Christie Says Palin Needs to Go Unscripted to Contend for 2012  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey says it's way too early to handicap the field of his fellow Republicans who might run for president in 2012, but on Wednesday he voiced a few sharp words about the most famous one.

Remarks by the President at a Memorial Service for the Victims of the Shooting in Tucson, Arizona  —  McKale Memorial Center University of Arizona  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you very much.  Please, please be seated.  (Applause.)

John Boehner turns down Air Force One ride to Tucson  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) turned down an offer by President Barack Obama to travel on Air Force One to Arizona for a memorial service on behalf of the victims of Saturday's shooting, a decision that has upset some Democrats.

S&P, Moody's Warn On U.S. Credit Rating  —  LONDON—Two leading credit rating agencies on Thursday cautioned the U.S. on its credit rating, expressing concern over a deteriorating fiscal situation that they say needs correction.  —  Moody's Investors Service said in a report Thursday …

Person Tweeting Death Wish For Palin Now Wants Privacy  —  I linked earlier to a YouTube video montage [video removed, see update below] of death wishes tweeted about Sarah Palin after various bloggers maliciously linked Palin's electoral target map to the Tucson shooting.

Suspect's Downward Spiral  —  Police Records Show Accused Killer Growing More Erratic Before College Suspension  —  TUCSON, Ariz.—Students and faculty at Pima Community College feared for their safety as Jared Lee Loughner's increasingly erratic behavior led to a series of encounters …

The Uneasiness of Talk Radio  —  Interesting experience listening to talk radio these past days.  The tone?  Extra militant and - in the case of Rush Limbaugh especially - extra provocative.  Sarah Palin's video address seems to have been composed under the influence of this mood …

Prez perfect - but the crowd was appalling  —  Never before in the annals of national moments of mourning have the words spoken been so wildly mismatched by the spirit in which they were received.  —  The sentences and paragraphs of President Obama's speech last night were beautiful and moving and powerful.

Boehner to Host RNC Party During Tucson Memorial  —  Speaker John Boehner will host a cocktail party for the Republican National Committee at the same time that President Barack Obama will be addressing the nation at the memorial service for victims of the Tucson shooting.

Thomas Sowell  —  Thomas Sowell was born in North Carolina and grew up in Harlem.  As with many others in his neighborhood, Thomas Sowell left home early and did not finish high school.  The next few years were difficult ones, but eventually he joined the Marine Corps and became a photographer in the Korean War.

Gun-control advocates disappointed with White House silence  —  The White House has disappointed gun-control advocates on and off Capitol Hill with its silence on the issue.  —  Although President Obama ran on campaign vows of reinstating the assault-weapons ban and closing the gun-show loophole …