On a Senate Call, a Glimpse of Marching Orders  —  Um, Senators, ever heard of the mute button?  —  Moments before a conference call with reporters was scheduled to get underway on Tuesday morning, apparently unaware that many of the reporters were already on the line, Charles Schumer of New York …

Judge again blocks implementation of collective bargaining law  —  By Patrick Marley and Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - A Dane County judge Tuesday blocked the state from implementing Gov. Scott Walker's collective bargaining measure.  —  “Further implementation …

CRUISE SHIP CONFESSION: Top Fox News Executive Admits Lying On-Air About Obama  —  In newly uncovered audio, a Fox News executive boasts that he lied repeatedly during the closing days of the 2008 presidential campaign when he speculated on-air “about whether Barack Obama really advocated socialism.”

Sarah Palin Exaggerates Cost of Libya Intervention By 700%  —  Last night on Fox News, Greta van Susteren hosted former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to discuss what Palin termed the “squirmish” in Libya.  True to form, the former governor was reckless with basic facts and casually septupled the cost of U.S. intervention.

Bill Maher at the Winspear on Sunday night: 'Your new theater isn't gonna be clean for long'  —  I've seen Kathy Griffin perform live, and Joan Rivers and Lisa Lampanelli and Chris Rock — and they are all hilarious and edgy and daring comics who say outrageous things and go places that scare …

Huckabee Continues to Lead in GOP Positive Intensity Tracking  —  Little-known Herman Cain generates strong enthusiasm among those who recognize him  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Mike Huckabee continues to generate the strongest favorable reactions from Republicans who recognize him, with a Positive Intensity Score of 26.

Take Two: Donald Trump Releases Official Birth Certificate  —  ABC News Michael Falcone reports:  —  Donald Trump learned the hard way this week that if you're going to call on the president to release his official birth certificate, you'd better do the same.

Japan ‘has lost race’ to halt meltdown  —  Fukushima meltdown fears rise after radioactive core melts through vessel - but ‘no danger of Chernobyl-style catastrophe’  —  • In pictures: Fukushima nuclear emergency - week three  —  • Interactive: Japan earthquake: Ian Sample on efforts to contain the nuclear accident

Scott incredibly unpopular  —  You could say Rick Scott's honeymoon is over...but that would suggest he had one in the first place.  A December PPP poll shortly before Scott took office found that only 33% of Florida voters had a favorable opinion of their new Governor to 43% who viewed him negatively.

Calling BULLS**T on Rolling Stone  —  Seldom do I waste time with rebutting articles, and especially not from publications like Rolling Stone.  Today, numerous people sent links to the latest Rolling Stone tripe.  The story is titled “THE KILL TEAM, THE FULL STORY.”  It should be titled: “BULLS**T, from Rolling Stone.”

Howard Dean: Democrats Should Be ‘Quietly Rooting’ for Shutdown  —  Speaking at the National Journal Insiders Conference on March 29, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said that a government shutdown would be bad for the country but good for Democrats.

NATO Chief Opens The Door to Libya Ground Troops  —  The mantra, from President Obama on down, is that ground forces are totally ruled out for Libya.  After all, the United Nations Security Council Resolution authorizing the war explicitly rules out any “occupation” forces.

Not All Choices Are False  —  One of President Obama's recurrent rhetorical tropes during the 2008 campaign was the “false choice” maneuver, in which he would distance himself from straw men of the left and right to better sell himself as a post-partisan figure.

US paves way to arm Libyan rebels  —  Clinton tells London conference that UN security council resolution 1973 over-rode absolute prohibition of arms to Libya  —  Hillary Clinton has paved the way for the United States to arm the Libyan rebels by declaring that the recent UN security council …

Tom Tomorrow:  —  A period of transition  —  I don't really remember the exact date, but at some point in late 1994 or early 1995, I met my editor from the SF Examiner, David Talbot, for lunch at the Rincon Center food court in San Francisco.  Over some cheap take-out …

3-Month Nightmare Emerges in Rape Inquiry  —  CLEVELAND, Tex. — A year ago, the 11-year-old girl who the police say was the victim of repeated gang rapes in this East Texas town was an outgoing honor roll student, brimming with enthusiasm, who went on hikes and planted trees with a youth group here.

Conservative Think Tank Seeks Michigan Profs' Emails About Wisconsin Union Battle ... And Maddow  —  A free enterprise think tank in Michigan — backed by some of the biggest names in national conservative donor circles — has made a broad public records request to at least three in-state universities …

Gingrich fears ‘atheist country ... dominated by radical Islamists’  —  Newt Gingrich at Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas.  —  Hours after declaring Sunday that he expects to be running for president within a month, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he's worried the United States could be …

Levin takes on Ron Paul supporters: ‘I promise you his followers are the biggest a-holes of them all’  —  There's no doubt that 2008 Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has some dedicated followers, and they're especially ambitious in using the Internet to spread their message.

Cash for Clunkers 2: The Return of Government Motors  —  Ready for another cash for clunkers program?  It looks like General Motors is attempting to replace it's own consumer incentives with tax payer money.  The car company, bailed out of bankruptcy in 2009 by the American tax payer …

CAN'T ANYBODY HERE PLAY THIS GAME?.... At face value, congressional Republicans went into budget talks playing a strikingly weak hand.  They're an unpopular party, pushing unpopular spending cuts, going up against a more popular president.  Of the three main players — the House, the Senate …

Left, Right And Time  —  I suffer, it seems, from an affliction that bedevils many.  I now find myself largely opposed to most Republicans and in favor of a Democratic president as an even tempered pragmatist.  But I have not reimagined myself as a leftist.  Others have, of course, but I wince a little every time.

Revealed: The Banksy of Online Political Video  —  Today's hottest Republican online filmmaker got his start by backing Hillary Clinton.  The 22-year-old has only around 20 political videos under his belt, but the “features,” as he calls them, include iconic elements indicative …

The hypocrisy of the American left  —  Self-righteousness is a dangerous vice.  It breeds arrogance and moral blind spots for those who come to believe they are superior to those who share different worldviews.  —  Televangelists have fallen prey to this feeling of superiority …