Have a Contemplative Earth Day

Today is Earth Day. So do something.

Condolences to the family of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, who passed on earlier today from cancer.

Alabama: Ron Sparks' blogosphere buzz continues to garner positive press.

Texas: The DSCC takes in over a million dollars at one San Antonio fundraiser. It certainly suggests that the resources will be there for a Democratic challenger to John Cornyn.

Iowa: GOP Rep. Steve King doesn't appear to be preparing for a Senate bid, if his fundraising is any indication:

If Rep. Steve King is about to launch a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Sen. Tom Harkin, there’s no sign of a fundraising overdrive in King’s most recent campaign finance report.

King, who doesn’t tend to keep big balances in his campaign accounts, raised just $15,000 during the first three months of the year, almost all of it from political action committees. He spent about $30,000 and has $14,000 left in cash on hand, Federal Election Commission reports show.

The Des Moines Register article also mentions that GOP Rep. Tom Latham "raised $143,000, spent $56,000 and has $214,000 in the bank." Those figures appear to be somewhat below-average for Q1 House members, but especially lackluster if Latham is, in fact, considering a Senate challenge. It is also a far cry from the more than $1 million raised by Senator Tom Harkin in Q1.

Headline of the day: "Bush administration awash in scandals"

Since Rich Little's gig at the White House Correspondents Association dinner seems to have fallen flat, check out last year's annihilating routine by Stephen Colbert. Twenty-four funny, sharp, eviscerating minutes.