A Very Liberal Intervention  —  In its month-long crab walk toward a military confrontation with Libya's Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Obama administration has delivered a clinic in the liberal way of war.  —  Just a week ago, as the tide began to turn against the anti-Qaddafi rebellion …

Tim Pawlenty to announce presidential committee  —  Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty plans to announce Monday afternoon that he is forming a presidential exploratory committee, CBS News has learned - the likely precursor to a full-blown run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012.

Now it's time to defund NPR  —  Even after they fired me, called me a bigot and publicly advised me to only share my thoughts with a psychiatrist, I did not call for defunding NPR.  I am a journalist and NPR is an important platform for journalism.  —  But last week my line of defense for NPR ran into harsh political realities.

Senators Who Want Deficit Reduction Can Reduce the Deficit By Refusing to Vote in Favor of Deficit-Increasing Measures  —  No legislative body in the world can match the United States Senate for preening self-regard, and I think only the Senate could produce a document similar to the one Lori Montgomery profiles here:

Hey, NPR: Fund your own lame liberal humor — and leave my family alone  —  If the obscure and has-been comedians who appear on National Public Radio want to mock conservatives and spread left-wing propaganda, they should do it on their own damned dime.  —  The government-sponsored radio …

How Dumb Are We?  —  NEWSWEEK gave 1,000 Americans the U.S. Citizenship Test—38 percent failed.  The country's future is imperiled by our ignorance.  —  What Don't You Know?  Take the Quiz.  —  They're the sort of scores that drive high-school history teachers to drink.

Analysis: Emails favored Walker 2-1  —  One-third of positive emails from out of state … By Kate Golden  —  Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism  —  Gov. Scott Walker was right: The angry crowds in Madison didn't tell the whole story of how Wisconsinites felt.

US army's ‘kill team’ in Afghanistan  —  Commanders brace for backlash of anti-US sentiment that could be more damaging than after the Abu Ghraib scandal  —  Commanders in Afghanistan are bracing themselves for possible riots and public fury triggered by the publication of “trophy” …

One-year anniversary this week - North Dakota applies for a waiver - Faith group runs health ads - New Mexico's exchange bill on gov's desk  —  **With reporting contributions from J. Lester Feder and Kate Nocera  —  DRIVING THE WEEK: THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY— Pro-reform groups are hosting …

Pelosi hospitalised in Rome after feeling unwell  —  ROME — US Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was hospitalised on Monday after feeling unwell during a visit to Rome, Italian news agencies said.  —  Pelosi, in Italy to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Italian nation …

First family has ‘an awful lot to think about’  —  A weekly look at Gov. Mitch Daniels' activities as he weighs a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.  —  National pundits are speculating that one person is standing between Mitch Daniels and the White House, and it's not Barack Obama.

Trump: I “screwed” Gadhafi  —  A priceless moment from Donald Trump on Fox & Friends this morning.

VIDEO: Dan Ellsberg Handcuffed at White House for Protesting Obama's Torture of Bradley Manning  —  Eighty year-old Daniel Ellsberg was arrested on Saturday in front of the White House when he refused to leave at the request of police.  He was one of 113 people who were arrested …

Barbour racks up travel bill in '10  —  More than $300K spent for trips out of state last year  —  Mississippi taxpayers forked over more than $18,602 for Gov. Haley Barbour's trip to Las Vegas for a “project meeting” last March - a trip in which he hobnobbed with potential donors and powerplayers.

Scott Walker Touts His Union-Busting Agenda As ‘Progressive’  —  Late last week, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) spoke with conservative radio show host Jason Lewis about winning his union-busting fight.  First, Lewis repeated the falsehood that Walker wasn't against collective bargaining …

The War on Warren  —  Last week, at a House hearing on financial institutions and consumer credit, Republicans lined up to grill and attack Elizabeth Warren, the law professor and bankruptcy expert who is in charge of setting up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Unable to Restrain Themselves  —  Last week I noticed a bevy of conservative commentators, such as Glenn Beck, piously lowering their voices and paying tribute to the calm and resilience of the Japanese people in their time of trauma, emphasizing that there had been “no looting” in the aftermath of so much destruction and disarray.

First Thoughts: At war... again  —  Strikes on Libya begin... Congress puts the squeeze on Obama ... So does the left ... But the action in Libya appears consistent with the “Obama Doctrine” ... Being in Latin America during a war has caused an image problem for the White House …