The GOP Path to Prosperity  —  Our budget cuts $6.2 trillion in spending from the president's budget over the next 10 years and puts the nation on track to pay off our national debt.  —  Congress is currently embroiled in a funding fight over how much to spend on less than one-fifth of the federal budget for the next six months.

Ex-NPR chief: House Republicans have thrust NPR into ‘turmoil’  —  The change of power in the House has thrust NPR into “turmoil,” according to the former chief executive of the organization.  —  Vivian Schiller said NPR has been through a “very difficult” time in the past several months.

Warning Signs Among the GOP  —  It's not inconceivable that Republicans might start seeing things go against them in the court of public opinion, starting with the current spending debate.  —  Until recently, Republicans were taking solace in a number of things as they looked forward to 2012.

Parody gets more views than real Obama launch  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee's parody of Obama's 2012 campaign, released Friday, now has 665,000 views on YouTube.  —  Obama's real launch video, released yesterday: Just 168,000.  —  YouTube's metrics tend to lag a bit …

Romney leads in NH, Trump makes things interesting  —  Mitt Romney's still the clear early front runner to take the Republican primary in New Hampshire next year but for the first time in our polling of the race PPP finds someone within single digits of him...Donald Trump.

Maine Mural Controversy: U.S. Labor Department Says Put It Back Up Or Repay The Money … Department Of Labor , Department Of Labor Maine , Labor Mural , Labor Protests , Maine Mural , Paul Lepage , Paul Lepage Maine , Paul Lepage Maine Governor , Paul Lepage Mural , Politics News

Gen. Petraeus Being ‘Seriously Considered’ For CIA Director, NPR Reports  —  General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, is expected to leave that job by early fall.  And the question has been, where does he go from there?  —  Several sources, including government officials …

ElBaradei: We'll fight back if Israel attacks Gaza  —  In interview with Arab newspaper, former IAEA chief says if elected as Egypt's next president he will open Rafah crossing in case of an Israeli attack  —  Former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei …

Cowardice Blocks the 9/11 Trial  —  Last year, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. described a federal court trial for the self-professed mastermind of Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, as “the defining event of my time as attorney general.”  On Monday, Mr. Holder's dream for demonstrating …

Tim Kaine launches Virginia Senate bid  —  Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine launched Tuesday his campaign for Senate.  —  Kaine, in a video recounting his previous work in Virginia, principally as governor, said what had long been suspected: that he'd run to succeed retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.).

Obama, The God That Failed  —  As someone who has studied, taught, and written about the Middle East for years, I'm the first to concede that President Obama has a tough task.  What would I do about Libya if I were president?  How about Egypt?  —  I'm not exactly sure.

Racial slur led to fight with Illinois trooper, student says  —  CARLINVILLE  • The politically connected head of Gov. Pat Quinn's Southern Illinois security detail used a racial slur against a black college student in a Carlinville bar, starting a fight that preceded the officer's resignation, the student says.

Senate finally votes to repeal 1099 measure in health care reform law  —  The Senate on Tuesday voted to repeal the health care overhaul's 1099 tax reporting requirements, finally ending months of debate and votes over a provision that, by the end, had few defenders.

How Michele Bachmann Could Win  —  Michelle Bachmann is starting to make a move in the GOP primary.  She's drawing strong reviews for her public appearances.  She out-raised Mitt Romney in the first quarter.  She's hired Mike Huckabee's well-regarded political director.

Coburn vs. Norquist  —  The Senator is right on ethanol and, in this case, on tax subsidies.  —  Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma has a fighting chance to begin reforming Washington's bonehead ethanol policy.  That is unless one prominent conservative organization manages to sabotage his effort.