THE INSTAWIFE’S SHOW ON FUSE TV airs today at 2 p.m. Eastern. Check it out if you’re around. Or set your TiVo. Video clips at the link, or here.

DON SURBER COMPARES Barack Obama and JFK.

UPDATE: Comparing Michelle Obama and Jackie.

JOHN TIERNEY:

If only the masses could understand the science of global warming, they’d be alarmed, right? Wrong, according to the surprising results of a survey of Americans published in the journal Risk Analysis by researchers at Texas A&M University.

After asking a national sample of more than 1,000 Americans how much they knew about global warming and how they felt about it, the researchers report that respondents who are better-informed about global warming “both feel less personally responsible for global warming, and also show less concern for global warming.” Another unexpected result: “Respondents who showed a great deal of confidence that scientists understand global warming and climate change showed significantly less concern for the risks of global warming than did those who have lower trust in scientists.”

Go figure. Plus, the current cold spell is just weather, not climate. Sure, but will they remember that distinction in July? . . . .

FRIDAY WITH Ambassador Crocker.

U.C. BERKELEY CUTS A DEAL WITH THE SAUDIS: “Some faculty members at Berkeley are upset about the pending deal, concerned that the $10-billion university will discriminate against women and others and limit academic freedom.” Gee, do you think?

JACOB SULLUM ON OBAMA AND THE SECOND AMENDMENT:

The D.C. gun law, passed in 1975, isn’t really about gangbangers, which it has not exactly disarmed, or random shootings on the street, which it has not noticeably curbed. In effect if not intent, it is about disarming law-abiding residents who might want to protect themselves from gangbangers and other violent criminals.

It’s not surprising that Obama sees nothing unconstitutional about this situation, since he does not acknowledge that the Second Amendment has anything to do with self-defense. “As a former constitutional law professor, Barack Obama understands and believes in the constitutional right of Americans to bear arms,” his website claims. “He will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns for the purposes of hunting and target shooting” (emphasis added).

This is the only substantive discussion of the Second Amendment on Obama’s website. It’s part of a document that lists “Protecting Gun Rights” as a subcategory of “Supporting the Rights and Traditions of Sportsmen,” which is like listing “Protecting Freedom of Speech” as a subcategory of “Supporting the Rights and Traditions of Auctioneers.”

On the other hand, Tim Cavanaugh thinks that Obama is better on guns than Hillary — though that’s damning with faint praise, I suppose. . . .

LIVEBLOGGING THE RUSSIAN ELECTION at Siberian Light. Not that the outcome is much in doubt.

GOING DAFTA OVER NAFTA: “Yeah, yeah…we know. But sometimes you just hafta.” And a Canadian take, from Kalim Kassam.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: “Thirty-one reactors, representing 17 power companies and consortia, are somewhere in the application process—though NEI predicts only four to eight of those will be in commercial operation by 2016. By that time, pressure for an affordable, clean source of energy could inspire a second wave of applications. . . . The latest designs for proposed plants are smaller, cheaper and more efficient than reactors of the past.” Read the whole thing.

SLEEPLESS IN SDEROT: “As rockets from Gaza rain down on her neighborhood, Laura Bialis wonders how the western media still manages to portray Israel as the aggressors in this weekend’s bloody conflict.”

RETURN OF THE LIZARD MAN.

THE AUDI Q7 SUV with a V12 TDI engine. “Even in this large, high-riding SUV, that should be enough to reach 62 mph in 5.5 seconds while going nearly 20 miles on each U.S.-sized gallon of diesel.”

MICKEY KAUS: Running on Blade Runner.

MORE ON THE BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA KERFUFFLE, from TigerHawk:

Does anybody doubt that if a Republican politician’s middle name were “Hitler,” “Franco,” “Mussolini,” or even just “Benito” it would come up constantly on Bill Maher’s program or “The Daily Show”? Of course it would. Well, what’s the difference? Barack Obama is unfortunate insofar as his middle name evokes one of the most revolting, brutal, disgusting sub-human creatures to walk the earth in the late 20th century. Chalk it up to yet another imperfection — however tiny and trivial — in the Imperfect Vessel.

Well, nobody’s perfect. Meanwhile, Don Surber invites readers to pick a new middle name for Obama. I don’t think Milhous will make it, though it might appeal to Simpsons fans . . . .

UPDATE: John Wayne beats John Wilkes.

I’M WATCHING SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and they’re running an amusing parody of the Hillary/Obama debate, absurdly slanted toward Obama. I think this means the Obama wave has broken.

UPDATE: Followed up by the real Hillary. To applause! “Do I really laugh like that?” They must have been listening to Randy Neal. But doesn’t everyone?

ANOTHER UPDATE: “You’re using the word ‘blog’ entirely too much.”

MORE: Now a cartoon — The Obama Files — that’s also not especially Obama-friendly. I’m sensing a pattern here. I do like Al Sharpton in the dog-training collar, though. But Bill Clinton as a secret Obama agent?

RANDY NEAL thinks Hillary Clinton deserves more respect. And note the class-condescension from Obama supporters:

Finally, it’s frustrating how the news media, liberal talk radio pundits, and Obama bloggers continuously refer to Clinton supporters as “uneducated” (or “hillbillies,” “knuckledraggers,” etc.).

Must be more of that outreach effort . . . .

CHUTZPAH AT DUKE: “After tarring and feathering and discriminating against the Duke lacrosse members at a critical juncture in their college careers and lives, the Duke Administration has gone to court trying to shut down the players’ website, which contains the pleadings in their recently filed case against the university and a compendium of press coverage about the case.”

This is consistent with Duke’s demonstrated commitment to fairness, openness, and freedom of expression.

DISSECTING THE 60 MINUTES SCANDAL.

HEARTBREAK ON THE LEFT: Rumors of a FISA deal in the House.

THE PAJAMA GAME: Patterico and Tom Maguire comment on that Hillary ad.

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE, and other nonfiction World War II books for kids.

RECESSION WATCH: No downturn in evidence at West Town Mall today. It was packed, and looked like Christmas. Not sure why — there were a lot of spring sales, and the new Sephora had opened, but none of that should have accounted for the crowds. Go figure.

UPDATE: Reader Michael Smith emails:

Q. “Not sure why — there were a lot of spring sales, and the new Sephora had opened, but none of that should have accounted for the crowds. Go figure.”

A. Debit cards and the direct deposit of federal tax return refunds.

After the last of the 1099’s and W-2’s showed up, people finally got around to filing their tax returns and based on this chart, Friday was a direct deposit day (and the paper checks from the previous week had just arrived to be cashed.).

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2043.pdf

I know, my deposit came in on 2/22 and I spent last Saturday paying off some credit card balances.. When a ‘stimulus’ check/deposit happens, I’ll pay down some more…

So it’s just a little dose of Keynesian stimulus. Certainly made it hard to find a parking place.

SHORENSTEIN DECRIES MEDIA BIAS in campaign coverage.

YOUNG STALIN: More support for this theory on murderous dictators as failed artists.

Art kills!

“COWBOY DIPLOMACY” on NAFTA.