit the entire conservative conspiracy theory behind the New Black Panther Party case.  —  Earlier today, I reported that J. Christian Adams …

Muslims Riot, Mayhem in France, Fire On Police UPDATE: After Islamic Cleric's Fiery Speech  —  Mayhem in Grenoble (Photo: AFP) (hat tip woolie)  —  The imprimatur of an Islamic cleric: … UPDATE: The police were fired on by automatic gunfire, a fact that strangely was only reported on by al jazeera.

Vitter: Obama avoiding oil spill  —  Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) criticized President Obama for not visiting the Gulf Coast since June.  —  Speaking on “Fox News Sunday” with Chris Wallace, Vitter said the president is trying move the Gulf oil spill out of the media spotlight by not returning to the region to oversee cleanup operations.

McConnell ‘not interested’ in weighing in on debate over racism in Tea Party  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stayed out of the debate over whether there are racist elements in the Tea Party movement, saying he had better things to worry about — namely, GOP efforts in the midterm elections.

Margaret Thatcher's family are ‘appalled’ at Meryl Streep film  —  Film about Margaret Thatcher's life, which is expected to star Meryl Streep, shows the former prime minister as a dementia-sufferer looking back at her life with sadness.  —  Tim Walker.  —  Although the prospect …

Cash crisis in NHS leaves patients lying on operating tables  —  A cash crisis in the NHS has left patients lying on the operating table before doctors realised vital equipment had not been ordered, according to a leaked report.  —  Women in labour have been forced to wait while epidural equipment …

Obama's Anti-Business Policies Are Our Economic Katrina  —  His gratuitous and overstated demonization of business is exactly the wrong approach  —  The growing divide and tension between the Obama administration and the business world is a cause for national concern.

GOP Favored In All-Important State Races  —  Scott Fitzgerald is starting to like his chances.  He's the Republican leader in the Wisconsin state Senate, and his party needs to win just two seats this November to regain control of the 33-seat chamber.  —  When the year began, Fitzgerald worried that it might be tight.

Insurers Push Plans Limiting Patient Choice of Doctors  —  As the Obama administration begins to enact the new national health care law, the country's biggest insurers are promoting affordable plans with reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors or hospitals.

Joe Biden fined $219K for 2008 presidential campaign violations  —  The Federal Election Commission has penalized Vice President Joe Biden's 2008 presidential campaign $219,000 for accepting over-the-limit contributions and a discounted flight on a jet owned by a New York hedge fund.