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- It's fair to say that budget deficits could be a political liability for Barack Obama in 2012, as Republicans describe it in this Politico piece, but if the economy improves between now and then (i.e. job creation), I don't think voters are going to punish the president for contributing to the deficit in order to get said economy back on track. Indeed, as Tim alluded to earlier, the president's oft-repeated claim that his administration "inherited this mess" is pretty accurate, although it's also true that the administration is currently unwilling to make the policy changes necessary for deficit reduction once there is an economic recovery.
- Senate Republicans are all in a tizzy over the confirmation schedule set by Patrick Leahy for confirming Sonia Sotomayor, complaining that they have insufficient time to thoroughly review her rulings after years on the bench. Problem is, it isn't clear whether they prefer to start hearings in September or if they need an extra 610 days to prepare. Of course, if you're a Republican nominee, a couple months ought to do from announcement to confirmation, regardless of how much history there is to sift through.
- Once again, the grim reality of violence committed on behalf of extremist beliefs has proven the point of the DHS' report on right-wing extremism in April. I trust that conservatives now realize that the report was never about them -- it was about deranged sociopaths like James Von Brunn who believe that the political system is inferior to spilling blood when it comes to making a statement.
- I never quite understood what was supposed to be so significant about the Virginia gubernatorial primary (A Clinton insider is running! Newsworthy!), but I do find it interesting that the winner, state Senator Creigh Deeds, helped himself immensely by pushing through a Google blast to highly-trafficked web sites hours before polls opened, instantly making him the highest-profile candidate running.
- Remainders: This is probably the only thing Charles Krauthammer has ever written that I agree with; the supplemental war funding bill is imperiled; the Obama administration continues to disappoint on government transparency in national security policy; the U.S. seems to be shifting policy on North Korea; somehow I doubt a flat tax will provide puppies and rainbows for California; and election fraud could play a role in Iran's presidential elections on Friday.
--Mori Dinauer
