Why Trump Soars  —  Very few people have the luxury of being freely obnoxious.  Most people have to watch what they say for fear of offending their bosses and colleagues.  Others resist saying anything that might make them unpopular.  —  But, in every society, there are a few rare souls …

Is Obama Messing With Texas?  —  President Obama's political advisers often talk about how population shifts in the country could create new electoral battlegrounds, pointing specifically to Arizona, Georgia and Texas.  —  There are several signs that aides to the president have Texas on their minds.

Brewer vetoes birther, campus gun bills  —  Also vetoes health care compact law  —  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Monday that would have required presidential candidates to provide their birth certificates to appear on the ballot, and another that would have allowed guns to be carried on school grounds.

Today's (Needless) Hysteria: the S&P Panic  —  I agree with Clive Crook's puzzlement about the S&P downgrade “bombshell” today: … And I like James K. Galbraith's derisive guffaw, as reported by Dave Lindorff: … I know that markets run on fear, greed, instinct, and panic as much as on logic.

Donald Trump: Reagan Was A Con Man Who Couldn't ‘Deliver The Goods’  —  Today, real estate mogul Donald Trump proudly declares that Ronald Reagan is the President he admires most.  Here's Trump on the April 14 edition of Hannity: … Watch it:  —  But in his bestselling book, Art of the Deal …

Secret memos expose link between oil firms and invasion of Iraq  —  Plans to exploit Iraq's oil reserves were discussed by government ministers and the world's largest oil companies the year before Britain took a leading role in invading Iraq, government documents show.

“How much more black could this be?  And the answer is none.  None more black.”  —  Having been forced by the EPA to ship her signature little black dress (seen here and here and here) to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory where it will be processed and incinerated, Ann Coulter announces …

Durbin warns Gang of Six deficit plan could produce Social Security cuts  —  Lawmakers shouldn't be so quick to rule out changes or cuts to Social Security, a top Senate Democrat participating in bipartisan Gang of Six talks says in a new interview.  —  Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) …

Britain Sending Military Advisers to Libya  —  LONDON (AP) — Britain said Tuesday it will send a team of up 20 senior military officers to Libya to help organize the country's haphazard opposition forces.  —  Foreign Secretary William Hague said the military advisers would join a group …

There was a time when Paul Ryan thought the Federal Debt was too small  —  Well, well, well.  Paul Ryan is a typical Republican hypocrite.  Who could have predicted that?  —  Remembering When Paul Ryan Worried the Debt Was Too Small

S&P aims to whip Congress into debt action  —  A spokesperson for Standard & Poor's said on Monday that there was an “at least a one-in-three likelihood” that the rating agency “could lower” its long-term view on the US within two years.  US equities quickly dropped by more than 1.5 per cent.

Classic kids games like kickball deemed unsafe by state in effort to increase summer camp regulation  —  State bureaucrats have created a list of ‘risky activities’ for kids at summer camp.  The list includes freeze tag, Wiffle Ball and kickball, among other games and activities.

Letting the Banks Off the Hook  —  Judging by last week's performance, it sure looks as though the country's top bank regulator is back to its old tricks.  —  Though, to be honest, calling the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency a “regulator” is almost laughable.  The Environmental Protection Agency is a regulator.

Why P.J. Crowley went rogue  —  To friends, colleagues and even critics, there are few more unlikely candidates than P.J. Crowley to become a free speech martyr and a darling of the left.  A veteran of three decades in the Air Force public affairs division, Crowley was a notoriously tight-lipped spokesman …

Andres Serrano's Piss Christ destroyed by Christian protesters  —  • Intruders vandalise photo day after Christian protest  —  • Exhibitor blames Sarkozy speech for inflaming issue  —  When New York artist Andres Serrano plunged a plastic crucifix into a glass of his own urine …

DCCC hitting 25 House Republicans with radio ads over Ryan budget  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is taking aim at 25 House Republicans in a new ad campaign, hitting them over their support for Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) 2012 budget.  —  The effort will include radio ads …

Big U.S. Firms Shift Hiring Abroad  —  Work Forces Shrink at Home, Sharpening Debate on Economic Impact of Globalization  —  U.S. multinational corporations, the big brand-name companies that employ a fifth of all American workers, have been hiring abroad while cutting back at home …

Why Did The Union Fight?  —  I've always thought there was something about the Lincoln administration's determination to fight and win the Civil War that was a bit odd.  Secession gave the regionally based Republican Party large congressional majorities that wouldn't exist if southern states had representation in congress.