Bush feels Obama ignoring ex-president's role in Osama Bin Laden strike for ‘victory lap’: source  —  WASHINGTON - George W. Bush won't be at Ground Zero with President Obama Thursday in part because he feels his team is getting short shrift in the decade-long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden.

Budget talks: Republicans offer to seek common ground with Democrats  —  Senior Republicans conceded Wednesday that a deal is unlikely on a contentious plan to overhaul Medicare and offered to open budget talks with the White House by focusing on areas where both parties can agree, such as cutting farm subsidies.

Obama floats plan to tax cars by the mile  —  The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.  —  The plan is a part of the administration's …

CNN Poll: Still no front-runner in the battle for the GOP nomination  —  Greenville, South Carolina (CNN) - A new national poll indicates the race for the Republican presidential nomination remains wide-open, with none of the probable or potential GOP White House contenders above 20 percent, according to a new national poll.

Half Of Adults In Detroit Are Functionally Illiterate  —  Something that I think drives at least some of my disagreements with other liberals about education policy is that I think a lot of middle class liberals implicitly underestimate the extent of really bad learning outcomes.

Jay Carney is floundering under pressure, say Washington insiders  —  There is increasing concern in Washington that Jay Carney, the new White House Press Secretary, isn't up to the job.  Even when faced with an innocuous question that requires only that he trot out the official line …

Terrorist Group Setting Up Operations Near Border  —  Hezbollah Considered To Be More Advanced Than Al-Qaida  —  SAN DIEGO — A terrorist organization whose home base is in the Middle East has established another home base across the border in Mexico.  —  “They are recognized by many experts …

Raise Taxes, but Not Tax Rates  —  REDUCING the budget deficit and stopping the explosion of our national debt will require more tax revenue as well as reduced government spending.  But the need for more revenue needn't mean higher tax rates.  —  As the bipartisan fiscal commission appointed …

Democrats Love Compromise  —  Matthew Yglesias flags the latest Pew survey, which attempts to provide a political typology to describe the different ideological groups that reside in each party.  Looking at the extent to which Democrats are divided on social issues and immigration …

Torture Opponents Were Right  —  They've long insisted that a “ticking time bomb” exception would set us on a slippery slope.  The reaction to bin Laden's death proves their point  —  Torture apologists claiming that the death of Osama bin Laden justifies America's use of …

Poll: Number of ‘birthers’ plummets  —  The number of Americans saying President Obama was born in another country has been sliced in half, according to a new Washington Post poll.  —  In interviews following the public release the president's “long-form” birth certificate last week …

Allen being tracked by Alan  —  George Allen has a new shadow, and his name is Alan.  Alan Piracha.  —  Piracha, 23, is working as a tracker for the Democratic Party of Virginia, following Allen, a Republican U.S. senate candidate, around the state, videotaping his appearances.

Daniels in the Lamb's Den  —  A month from now, Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana, will probably be a declared candidate for President.  His candidacy, if it comes off, will test the (rather dubious) hypothesis that Republicans might be willing to forgo some of the visceral pleasures …