Filibuster reform is short of needed votes  —  Senate Democrats do not have the votes to lower the 60-vote threshold to cut off filibusters.  —  The lack of support among a handful of Senate Democratic incumbents is a major blow to the effort to change the upper chamber's rules.

Rendell: Obama Could Face Primary Challenge Over Afghanistan (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell predicted on Tuesday that if the president escalates America's military involvement in Afghanistan he could very well face a primary challenger in 2012.

On the Surface, Gulf Oil Spill Is Vanishing Fast; Concerns Stay  —  The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico appears to be dissolving far more rapidly than anyone expected, a piece of good news that raises tricky new questions about how fast the government should scale back its response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College  —  The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote.

L.A. union members, activists to caravan to Arizona to protest immigration law  —  More than 550 people representing 32 unions plan to travel in 11 buses for a rally at the state Capitol and a vigil with local groups on the day the law is set to take effect.

Our Divisive President  —  Barack Obama promised a new era of post-partisanship.  In office, he's played racial politics and further split the country along class and party lines.  —  During the election campaign, Barack Obama sought to appeal to the best instincts of the electorate …

Lawyer: Blago's not ‘sharpest knife’  —  Rod Blagojevich's own lawyer said Tuesday that his client is “foolish” and not the “sharpest knife in the drawer,” but said that is no reason to convict the former Democratic governor of Illinois of corruption.  —  In his closing argument …

Should President Obama Appear on ‘The View’?  PD Writers Weigh In  —  Today's question: President Obama sitting down for an interview with the ladies of “The View” — smart, or not?  —  Where a president goes to speak — each venue, each city — is part of the overall effort in every White House …

New Calculator Shows How Much More Taxes Will You Pay Next Year  —  We are on the precipice of the largest tax increase in United States history.  On January 1, 2011, the 2001/2003 tax relief will expire.  All Americans who earn income will see their taxes go up as a result …

Netroots Schizo  —  I had a good time in Vegas, so I didn't spend a huge amount of time at NN, but I did spend enough time to take in the mood, and it was schizophrenic.  About half the people there are some combination of angry, disappointed and bitter with Democrats in general and Obama in particular.

My Apology to Shirley Sherrod — Withdrawn  —  Last week, I jumped the gun (as did many others) in taking what was a complex story and boiling it down to an video clip without its proper context.  I apologized to my readers and to Shirley Sherrod.  —  I hereby withdraw the apology to Mrs. Sherrod.

Feds demand diversity on Wall Street  —  A little-noticed section of the Wall Street reform law grants the federal government broad new powers to compel financial firms to hire more women and minorities — an effort at promoting diversity that's drawing fire from Republicans who say it could lead to de facto hiring quotas.

Who's the Extremist?  —  As a progressive, I tend to think the Republican Party is much more ideologically extreme than the Democratic Party.  There are many reasons, some of which may be more legitimate than others.  But it turns out that my opinion isn't representative.

GM Volt's price induces some sticker shock  —  The long-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, General Motors' electric car, will cost $41,000, the company announced Tuesday, leaving consumers to decide whether its environmental appeal is worth a price far above that of similarly sized conventional autos.

Screw the View: Obama Should Appear on the Glenn Beck Show  —  While I'm interested to see Obama's impending visit to the View, I'd like to see him break through directly to the Fox audience, who are being fed a very skewed and dangerous narrative through a calculated filter.

House Approves Money for Wars, but Rift Deepens  —  WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives agreed on Tuesday to provide $59 billion to continue financing America's two wars, but the vote showed deepening divisions and anxiety among Democrats over the course of the nearly nine-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.

In Study, 2 Economists Say Intervention Helped Avert a 2nd Depression  —  WASHINGTON — Like a mantra, officials from both the Bush and Obama administrations have trumpeted how the government's sweeping interventions to prop up the economy since 2008 helped avert a second Depression.

Two women to face off in Oklahoma  —  Republican Rep. Mary Fallin and Democratic Lt. Gov. Jari Askins won their gubernatorial primaries Tuesday evening, ensuring that Oklahoma will elect its first female governor in November.  —  Fallin enters the fall campaign as the favorite …

Why Some Republicans Want to ‘Restore’ the 13th Amendment  —  No, it's not about slavery; like so much of our politics these days, it's about Barack Obama.  —  If there is an aspect of the human condition that is unaddressed by the platform of the Republican Party of Iowa …

Year of the Tea Party Voter  —  Republicans are winning over voters who are disgruntled with both parties.  —  It seems every election finds political pundits trying to come up with a shorthand description for the latest bloc of voters to exercise undue influence in the current year's races.

Ex-Washington Post blogger David Weigel joins Slate  —  Journalist David Weigel, who resigned from the Washington Post last month following a leaked email controversy, is joining Slate as a political reporter.  —  “I'm thrilled to be joining Slate, thrilled to be working with writers I've read …

Google Develops a Facebook Rival  —  Google Inc. is in talks with several makers of popular online games as it seeks to develop a broader social-networking service that could compete with Facebook Inc., according to people familiar with the matter.  —  Google has been in discussions …