Bam Bites Dog  —  The political perils of personal attacks.  —  One time Barack Obama went to an Indian restaurant and ordered the lassi.  Was he ever disappointed when the waiter brought him a yogurt drink!  —  We'll be here all week.  But seriously, folks, we have a man-bites-dog story for you today.

Colombian Escort Speaks About Secret Service Scandal  —  CARTAGENA, Colombia — A Secret Service agent preparing for President Obama's arrival at an international summit meeting and a single mother from Colombia who makes a living as a high-priced escort faced off in a room at the Hotel Caribe …

U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers  —  An American soldier says he released the photos to the Los Angeles Times to draw attention to the safety risk of a breakdown in leadership and discipline.  The Army has started a criminal investigation.

Whistleblower Alleges Top U.S. Official Got Blowjob On Roof Of Baghdad Embassy  —  State Department gadfly Peter Van Buren drops a bombshell on his blog.  He claims there's a sex tape.  —  A Foreign Service Officer who once posed for Playboy, according to State Departement official and blogger Peter Van Buren.

Dick Clark, Entertainment Icon Nicknamed 'America's Oldest Teenager,' Dies at 82  —  Dick Clark, the music industry maverick, longtime TV host and powerhouse producer who changed the way we listened to pop music with “American Bandstand,” and whose trademark “Rockin' Eve” …

Gulf seafood deformities alarm scientists  —  Eyeless shrimp and fish with lesions are becoming common, with BP oil pollution believed to be the likely cause.  —  New Orleans, LA - “The fishermen have never seen anything like this,” Dr Jim Cowan told Al Jazeera.

Catholic League Promises To “Mobilize” Religious Groups Against Jon Stewart  —  A bit about a “vagina manger” offends.  “We will not stop with a boycott,” the League's president writes.  —  A segment of The Daily Show skewering the media fervor over the “war on women” that recommended that women use …

The $5 Trillion Man: Debt Has Increased Under Obama by $5,027,761,476,484.56  —  (CNSNews.com)- In the 39 months since Barack Obama took the oath of office as president of the United States, the federal government's debt has increased by $5,027,761,476,484.56.

The most amazing Supreme Court chart.  Maybe ever.  —  While browsing around the Pew polling site this morning — and, yes, we do a fair amount of that — we came across a chart on the Supreme Court that reminded us, for the billionth time, that assuming the average person follows …

Phyllis Schlafly: Let's Destroy The Word Feminism Just Like We Did Liberal!  —  My gratitude to the stalwarts at Right Wing Watch for watching nearly two hours of Phyllis Schlafly's seminar earlier this month at The Citadel.  She had some interesting things to say about feminism.

Studies Question the Pairing of Food Deserts and Obesity  —  It has become an article of faith among some policy makers and advocates, including Michelle Obama, that poor urban neighborhoods are food deserts, bereft of fresh fruits and vegetables.  —  But two new studies have found something unexpected.

In Facebook Deal, Board Was All But Out of Picture  —  On the morning of Sunday, April 8, Facebook Inc.'s youthful chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, alerted his board of directors that he intended to buy Instagram, the hot photo-sharing service.  —  It was the first the board heard of what …

Obama, Romney in dead heat among registered voters, CBS News/New York Times poll finds  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Mitt Romney has closed the gap with President Obama among registered voters …

John McCain, Mitch Daniels come to Dick Lugar's rescue  —  Mitch Daniels and John McCain are coming to Sen. Dick Lugar's rescue, POLITICO has learned.  —  The Indiana governor and the Arizona senator have cut ads on Lugar's behalf that are likely to air in the closing weeks of his neck-and-neck Republican primary contest.

Less Will Happen In The Lame Duck Than You Think  —  As my column from today's Roll Call explains, if you've been thinking that everything will be settled in the lame duck session of Congress that's ahead, think again...and again...and again.  Would you believe that nothing will be settled?

No Savings Are Found From Welfare Drug Tests  —  MIAMI — Ushered in amid promises that it would save taxpayers money and deter drug users, a Florida law requiring drug tests for people who seek welfare benefits resulted in no direct savings, snared few drug users and had no effect on the number …

Mayor Taking New Step on Smoking  —  Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Wednesday plans to propose legislation that would require residential buildings to adopt written policies on where smoking is permitted or prohibited and disclose those rules to prospective tenants and owners …

Reid cites seniors' love of junk mail to argue for passage of postal reform bill  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) cited seniors' love of junk mail in urging passage of a United States Postal Service reform bill.  —  In his opening speech on Wednesday, Reid called on the Senate …