Tea party groups choose to stand mute on same-sex marriage ruling  —  While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge's decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.

Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.  Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term …

‘A Chart That Screams, “Extend Unemployment Benefits!”  ’  —  You'll have to excuse me for simply stealing Daniel Indiviglio's headline for this chart, but it's really the right way to introduce it:  —  “That giant gap consists of Americans who are unemployed, and couldn't get a job even if they wanted to,” Indiviglio writes.

Crash Data Suggest Driver Error in Toyota Accidents  —  The U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that at the time of the crashes, throttles were wide open …

The Coming Birth Control Battle  —  Health-care reform raised the possibility that birth control could soon be free for most women.  But not if conservative activists have their way.  Dana Goldstein reports.  —  Could prescription birth control—whether the pill, an IUD, or a diaphragm …

Harry Reid: Barack Obama dodges ‘confrontation’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants President Barack Obama to be “more firm” and stop avoiding “confrontation” with Republicans.  —  “He is a person who doesn't like confrontation.  He's a peacemaker,” Reid said in an interview with Las Vegas television station KSNV.

McInnis' articles for foundation lift ideas, words directly from 20-year-old essay  —  Although GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis presented his “Musings on Water” for publication as original works, portions are identical and nearly identical to an essay on water written 20 years earlier …

A Clarification on the NBPP Case.  —  So, I just wanted to clear something up: I wrote my post yesterday about the Justice Department's decision not to pursue criminal charges against the NBPP during the Bush administration because I had seen conservatives arguing that it was made by the Obama administration.

Believing Sarah Palin  —  Like I said in my first post, I guest-blogged for the Daily Dish back in 2006.  I don't remember anyone, at the time, challenging the decision.  So I was unprepared for the rat-a-tat of criticism I got for signing up this week.  To quote Baseball Crank …

Dems, AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic  —  The White House and congressional Democrats, with the backing of the AARP, will soon put forth a plan to automatically enroll new private-sector employees in investment retirement accounts (IRAs).  —  The measure will apply to new workers …

Crist leads 3-way Senate race in Florida  —  (Reuters) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.  —  Crist, who left the Republican Party …

Obama strategy against Palin, or other GOP foes?  Run against Bush  —  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs didn't talk about Sarah Palin specifically yesterday, but he did address any Republican who is thinking about challenging President Obama in 2012.  —  The bottom line …

The Bush Tax Cuts and the Deficit Myth  —  Runaway government spending, not declining tax revenues, is the reason the U.S. faces dramatic budget shortfalls for years to come.  —  President Obama and congressional Democrats are blaming their trillion-dollar budget deficits on the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003.

Suffer These Crimes in Oakland?  Don't Call the Cops  —  Dozens of layoffs effective at midnight, barring last minute deal  —  Oakland's police chief is making some dire claims about what his force will and will not respond to if layoffs go as planned.  —  Chief Anthony Batts listed …

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Another Mel Gibson Slur Caught On Tape In Crazed Rage - Listen To It Here  —  Warning: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson is caught using yet another ethnic slur while going on a crazed rampage on new audio exclusively obtained and released by RadarOnline.com.

Appeals Court Strikes Down Indecency Rule  —  A United States appeals court tossed out the indecency policy of the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, calling it a violation of the First Amendment.  —  An appeals panel said the F.C.C. policy was “unconstitutionally vague …

No. 1 Nation in Sexy Web Searches?  Call it Pornistan  —  Pakistan has banned content on more than a dozen websites because of offensive and blasphemous material.  The Muslim country, which has laws on dress codes, ranks as the top country to proportionally search for certain sex-related terms.

The Necessary Death of the Bank of the United States  —  America's first central bank, the Bank of North America, was created in 1781 by Continental congressman Robert Morris, who modeled the bank after the Bank of England.  The bank was formed before the Constitution was drafted and was wrought …

Lesbian Prison Gangs Waiting to Get Hands on Lindsay Lohan, Report Says  —  Inmates of the jail where Lindsay Lohan is set to spend up to 90 days have warned of gangs out to attack the starlet, saying “everyone will want a piece of her”, The Sun reported Tuesday.

Zuckerman's contribution  —  Real Estate and media mogul Mort Zuckerman raised eyebrows all over yesterday with the claim on Fox that he “helped write one of [Obama's] speeches,” and his subsequent refusal to go into it right now.  —  Among those with reason to be puzzled …

Corporations not hoarding cash  —  Over the past couple of weeks, a lot of people have been talking about how corporations are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash reserves and that if we could just get them to feel more confident, we could unleash a massive private-sector stimulus.

Paul campaign chairman leaves  —  Kentucky GOP Senate candidate Rand Paul's campaign chairman has left to work on another race.  —  David Adams announced Tuesday that he is moving from Paul's Senate race to work for a Republican candidate in next year's race for governor.

Abused staffers net nearly $1M a year  —  Taxpayers have paid out nearly $1 million per year in settlements to congressional employees who have been harassed or otherwise treated badly by their political bosses over the past 14 years, according to records from the Office of Compliance.