Franklin Graham: Trump Might be Candidate of Choice  —  The Rev. Franklin Graham, whose family has served as spiritual advisers to numerous prominent political figures, told “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour that businessman Donald Trump might be his candidate of choice in 2012 …

Collins is first GOP senator to oppose Ryan budget proposal  —  Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine.) said Friday that she will not support the 2012 budget passed by the House last week.  —  “I don't happen to support Congressman Ryan's plan but at least he had the courage to put forth a plan …

School District Employee Disciplined for Political Phone Call  —  A Sheboygan gas station owner is baffled after a mystery caller tells a clerk it's a bad idea to do business with a Sheboygan-area state senator.  —  It started Tuesday when a woman called Dick Hiers's Northeast Standard gas station …

Statements on Syria  —  Obama, in what Crowley describes as a “bind” on today's violence, says:  —  The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of force by the Syrian government against demonstrators.  This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now.

Patients Are Not Consumers  —  Earlier this week, The Times reported on Congressional backlash against the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a key part of efforts to rein in health care costs.  This backlash was predictable; it is also profoundly irresponsible, as I'll explain in a minute.

Happy Krauthammer Day  —  Henry Farrell reminds us that today is Charles Krauthammer Day, marking the eight anniversary of one of the greatest remarks of all time: … In a related development, Krauthammer continues to be employed as a major television commentator and newspaper columnist.

More than half of Democrats believed Bush knew  —  I've been looking for a good analogue to the willingness of Republicans to believe, or say they believe, that Obama was born abroad, and one relevant number is the share of Democrats willing to believe, as they say, that “Bush knew.”

John Ensign bolted to avoid more public embarrassment  —  Sen. John Ensign abruptly announced his resignation after it grew increasingly clear to him that he would not be able to avoid a public review of the sordid allegations surrounding his sex scandal, including the open airing of details …

Video of beating in a Baltimore County McDonald's goes viral  —  A video of a vicious beating at a Baltimore County McDonald's restaurant went viral Friday, garnering hundreds of thousands of views on various websites and prompting the fast food giant to issue a statement condemning the incident.

Tim Pawlenty's Big Chill  —  How the GOP presidential contender left a famed Arctic explorer in the cold on global warming.  —  Post Comment  —  When Will Steger was 15 years old, he and his brother piloted an old motorboat down the Mississippi River from Minnesota to New Orleans.

Creed or Chaos  —  You can feel a jolt of energy surge through the audience of “The Book of Mormon” about a quarter of the way into the show's first musical number.  It's a jolt of joy, gratitude and laughter — a confirmation that this Broadway production is going to live up to its rave reviews.

Earth Day co-founder killed, composted girlfriend  —  Ira Einhorn preached against Vietnam War and violence, but had dark side  —  Below:  —  Ira Einhorn was on stage hosting the first Earth Day event at the Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970.

The Department of Distraction Swings Into Action  —  It is becoming clear that Obama's criticism of speculators was not a one-off.  Instead, it is part of a broader campaign to demonize them.  Today's installment of the Two Minutes' Hate came courtesy of the Justice Department (so tempted to use quotes around that).

The New York Times' Disappearing Birther Scoop  —  It was perhaps the most talked-about paragraph in the political press yesterday.  And then just like that, it was gone.  —  From the New York Times article that appeared on the newspaper's website Thursday morning, came this passage [emphasis added]:

Listen to what VOA's Cecily Hilleary and Steve Bangley discovered after talking to Syrian eyewitnesses on the ground involved in the protests in several cities:  —  Witnesses and activists say security forces used live ammunition and tear gas on protesters, who poured onto the streets …

Town Hall Citizens Confront Rep. Sean Duffy For Voting To Privatize Medicare And Defend Tax Breaks For Rich  —  All across America, a Main Street Movement has broken out to defend the middle class against right-wing attacks on labor rights and basic public services.

Trig Trutherism: The definitive debunker  —  Trig Trutherism, the surprisingly resilient conspiracy theory that Sarah Palin is not actually the mother of 3-year-old Trig Palin, is experiencing a boomlet thanks to a new academic paper that endorses the concept.

NOM wants to paint LGBT ‘crazy’ (I can prove it)  —  Last fall the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) published an updated list of hate groups that are operating across the United States in which they included organizations such as the Family Research Council and the American Family Association.

Obama on Manning: “He Broke the Law” - So Much for That Trial?  —  President Barack Obama made stunning accusations about accused Wikileaks whistleblower PFC Bradley Manning, directly asserting that Manning “broke the law.”  Apparently the President of the United States of America …