Clement firm drops DOMA case  —  In a real victory for supporters of same-sex marriage — and marking what seems like real marginalization for its foes — a major law firm has reversed course and will refuse to represent the House of Representatives in defending the Defense of Marriage Act.

Let's Take a Hike  —  When I listen to current discussions of the federal budget, the message I hear sounds like this: We're in crisis!  We must take drastic action immediately!  And we must keep taxes low, if not actually cut them further!  —  You have to wonder: If things are that serious …

High court rejects quick review of health care law  —  WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court rejected a call Monday from Virginia's attorney general to depart from its usual practice and put review of the health care law on a fast track.  Instead, judicial review of President Barack Obama's signature legislation …

WikiLeaks discloses new details on whereabouts of al-Qaeda leaders on 9/11  —  On Sept. 11, 2001, the core of al-Qaeda was concentrated in a single city: Karachi, Pakistan.  —  At a hospital, the accused mastermind of the bombing of the USS Cole was recovering from a tonsillectomy.

STATEMENT OF GOV. BARBOUR  —  “I will not be a candidate for president next year.  This has been a difficult, personal decision, and I am very grateful to my family for their total support of my going forward, had that been what I decided.  —  “Hundreds of people have encouraged me to run …

Norquist: Coburn ‘lied his way’ into office  —  Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, just emailed a response to Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn's claim that his group is a narrow “special interest” that doesn't represent American conservatives.  And it's memorable.

WH Fails to Release Easter Proclamation  —  President Obama failed to release a statement or a proclamation recognizing the national observance of Easter Sunday, Christianity's most sacred holiday.  —  By comparison, the White House has released statements recognizing the observance …

Gov. Haley's advice to GOP presidential hopefuls: Change your message  —  South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said Monday she is not satisfied with the message that the crop of GOP presidential hopefuls has brought to her state.  —  Haley — a rising star in the party and governor …

Heaven can wait  —  Don't call him Father Jim just yet.  —  Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey — who shocked the nation in 2004 when he announced he was a “gay American” and stepped down from office — has been denied his bid to join the priesthood of the Episcopal Church, The Post has learned.

BITTER PILLS  —  Multitrillion-dollar piles of debt have a way of making people nervous, so it's not really surprising that Washington is now in the throes of budget-cutting hysteria.  Republicans risked a government shutdown over a few billion dollars in spending cuts …

DEFINE ‘PEACETIME’.... Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R), back on the presidential campaign trail, isn't sitting down for a lot of media interviews — but he loves writing op-eds.  Romney's latest ran in New Hampshire's largest paper this morning. … The nonsense-per-sentence ratio is awfully high here …

A Case for Hell  —  Here's a revealing snapshot of religion in America.  On Easter Sunday, two of the top three books on Amazon.com's Religion and Spirituality best-seller list mapped the geography of the afterlife.  One was “Heaven Is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back …

Many still fighting the Civil War...  The Civil War may have come to a close almost 150 years ago but Republicans in three Southern states still aren't sure its outcome was a good thing.  Less than half of GOP voters in Georgia, North Carolina, and Mississippi are glad that the North won the Civil War: