Evan Bayh won't seek re-election, Senate majority in play?  —  Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh will not seek re-election this year, he announce Monday, a decision that hands Republicans a prime pickup opportunity in the middle of the country.  —  “After all these years, my passion for service …

‘Oddball’ protrait emerges  —  Suspect's family, pals offer clues  —  As authorities searched for clues into what could have sent a University of Alabama neurobiology professor on an alleged killing spree, friends and family yesterday described Braintree native Amy Bishop as an awkward introvert …

White House revamps communications strategy  —  White House officials are retooling the administration's communications strategy to produce faster responses to political adversaries, a more disciplined focus on President Obama's call for “change” in Washington and an increasingly selective use of the president's time.

Senator Mikulski of Maryland to Retire  —  I've just heard from an impeccable source that Barbara Mikulski, the Democratic Senator who is up for reelection this November, will choose to retire.  Mrs. Mikulski is expected to make her formal announcement in the next few days.

Series of missteps by climate scientists threatens climate-change agenda  —  With its 2007 report declaring that the “warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won a Nobel Prize — and a new degree of public trust in the controversial science of global warming.

Senator: VP comments ‘insulting’  —  Joe Biden shakes hands with Scott Brown.  AP  —  Sen. Scott Brown thinks Vice President Joe Biden was “off base” when he suggested Sunday that the Massachusetts Republican get his facts straight on the legal procedures for military tribunals.

Corrections  —  EDITORS' NOTE  —  In a number of business articles in The Times over the past year, and in posts on the DealBook blog on NYTimes.com, a Times reporter appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations.

Ezra Klein becomes Newsweek contributor  —  The Washington Post's Ezra Klein will soon be writing for another publication in the Post Co. orbit: Newsweek.  —  Klein has signed on as a Newsweek contributor and will write a biweekly column for the print magazine.

DON'T BRING A DOLT TO AN MTP FIGHT.... If you missed it, there was an exchange on “Meet the Press” yesterday, which only lasted about a minute and a half, but which deserves the attention it's received.  —  Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ken Starr to head Baylor University  —  Ken Starr, the constitutional lawyer who conducted the independent counsel investigation that lead to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, is expected to be named this week as president of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.

Podesta: American political system ‘sucks’  —  Washington (CNN) - John Podesta, president of the Center for American Progress, can describe the state of Washington politics with a single word.  And it's not a nice one.  —  Asked in an interview with the Financial Times to comment on …

Ann Coulter Refers to Joe Biden as Drunken Irishman Twice in Debate Over Biden Attempt to Counter Cheney Criticism  —  Ann Coulter has referred to VP Joe Biden as a “drunken Irishman” not once, but two, extremely enjoyable times in a debate with former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi …

Dodd: Obama will be elected to a second term ‘overwhelmingly’  —  Presidet Obama will be “re-elected overwhelmingly,” Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) confidently predicted today.  —  Appeaing on Imus in the Morning, Dodd rejected a comparison between Obama and Jimmy Carter and said Obama will be more political successful.

People Trust The Government When The Economy is Good  —  I think there's a huge tendency among journalists to underrate the extent to which macroeconomic conditions drive everything in politics.  For example, John Sides reviews the data and concludes that public trust in government is basically just driven by economic statistics: