Sarah Palin Is Right About ‘Blood Libel’  —  Judaism rejects the idea of collective responsibility for murder.  —  The term “blood libel”—which Sarah Palin invoked this week to describe the suggestions by journalists and politicians that conservative figures like herself are responsible …

Sarah Palin to speak in Nevada  —  Sarah Palin isn't retreating on guns.  Instead, she's reloading.  —  The former vice presidential candidate and possible 2012 presidential hopeful is headed to Safari Club International's convention later this month in Reno, Nev. - one of the key early presidential primary states.

House GOP to resume health-care repeal effort, but with more civil tone  —  House Republican leaders said Thursday that they will begin their effort to repeal the new health-care law next week, a return to normal legislative business after the shootings in Arizona suspended activity on Capitol Hill.

A Tale of Two Moralities  —  On Wednesday, President Obama called on Americans to “expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.”

TEAM OBAMA BEGINS PLANNING $1 BILLION REELECTION CAMPAIGN - Party members may mix across aisle for State of the Union - Au revoir, Chairman Steele — Taylor and Amy Gross have #3, a girl  —  Good Friday morning.  TOP TALKER - DNC BRAINSTORMS 2012 WITH BUNDLERS — Jeanne Cummings …

Drifter Naeem Ahmed accused of stalking Caroline Kennedy's 20-year-old daughter Tatiana Schlossberg  —  Tatiana Schlossberg, with mom Caroline Kennedy, has been fending off stalker Naeem Ahmed (below) for 2-1/2 years.  He even tried twice to visit her Manhattan home.

Mark Levin's $100,000 Challenge to Chris Matthews  —  Conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin has put out a stunning challenge to those left-wing media personalities accusing conservative talk radio stars and Sarah Palin of encouraging murder.  —  First, he offered $100,000 to Chris Matthews …

Steele's rocky tenure at RNC expected to end Friday  —  Washington (CNN) - It's anybody's guess which candidate will emerge as the next chairman of the Republican National Committee after Friday's election, but RNC watchers largely agree on one thing: the reign of Michael Steele has come to an end.

DOJ Files DOMA Defense in First Circuit Cases  —  Today, the Department of Justice filed its defense of the Defense of Marriage Act in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in a single filing for both Gill v. Office of Personnel Management and Massachusetts v. United States.

The debt ceiling and default  —  ALMOST everyone takes it for granted that a failure to raise the debt ceiling will eventually force the United States to default on its Treasury debt.  This notion is superficially puzzling.  The question is addressed in this week's issue of The Economist.

An Open Letter to Parents Following the Tragedy in Tucson  —  Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend.  Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet …

Poll: Obama and Lame-Duck Congress Popular - But Will it Quack Again?  —  77% Welcome the Lame-Duck Cooperation Between Obama and Congress  —  Americans overwhelmingly welcomed the flurry of lawmaking between the lame-duck Congress and President Obama last month — but they're hedging their bets on whether the duck keeps quacking.

Sen. Mike Lee Calls Child Labor Laws Unconstitutional  —  Last week, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted a lecture on his YouTube channel where he explains in great detail his views on the Constitution.  As part of the lecture, which is essentially a lengthy defense of his radical tenther interpretation …

GOP gears up again to strip NPR of federal funds  — TAGS: - Byron York - Congressional Research Service - Corporation for Public Broadcasting - doug lamborn - Juan Williams - Muslim garb - national endowment for the arts - National Public Radio - npr - Republicans - vivian schiller

Citigroup Was On The Verge Of Failure, New Report Finds; Rescue Was Based On ‘Gut Instinct’  —  What's Your Reaction: … Citigroup, the nation's third-largest bank by assets, was on the verge of being closed by regulators the week of Nov. 24, 2008 as depositors rapidly withdrew money …

Opinion: Elected Officials Flunk Constitution Quiz … When the Republican House leadership decided to start the 112th Congress with a reading of the U.S. Constitution, the decision raised complaints in some quarters that it was little more than a political stunt.

CAIR Says Poster Warning Against Helping FBI is Misinterpreted  —  Image from the CAIR website that uses a poster encouraging people not the talk to the FBI to promote an upcoming conference.  —  The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it will remove a poster from the group's website promoting …

Sheriff: Gunmen In Mexico Shoot At Road Crew In Hudspeth County, Texas  —  EL PASO, Texas — Hudspeth County, Texas Sheriff Arvin West confirmed a Hudspeth County road crew came under fire Thursday morning from gunmen in Mexico.  —  Sheriff West told ABC-7 that around 10:30 a.m …

Tax cuts hinder Obama's plans to overhaul tax code, reduce deficit  —  President Obama's refusal to raise taxes for the vast majority of Americans will prevent him from pursuing a broad overhaul of the tax code and is making it difficult for him to achieve his goals for reducing the budget deficit …

Wisconsin 1, Illinois 0  —  With Springfield raising taxes amidst its fiscal disaster, the new Republican governor of the Badger State is telling Illinoisans, “Escape to Wisconsin.”  —  Illinois this week earned the honor of becoming the first state in 2011 to sock it to taxpayers, passing a tax hike the size of Lake Michigan.

Tree of Failure  —  President Obama gave a wonderful speech in Tucson on Wednesday night.  He didn't try to explain the rampage that occurred there.  Instead, he used the occasion as a national Sabbath — as a chance to step out of the torrent of events and reflect.  He did it with an uplifting spirit.