The Budget Speech  —  Style: I liked the way Obama made a case for government at the beginning.  I liked the way he accused Republicans of pessimism, of abandoning a hopeful vision of America.  Good that he went after the Ryan plan — and good that he went after the cruelty of that plan.

CBO: Budget deal cuts this fiscal year's deficit by just $353 million, not $38 billion touted  —  WASHINGTON — A new budget estimate released Wednesday shows that the spending bill negotiated between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner would produce less than 1 percent …

Text of Obama Speech on the Deficit  —  Here is the prepared text of President Barack Obama's speech on the deficit, as released by the White House:  —  Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery  —  The Country We Believe In  —  The George Washington University  —  Washington, D.C.

Asleep on the Job: What Was Vice President Joe Biden Doing During Obama's Debt Speech?  —  ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports:  —  Vice President Biden chose an inopportune time for either a nap or some deep reflection today.  —  As President Obama weighed in on one of the most important issues of the day …

LensCrafters v. Bachmann  —  Washington (CNN) - The optics don't look great for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.  That is, if you're talking about her relationship with LensCrafters, the one-stop shop of eye care and eyewear.  —  The possible GOP presidential candidate supported her belief …

Alan Simpson: ‘Pray for Gang of Six’  —  Former Sen. Alan Simpson appeared jarred by the political nature of President Barack Obama's speech on reducing the deficit Wednesday at George Washington University. … The Wyoming Republican, who had a front-row seat for Mr. Obama's speech …

Screening of 6 Year-Old at MSY  —  ***Update 4-13-2011 7:07 PM*** Welcome Drudge readers and anyone else who's new to the TSA Blog.  Seeing that many of you have never been here before, I wanted to provide links to a couple of posts we've written on pat-downs.  They will give you a better idea of why pat-downs are used and when.

Graham vows to bring Senate to standstill over $40K for project  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has vowed to bring the Senate to a standstill unless congressional leaders agree to allocate $40,000 for a federal study on deepening the Port of Charleston.  —  Graham says one out of five jobs …

Throw Grandma From the Train  —  President Obama at the GOP House retreat, January 2010:  —  “We're not going to be able to do anything about any of these entitlements if what we do is characterize whatever proposals are put out there as, 'Well, you know, that's — the other party's being irresponsible.

Barry Bonds found guilty of obstruction  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds was convicted of obstruction of justice Wednesday but a jury failed to reach a verdict on three other counts that the home run king lied to a grand jury when he denied knowingly using steroids and human growth hormone.

Obama, to Curb Deficit, Urges Cuts and More Taxes on Rich  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama called for cutting the nation's combined budget deficit by $4 trillion over the next 12 years on Wednesday, countering Republican budget plans with what he said was a more balanced approach that relies …

Dem Rep Mocks Tea Party Colleagues With Red Neck Southern Accent  —  “Everything to them is unconstitutional.”  —  Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) appeared on the nationally syndicated Stephanie Miller Show to discuss how it is working with her new, Tea Party colleagues in the House.

COLBERT KEEPS TWITTER HEAT ON KYL  —  Sen. Jon Kyl's claim that “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does” is abortion-related is getting a continued skewering from political comedians.  —  Comedy Central late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart have since Monday laid …

Sidney Harman 1918-2011  —  Sidney Harman died last night of complications from acute myeloid leukemia at the young age of almost 93.  He first learned of his illness one month ago and remained vigorously engaged as Executive Chairman of Newsweek, and Chairman of the Academy for Polymathic Study …