FreedomWorks Bullies GEICO To Axe Voice Over Actor  —  GEICO voice over actor targeted by Tea Party members after expressing opinion on FreedomWorks voicemail.  —  Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) April 21, 2010 — Los Angeles actor, D.C. Douglas, says he was dropped from the upcoming GEICO …

Dems To Attack Sue Lowden With “Chickens For Checkups” Web Site  —  Chickens for Checkups!  —  That's the name of a new Web site the DSCC is planning to unveil today in an effort to draw national attention to GOP Senate candidate Sue Lowden, who doubled down this week on her assertion …

MSNBC Pulls the Plug on Donny Deutsch's Weeklong Anchoring Stint  —  A week-long anchoring stint on MSNBC by Donny Deutsch ended abruptly on Wednesday, and four people briefed on the decision said the cancellation stemmed from an unflattering mention of that channel's No. 1 anchor, Keith Olbermann, a day earlier.

Obama suggests value-added tax may be an option  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days.

The Filter That Protects Palin From Scrutiny  —  Here's a revealing glimpse into how a delusional, incompetent, pathological liar has managed never to hold a real press conference and yet remains a credible public figure.  She avoids the filters - i.e. skeptical journalists - and deploys one simple propaganda tool:

Senate Panel Approves Derivatives Reform Bill  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans and Democrats predicted on Wednesday that Congress would soon pass a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system, indicating a potentially swift resolution of the latest partisan firefight on Capitol Hill.

Why Charlie Crist is no Joe Lieberman  —  AP photos by Steve Cannon and Alex Brandon  —  Speculation continues to run rampant regarding Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's (R) political future with some outlets insisting that a speech explaining the party-switch is already in the works …

Steele: No reason for black GOP base  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told a group of students that African-Americans “don't have a reason” to vote for Republicans.  —  Steele was asked Tuesday night during a speech to roughly 200 students at DePaul University …

Beck vs. Markos  —  Well, well, well.  Guess which Mullah of the American Taliban has decided to take on Markos?  —  It's none other than Glenn Beck, who fired back at comments that Markos made Monday evening on Countdown.  —  Beck was angry at Markos for characterizing his rhetoric as “eliminationist.”

Liberty and Tyranny and Epistemic Closure — By: Jim Manzi  —  Jonah notes Ross Douthat's very interesting post, in which Ross had this to say:  —  Conservative domestic policy would be in better shape if conservative magazines and conservative columnists were more willing to call out Republican politicians …

Bertha Lewis Unleashed: Bashes Conservatives and the Tea Party, Promotes Socialism  —  Apparently CEO Bertha Lewis said of ACORN yesterday “we're on life support”.  Well, I think ACORN's remaining benefactors might be a little closer to pulling the plug once and for all after watching …

Testimony Could Undercut SEC Charge Against Goldman  —  The government has testimony from a Paulson & Co. official that could contradict its own claims against Goldman Sachs, CNBC has learned.  —  Paolo Pellegrini told the government that he informed ACA Management that Paulson intended to bet against …

Bush Still Gets More Blame for Economy Than Obama  —  Of the three party groups, only Republicans say Obama bears more blame than Bush  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More than a year into Barack Obama's presidency, Americans are more likely to say George W. Bush is responsible for today's economic problems …

Government goes high-tech to redesign $100 bills  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The folks who print America's money have designed a high-tech makeover of the $100 bill.  It's part of an effort to stay ahead of counterfeiters as technology becomes more sophisticated and more dollars flow overseas, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says.

FBI, Justice Dept. open probe of Massa payments after retirement announcement  —  Federal authorities have launched a public corruption investigation into events surrounding former representative Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), according to documents obtained by The Washington Post.

A smear's path  —  I've been avoiding an immigration critic's unsupported claim about Senator Lindsey Graham's sexuality for the usual reason that reporters shouldn't go around repeating such things for fear of abetting a smear campaign.  That was the reason many were slow to cover rumors that Barack Obama was a Muslim.

The Wrong Man  —  In the fall of 2001, a nation reeling from the horror of 9/11 was rocked by a series of deadly anthrax attacks.  As the pressure to find a culprit mounted, the FBI, abetted by the media, found one.  The wrong one.  This is the story of how federal authorities blew …

There is no liberal Rush Limbaugh  —  I didn't have a Sarah Palin moment when asked to name one.  My silence was my answer  —  I'm traveling this week so blogging is light.  But I'm compelled to comment on the way the right is hyping my Tuesday appearance on “Morning Joe.”

Romney up big in New Hampshire  —  One of the biggest blows to Mitt Romney's hopes for being the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee was his losing the neighboring state of New Hampshire.  Right now it doesn't look like that would be a problem for him in a 2012 run.

Five Reasons Why American Conservatives Should be Worried about Nick Clegg — By: NRO Staff  —  Thursday night will see the second of three U.S.-style televised debates between the leading candidates in the upcoming British general election: Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Nick Clegg.