Discover GOP Opprobrium

[teapeebubbles]

Today's edition of quick hits:

* The "top kill" effort to stop the oil gusher in the Gulf is underway. There is, of course, no guarantee it will work.

* BP's internal investigation of the disaster "points to a series of equipment failures, mistakes and missed warning signs that led to the blowout and fire on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, according to lawmakers briefed by the company."

* The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service is not held in high regard right now.

* Photo essays of the Gulf are not for the faint of heart.

* The State Department continues to state its support for South Korea, as tensions with North Korea escalate.

* New home sales got another boost, thanks to government tax credits. Orders on durable goods also offers signs of hope.

* With Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) announcing his support, the Senate Armed Services Committee is likely to approve a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

* Service chiefs, however, still want to wait until after December (which, politically, would likely push off repeal until 2013, at the very earliest).

* Conservatives don't want to hear this, but police chiefs believe anti-immigrant measures like the one in Arizona will make crime worse, not better.

* The right has some new attack against Elena Kagan. It's already been debunked.

* Opponents still outnumber supporters, but health care reform's popularity has grown quite a bit over the last couple of months.

* Speaking of health care, the Affordable Care Act won't hurt state budgets.

* The return of the 'al-Qaeda Seven' witch hunt?

* Is the awards system for scientists way off?

* Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) is wrapping up his final year in the chamber on a classy note.

* Right-wing activist James O'Keefe pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

* And finally, once in a while, Fox News's style of reporting is offensive and wrong, even conservative congressional Republicans can't take it. Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) said on the House floor this week, "I don't know what they're doing at Fox News, but they should stop smoking it and get back to reporting the facts."