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 …

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.

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.”

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 …

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.”

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

State stops collecting union dues, starts charging more for health care  —  By Jason Stein and Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Gov. Scott Walker's administration is no longer collecting dues on behalf of state unions and as of Sunday began charging employees …

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

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.

Why I called Bradley Manning's treatment ‘stupid’  —  The US should uphold the highest standards towards its citizens, including the WikiLeaks accused.  I stand by what I said  —  Earlier this month, I was asked by an MIT graduate student why the United States government was “torturing” …

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.

Breaking News: Facebook Shuts Down Third Intifada Group  —  Despite previous statements saying they would monitor but not remove the controversial Facebook group calling for a Third Intifada, Facebook administrators shut down the group early Tuesday morning in response to enormous pressure from pro-Israel activists.

Matt Weiner's Talks For ‘Mad Men’ Mega Deal Could Collapse Over Cost-Shaving  —  Negotiations between Mad Men creator/executive producer Matt Weiner and AMC and Lionsgate Television seemed close enough to expect the cable network's signature show to lock a fifth season in time for AMC's April upfront meetings with advertisers.

Qadhafi's obscurity  —  Before Muammar Qadhafi — the Osama bin Laden of the 1980s — re-emerged onto the global scene as public enemy number one this spring, he had become a bit of a geopolitical has been, and a search of the clips finds little evidence that Barack Obama gave him much thought at all.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Asks Field Offices to Put Bi-National Immigration Cases on Hold  —  Following up on reports from this weekend, Metro Weekly just received confirmation from Christopher Bentley, the spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services …

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.

The Continuing Story of Romney's Mormon Problem  —  Even with rabid conservative opposition to health care reform, and his role in crafting Massachusetts' system of universal health care, Mitt Romney remains the prohibitive favor for the Republican presidential nomination.