TAXES AND THE “two-income trap.”

POLITICO: OBAMA STARS in Mississippi attack ad. “The ads are a mark of how difficult, with the nomination apparently within his grasp, Obama will find it to stay above or outside the traditional, bitter partisan divisions he so often deplores.” Well, yeah. It’s hard to stay above the fray when you’re, you know, in it.

OUCH: “He’s looking less like Kennedy, and more like Steve Urkel.”

GRILLBLOGGING: Okay, I’m finally getting to following up on Kaliph’s question about gas grills. The response was so overwhelming that I still haven’t read it all, but here goes. First, reader Bill Faith wants to know who made my gas grill that’s lasted four years. It was a Kenmore Premium from Sears. Still works fine, though the little electric lighter is getting kinda iffy.

Moved to “extended entry” because it’s so long. Click “read more” to read it!

PAMELA BONE has died.

MARK STEYN EXPLAINS IT ALL: “In a scrupulously politically correct age, it’s not offensive to organize a ‘Kill the police!’ demo or to preach that the government invented Aids in order to perpetrate an African-American genocide. You can pull that stuff and still be part of respectable society, hanging out with presidential candidates and whatnot. What’s grotesquely offensive is the chap who’s insensitive enough to point out such statements and associations.” Yeah, well, he’s ruining the deal for everyone.

NATURALLY, THE ROBOPHOBES ARE TRYING TO MAKE HAY OUT OF THIS: Robot lawnmower safety recall.

WE’RE SEEING MORE OF THIS KIND OF THING: Single Mother Gets RIAA Suit Dismissed, Sues Them Right Back. And I suspect they’re vulnerable.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE GOOD NEWS: Colombia and the United States announce biofuel cooperation agreement.

SALENA ZITO: Obama’s big disconnect. “This nation has a history of looking closely at its candidates and taking their measure before they vote for them. It is a process that Obama shuns and rival Hillary Clinton thrives on — and therein lies the problem for Democrats.”

HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE becomes a commercial reality. This sounds very cool. When the price drops, which probably won’t take all that long, I’ll be interested.

NICK GILLESPIE AND MATT WELCH: How “Dallas” won the Cold War. But did the show really “demystify wealth production”?

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: Well, reporting of sorts, anyway. I made a rare visit to Sam’s Club today, and noticed that they seemed to have plenty of giant bags of basmati rice, though there was a sign noting that purchasers were limited in how many they could buy (no more than 4 bags to a customer). Since one of those bags would probably supply my household’s rice needs for a year, the limit didn’t seem too onerous, and probably more aimed at resellers than anything else.

On the other hand, there’s this: Head for the hills!

GIVING A PASS TO FRANKLIN GRAHAM in Knox County Schools? On the other hand, my daughter’s geography teacher spends most of his time telling her about the evils of western civilization, with special emphasis on George W. Bush and conservative Christians. So maybe they’re just too distracted from, you know, actual teaching in general.

JACK LAIL: “I think we’re in what we will be remembered as a ‘golden age’ of Web news.”

SARKOZY BREATHES NEW LIFE into Atlanticism. “It was hugely symbolic that his first two state visits were to America and Britain, doing nothing to dispel German nervousness at a potential weakening of the axis between Paris and Berlin.” But, as always with politics, especially the French variety, there are actions, and there are words.

MICHAEL HIRSH: “Maybe it’s time for the North to secede from the Union.”

Jeez, they used to at least wait until after they lost the election to start this talk.

AUSTIN BAY on North Korea and Syria.

“WE’RE NOT QUITTERS:” Bill Clinton encourages Hillary to push on. “Mr. Clinton has been deeply involved in the campaign since the days after his wife’s surprise third-place finish in the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. With the Secret Service taking positions in and around campaign headquarters, he showed up for meetings, even bringing in bagels and chicken nuggets for the staff. He also brought in his own people, including former advisers Howard Paster and Steve Richetti and his foundation’s chief of staff, Laura Graham.” I’ve been wondering what that foundation did. (Via Josh Marshall).

MIKE RAPPAPORT: “I wonder what percentage of the Jewish vote Obama will get. My guess is that it will be the lowest of a Democratic candidate in many years, if not in several generations.”

OBAMA ON FOX: Here’s the transcript. (Via MyDD, where Jerome Armstrong observes: “Obama is trying to separate himself from the most strident parts of his base, and he does this pretty effectively throughout the interview.” But read the whole thing.)

UPDATE: A more critical take at No Quarter. “The truly scary part is that Obama stands for, essentially, nothing. Obama stands for Obama.” More discussion at TalkLeft.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Reviews from the Rightosphere aren’t much better: “I supported Roberts when I opposed him.” Plus this: “He called Wright a ‘legitimate’ campaign issue, which will seem rather shocking to the New York Times, the McCain campaign, and others who have demanded an end to the North Carolina GOP’s television ad.. . . . Obama sounded a lot less convincing when it came to responding to the William Ayers controversy.”

POSSIBLY: What if you could make fuel for your car in your backyard for less than you pay at the pump? Would you? Federal laws may interfere.

IN THE MAIL: Jonathan Rosen’s The Life of the Skies. It’s very well-blurbed.

THE OBAMA/AYERS CONNECTION is getting a workout from the pro-Hillary blogs. More here.