Parting Ways  —  Anyone who has read Derb in our pages knows he's a deeply literate, funny, and incisive writer.  I direct anyone who doubts his talents to his delightful first novel, “Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream,” or any one of his “Straggler” columns in the books section of NR.

On Ryan Apologists  —  In my next life I want to be a conservative policy scammer.  Think of how much nicer it would be.  Instead of constantly being accused of having evil motives, I'd be presumed to have noble intentions no matter how much the actual content of my policy proposals was at odds with such claims.

Short Supply, Not Middle East Tensions, Push up Oil Prices  —  “Right now the key thing that is driving higher gas prices is actually the world's oil markets and uncertainty about what's going on in Iran and the Middle East, and that's adding a $20 or $30 premium to oil prices,” President Obama said March 23.

Isn't it “marvelous?”  Obama seeks to define Romney for voters  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama criticized Mitt Romney by name this week for embracing a controversial Republican budget proposal, he worded his attack carefully and with bite.

Sanford (FL) Police deny any indication of neo-Nazis patrolling  —  The latest wildfire spreading through the media and blogosphere is that armed neo-Nazis are patrolling Sanford, FL, in anticipation of trouble if George Zimmerman is not charged in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Michigan Republicans have ILLEGALLY passed over 96% (546) of their bills under “immediate effect”  —  It's much, much worse in Michigan than we even realized  —  Last night, Rachel Maddow broke a huge story that has been happening since Republicans took over in Michigan in 2011 and has gone completely under the radar.

Mitt Romney Plans Multi-Million Dollar Pennsylvania Ad Buy  —  ABC News' Michael Falcone reports:  —  In an attempt to eject Rick Santorum from the presidential race by force, Mitt Romney's campaign will unveil a nearly $2 million television ad buy on the Pennsylvania airwaves beginning on Monday.

Uncorrected: Charles Blow Finally Returns To The Scene Of His Journalistic Crime  —  When last he wrote on the subject of Trayvon Martin Charles Blow focused, appropriately, on the grief of a family in shock.  In so doing, however, he emphasized the implausibility of George Zimmerman's self-defense claim …

A sorry spectacle  —  Jay Cost takes a look back at Obama's public performances this week, as I did in “Twice in a lifetime,” and explains exactly what is happening: … Cost absolutely nails the Obama scenario and what it portends for our future in this terrific column.  —  UPDATE: Robert Stacy McCain comments here.