U.S. Said to Allow Drilling Without Needed Permits  —  WASHINGTON — The federal Minerals Management Service gave permission to BP and dozens of other oil companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without first getting required permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species …

BREAKING: We Have Elena Kagan's College Thesis  —  This proves Elena Kagan is an open and avowed socialist.  The woman declares that socialists must stick together instead of fracture in order to advance a socialist agenda, which Kagan advocates.  1  —  You can see for yourself right here (PDF).

How I know Kagan isn't anti-military  —  The nomination of an anti-military leftist to the Supreme Court would make for a riveting story.  But in the case of Elena Kagan, it's just not true.  —  When Kagan became dean of Harvard Law School in 2003, Harvard, like virtually every other law school …

Tea party: Dark side of conservatism  —  Tea partiers proudly proclaim themselves conservatives.  And rightly so.  —  Tea party protesters repeat the conservative catchwords of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, who built their careers fighting the “creeping socialism” of civil rights legislation, Social Security and Medicare.

The New Normal on Abortion: Americans More “Pro-Life”  —  For second year straight, “pro-life” and “pro-choice” closely matched  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The conservative shift in Americans' views on abortion that Gallup first recorded a year ago has carried over into 2010.

Republican: Holder 'doesn't deserve to be attorney general'  —  A key House Republican on Friday said that Attorney General Eric Holder “doesn't deserve” to keep his job because of his handling of the failed Times Square bombing attempt.  —  House Homeland Security Committee ranking Republican Pete King …

Wall Street Fatcats Skip Obama Fundraiser  —  Hard to believe, isn't it?  You get trashed on a daily basis, demonized by the socialists, the media and union goons, and there's actual surprise when you don't line up like lemmings to pony up cash for the people who hate you and want to ruin you.

New Jersey Gov. goes off on reporter  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) had no patience for a reporter who questioned his “confrontational” tone.  —  At a press conference Thursday, Christie responded, “You know, Tom, you must be the thinnest-skinned guy in America …

Yes, Even Orrin  —  Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, has served in the upper chamber for 34 years.  But he's up for reelection in 2012, and with voters eagerly tossing out incumbents, his “safe seat” may be anything but.  “He's toast,” says Utah GOP delegate Saima Leon to Politico.

Google-and-the-News Followups  —  There is a wider variety of reaction to my current article (I've got to say it: subscribe!) than I can deal with in any comprehensive way at the moment.  For now, a restatement of a central theme, then two reader dissents.  —  If there is a point that …

Book: Rahm “begged” Obama for days not to pursue ambitious health reform  —  Rahm Emanuel spent nearly a week in the summer of 2009 aggressively trying to talk Obama out of moving foward with an ambitious version of health care reform, and by his own admission “begged” him not to do it, a book out next week reports.

The Health Care Reform Already Costs More than We Thought it Would  —  There's been a spate of bad news recently about the health care bill.  —  Henry Waxman cancelled his War on Accounting, not because there was a sudden breakout of common sense on Capitol Hill, but because his committee's …

Charlie Crist unleashed: A wide-ranging interview with the newly independent one  —  ST. PETERSBURG — Something peculiar is going on with Charlie Crist.  —  He's on the cusp of losing public office, his lifelong party is attacking him mercilessly, and some of his closest friends are yanking …

Exclusive: McChrystal Says Despite Progress in Afghanistan, ‘Nobody is Winning’  —  JEFFREY BROWN: I sat down with General Stanley McChrystal at the Pentagon this afternoon.  —  General McChrystal, welcome.  —  GENERAL STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, U.S. commander in Afghanistan: Thank you.

The GOP's harsh immigration stance will cost it  —  Has the Republican Party become, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently charged, the “anti-immigrant party”?  —  The accusation is overbroad.  Republicans (and others) who are offended by chaos at the southern border …

Remarks by The President at DCCC Dinner  —  THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody!  Thank you!  (Applause.)  Thank you so much.  Everybody, please have a seat.  It is good to be back in New York City!  Love New York City!  (Applause.)  —  I want to thank, first of all …

Glimmers of Hope  —  If you're elected president or prime minister in pretty much any country in the developed world today, you're faced with the same set of challenges: to reduce national deficits without choking off a fragile recovery; to trim the welfare state and raise taxes while still funding …