Obama is implicitly suggesting here that Libya presents an imminent threat to the United States, albeit an indirect one. This sort of satisfies the War Powers Act, which limits US military action to that circumstance. But Obama makes no inference to seeking Congressional authority within 60-90 days, as required. That’s because of this bank shot on Libya representing an imminent threat to the nation.

As a result of the ongoing nuclear disaster in Japan, Americans have turned strongly against expanding nuclear power. The important question for the industry will be whether this disaster results in significant long-term increases in opposition to nuclear power, or if it is just a temporary dip that will only last as long as Fukushima remains prominent in the news.

The bank lobbyists are pushing hard for this exemption, which should tell you a lot about it. And Geithner appears to be right there with them.

No matter how conservative the positions President Obama chooses to take, the bulk of self-identified Republicans are still going to disapprove.

The controversy surrounding Wisconsin State Sen. Randy Hopper and his girlfriend in Madison has now reached Scott Walker as well. It turns out that Walker helped the woman get a state job, at a time when he was railing against the cost of public employees and claiming that the state was broke.

Last we heard about the families of Raymond Davis’ victims, they were held in custody until they agreed to accept the blood money Pakistan offered on our behalf. Things are looking up for the family members, though. Eighteen of them have been flown to UAE to be resettled. A chartered plane carrying 18 family members [...]

Ithe no-fly zone’s intended effect was to facilitate the rebels advancing toward Tripoli and pressuring Gadhafi’s grip on power, that isn’t happening yet. Indeed, what we’re seeing is likely to be a long war, as officials on both sides of the conflict have maintained. The rebels will call for more offensive strikes on Gadhafi by the coalition, and a call for regime change rather than a humanitarian operation of protecting civilians. And unless they think a low-level civil war lasting years is a viable outcome, the coalition will be compelled to consider that.

Today, Ross Douthat hilariously laments Obama’s “stark depature” from Bush/Cheney’s method of war-making.

VIDEO: Eighty year-old Daniel Ellsberg was arrested on Saturday in front of the White House when he refused to leave at the request of police. He was one of 113 people who were arrested, handcuffed and taken to the police station on March 19, 2011 for protesting President Obama’s continued torture of Bradley Manning.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) missed required deadlines to inspect key equipment that failed after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, according to Reuters. A separate Reuters report also points out that the TEPCO CEO has virtually disappeared from public appearances or statements. These reports fit perfectly with TEPCO’s history of previous scandals that have led to the resignations of high-level managers in the past.