Top Goldman Leaders Said to Have Overseen Mortgage Unit  —  Tensions were rising inside Goldman Sachs.  —  It was late 2006, and an argument had broken out inside the Wall Street bank's prized mortgage unit — a dispute that would reach all the way up to the executive suite.

Is the Obama Administration Behind An Astroturf Anti-Tea Party Website?  —  “Cass Sunstein has favored the government using outside parties as government propaganda agents to paint their opposition as fringe and undermine their credibility.”  —  Astroturf is the act of professional interest …

The Republicans' 2012 problem  —  November 2010 is looking awfully good for the GOP.  But November 2012?  Not so much  —  Talk to most Democratic activists, and they'll concede that a Republican takeover of the House this fall is entirely possible.  Some will even contemplate …

David Gregory: “No, I won't fact check my guests and you guys can't make me...” A time line.  —  David Gregory, the host of NBC's Meet the Press, has painted himself into a strange corner with his assertion that there's no need to fact check what his guests say on the air because viewers can do that “on their own terms.”

Time's Klein: Beck, Palin Potentially Committing Sedition against U.S. Government; Heilemann Adds Limbaugh  —  Liberals are all too often eager to charge conservative personalities of using hyperbole to gain a political advantage, especially when it contradicts their world view …

Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor  —  The People and Their Government  —  By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days.  A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government …

Obama skips Polish funeral, heads to golf course  —  A massive volcanic plume covering most of Europe forced President Obama to cancel a Sunday trip to Poland to attend the funeral of the nation's president.  But the last-minute change left an opening in his schedule, so the president headed to the links for a round of golf instead.

No Minstrel Show Here!  —  Charles Blow recently deplored the lack of authentic diversity at a Dallas Tea Party, describing it as a “minstrel show”.  Conor Friedersdorf notes the heads they lose problem being faced by the Tea Party: … Jut so.  Meanwhile, I am eagerly awaiting a correction on this from Mr. Blow:

Reaching Out Quietly to Muslims in America  —  When President Obama took the stage in Cairo last June, promising a new relationship with the Islamic world, Muslims in America wondered only half-jokingly whether the overture included them.  After all, Mr. Obama had kept his distance during the campaign …

It's Aggregate Demand, Stupid  —  David Wessel explains Christina Romer's view of the economic situation: … Here's the nominal GDP situation:  —  Brad DeLong remarks: … Every time there's a downturn a certain swathe of the elite starts to label it unfixable and structural.

Obama's health reform isn't modeled after Heritage Foundation ideas  —  Think tank analysts usually brim with pride when the president of the United States goes around claiming that his policies are based on their work.  But when President Obama tries to sell his health-care law …

The Pastor, the Pedophile and CAIR  —  On April 5 the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a press release urging GOP leaders to “insist” that Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R-NC) withdraw support from the non-profit grassroots advocacy organization ACT! for America.

NSA stops collecting some data to resolve issue with court  —  A special federal court that oversees domestic surveillance has raised concerns about the National Security Agency's collection of certain types of electronic data, prompting the agency to suspend collecting it, U.S. officials said.

Militia movement will be packing heat at rally on the Potomac  —  Daniel Almond, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, is ready to “muster outside D.C.” on Monday with several dozen other self-proclaimed patriots, all of them armed.  They intend to make history as the first people to take their guns …

Nonproliferation?  How Quaint!  —  In years to come — assuming, for the purposes of argument, there are any years to come — scholars will look back at President Obama's Nuclear Security Summit and marvel.  For once, the cheap comparisons with 1930s appeasement barely suffice: To be sure …

Clinton: If Obama Offers Peace Plan, ‘I Will Support It’  —  Discussing the Middle East peace process on ABC's This Week, host Jake Tapper asked former President Bill Clinton whether he thought it was “time for President Obama to put a peace plan on the table,” as has been reported the administration is considering.

NHS bars woman after she saw private doctor  —  A WOMAN has been denied an operation on the NHS after paying for a private consultation to deal with her severe back pain.  —  Jenny Whitehead, a breast cancer survivor, paid £250 for an appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon …

McCain Denies That He Is ‘Running Away From The Maverick Title’: ‘I Prefer Great American Myself’  —  Facing a tough primary challenge from former Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been moving hard to the right.  In an interview with Newsweek earlier this month …