ROBERT SAMUELSON: The Squandered Stimulus: “The program crafted by Obama and the Democratic Congress wasn’t engineered to maximize its economic impact. It was mostly a political exercise, designed to claim credit for any recovery, shower benefits on favored constituencies and signal support for fashionable causes. As a result, much of the stimulus’s potential benefit has been squandered. . . . Here, as elsewhere, there’s a gap between Obama’s high-minded rhetoric and his performance. In February, Obama denounced ‘politics as usual’ in constructing the stimulus. But that’s what we got, and Obama likes the result.”

DEFEATING INSURGENCIES: Doing the math. I wonder, however, how this comports with actual experience?

RICH OBAMA SUPPORTERS discover that their taxes will go up. Another “who are the rubes?” moment . . . .

Meanwhile, Obama’s approve/disapprove numbers are now almost even.

A CREDIT BUBBLE IN CHINA? Their banking system isn’t sounder than ours. They’re just better at hiding problems . . . .

THE CARNIVAL OF SPACE is up!

DUDE, WHERE’S MY BUDGET?

CELEBRATING THE APOLLO ANNIVERSARY with giant Moon Pies.

THE BAY OF PIGS. A lovely photo essay.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: More on the Inspector-General scandals.

Ironically, as Byron York of the Washington Examiner has reported, publicity about scandals at AmeriCorps — especially the taxpayer money misspent by a charity founded by former NBA star Kevin Johnson, an Obama ally who is now the Democratic mayor of Sacramento — was exactly what the administration had hoped to squelch by firing Walpin.

That move has clearly backfired. In addition to the discovery process of a federal lawsuit and the Lieberman-Collins investigation, Walpin’s case is also the subject of a separate inquiry by Sen. Chuck Grassley — the Iowa Republican regarded as the Senate’s patron saint of IGs — as well as an FBI investigation into allegations that someone in Sacramento deleted e-mails relevant to Walpin’s investigation of Johnson’s St. HOPE charity.

Beyond that, Walpin’s dismissal was the first of three similar cases of pressure against IGs, along with the termination of ITC inspector general Judith Gwynne’s contract and the sudden retirement of the Amtrak IG Fred Wiederhold.

Those familiar with the investigations caution against “playing connect-the-dots” with these three distinct cases. However, some informed Republican sources are beginning to call attention to other evidence of a concerted effort to blindfold, muzzle or neuter watchdogs — especially those who dare to growl at Democrats.

Stay tuned.

OBAMA VOTER ANN ALTHOUSE: How Obama Lost Me.

A HEALTH-CARE SUGGESTION THAT’S TOO SENSIBLE TO BE TRIED: “Let the Democrats put forward three different health care reform proposals. Let the Republicans put forward two different proposals. Find five states to volunteer. Each state adopts one of the proposals. Wait several years. See if any of these proposals worked out well, and if so, which one seems best, and why. Learn from this trial and error, and then pass a national health bill, instead of trying an untested, one-size fits all solution for 20% of the American economy.”

JONATHAN ZITTRAIN on the growth of “cloud computing.” “The cloud, however, comes with real dangers.”

BRING BACK THE LONE HARANGUER! The Anchoress declares: The King Is A Fink! Hey, Saul Alinsky said ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. Which is why it’s a bad idea to act ridiculous. . . .

HMM: Terahertz Transistor Could Usher in Era of Cheap Surveillance Video Cameras. Mixed potential, there.

ANOTHER REASON FOR THE RUSH: Advertising Age: Obama Wants to Avoid Health-Care-Reform Ad War. “If supporters of health-care legislation seem like they’re in a hurry to get a bill passed, it might be because they’re hoping to avoid a costly ad war they would stand a good chance of losing. . . . If a health-care bill isn’t passed before the August recess, that opens the door for opponents to appeal to the public.”

NEIL ARMSTRONG AND CRASHING HELICOPTERS: Michael Yon posts another dispatch from Afghanistan.

IN RESPONSE TO YESTERDAY’S POST on the Heinlein junior novels, Brian Erst emails:

Glenn –

Saw your post on Farmer in the Sky. A great way to get the Heinlein Juveniles for a great price and in hardcover is to pick up the SFBC (Science Fiction Book Club) omnibus editions. I picked up four new hardcover volumes on Amazon that contain all 12 of the Scribner’s books, plus Starship Troopers and Podkayne of Mars for $14 – the S&H charges were more! For $30 all in, I got the whole lot – unfortunately, none were fulfilled by Amazon, so no “free” shipping via Prime.

Here are the links to each volume – the prices change, but I can’t imagine anyone having to spend more than $40 for the lot. The books themselves are very nice quality – far better than the paperback editions of the juveniles, which lately are published on very cheap stock.

Four Frontiers (Rocket Ship Galileo, Space Cadet, Red Planet, and Farmer in the Sky) .

To The Stars (Between Planets, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones and The Star Beast) .

Inifinite Possibilities (Tunnel in the Sky, Time for the Stars and Citizen of the Galaxy) .

Outward Bound (Have Spacesuit—Will Travel, Starship Troopers, Podkayne of Mars) .

I’m very glad that these books are being kept alive. There’s not a lot to compare with them today, although John Varley’s Red Thunder is certainly in the same spirit. And, of course, the Miles Vorkosigan books by Lois McMaster Bujold.

LUNAR PROBE DELIVERS first photographs of old Apollo landing sites.

DONALD DOUGLAS: Obamacare and the Tea Party Effect.

BARACK HUSSEIN HOOVER?

THE HILL: After bashing K Street, Dodd mingles with lobbyists. “After distancing himself from lobbyists in campaign ads, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) was on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend meeting with some of the most well known names on K Street. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) hosted its annual retreat this weekend at the high-class getaway. Designed for candidates to meet with senators for campaign advice and policy guidance, several high-powered lobbyists also attend and network with lawmakers during the retreat. Dodd’s attendance at the retreat follows a series of web videos his campaign released promoting his populist credentials and highlighting the frustration some lobbyists are feeling with the senator, including quotes from anonymous lobbyists in news reports. . . . According to an invitation list for the retreat obtained by The Hill, several influential lobbyists were invited to the event. For example, Ben Barnes of the Ben Barnes Group, former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.) of the Breaux-Lott Leadership Group and Ed Black of the Computer & Communications Industry Association are on the list. Almost 30 senators were expected to attend the retreat, according to the invitation list, including Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Kerry (D-Mass.) and newly swore-in Al Franken (D-Minn.). Senate candidates invited to the event were Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) and Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan (D). Rep. Charlie Melancon (D), who is considering mulling a bid against Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), was also invited.”

It’s like the whole thing is just a bunch of lame-ass posturing. . . .

DON SURBER: What kind of health care do lawmakers and Obama get? Related item here.

And reader Mike Winter emails: “There has been much chatter about the highly expensive treatments that patients undergo at ‘the end’ – treatments that cost a small fortune, but only add a year or two to the life of the patient. Isn’t this exactly the type of treatments that Ted Kennedy has been undergoing? And would anyone be surprised if Senator Kennedy only lasts another year or two?… Maybe society would have been better off not spending the money on Ted.”

BEST HAM SANDWICH . . . EVAH! “Forget the Reagan-era $1000 hammers and toilets seats, and you can even forget Obama’s $100/lb Waygu beef. We have a new winner when it comes to Government waste, and it might even go to your waist…. The Obama-approved $595,000/lb Frozen Ham!!!” Surely this is some kind of a mistake. But at that price, it should at least come with Gulden’s. And a slice of artisan cheddar. . . .

UPDATE: As I suspected, the USDA says there was more ham involved than the stimulus webpage suggested. “The references to ‘2 pound frozen ham sliced’ are to the sizes of the packaging. Press reports suggesting that the Recovery Act spent $1.191 million to buy ‘2 pounds of ham’ are wrong. In fact, the contract in question purchased 760,000 pounds of ham for $1.191m, at a cost of approximately $1.50 per pound.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Heh. Not backing down, Drudge links to a Food Lion ad for ham at half the price. . . Wonder if the ham came from a campaign donor? Nah, that would be a cynical assumption.

THE NEW YORK TIMES GOES AFTER JOHN MURTHA. They’re afraid that otherwise his scandals will cost the Dems Congress.

COOL PICS at Jonathan Gewirtz’s photoblog.