THE FIERCE MORAL URGENCY OF CHANGE (CONT’D):

President Obama and former Vice President Cheney weren’t so much a study in contrast today as a portrait of harmony. Both men agree that the Bush administration’s anti-terrorist policies were largely correct. Cheney signaled his acceptance of this view by vigorously defending those policies. Obama signaled it by largely adopting those same policies and emitting a fog of words to cover up the fact.

Meet the new boss, yada yada. Actually, he manages to yada yada on for quite a while.

Related: CNN Poll: Favorable opinion of Dick Cheney on the rise. Plus, a roundup of reactions from Tom Maguire.

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? Fed Open to Buying More Securities. “Some Federal Reserve officials are open to raising the amounts of mortgage and Treasury securities purchase programs beyond the $1.75 trillion that they have already committed to buying, according to minutes from the Fed’s April meeting. Officials, meanwhile, projected an even deeper recession than they expected three months earlier and a more sluggish recovery over the next two years as labor markets remain under pressure.” Hope and change!

UH OH: S&P cuts New York Times rating deeper into junk status. Remember, the people who are running the Times are the people who think Obama is doing a good job running the country. . . .

ALIENS VS. PREDATOR: The videogame.

PJTV: The Obama-Cheney Smackdown: Interpreting the results.

MEGAN MCARDLE: Will the Urban Renaissance Outlast the Bubble? I’m guessing “no,” though the over-five-buck-per-gallon gasoline prices produced by Obama’s carbon policies might encourage some people to live downtown. On the other hand, they’ll probably encourage other people to visit downtown less often, so probably a wash.

NICK GILLESPIE IS UNIMPRESSED WITH “the Citizen’s Briefing Book.”

SWINE FLU UPDATE: Scientists to Probe Mexican Town’s Flu Mystery.

LIBERTARIANS AND OBAMA: Buyer’s remorse? I agree with Nick Gillespie on libertarians who voted for Obama: “You fools!”

PENSION “SPECULATORS:”

Remember how President Obama blamed Chrysler’s bankruptcy filing last month on “a small group of speculators” who turned down Treasury’s $2 billion final offer for their $6.9 billion in debt? Well, it turns out that hedge funds and other short sellers weren’t the only secured creditors who got a raw deal from Uncle Sam.

Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock revealed this week that his state’s police and teacher pension funds have lost millions of dollars in the Chrysler “restructuring.” Indiana’s State Police Fund and Major Moves Construction Fund, which finances roads and bridges, together lost more than $1 million. And the Teacher’s Retirement Fund “suffered, at a minimum, a loss of $4.6 million due to the action of the Federal government,” reports Mr. Mourdock.

Far from being speculators, these funds represent retired public employees, including cops and teachers. The funds paid a premium to buy “secured” status, only to discover that they were politically outranked by the United Auto Workers in the White House hierarchy.

Obviously, they paid their premium to the wrong folks. . . .

THE FIERCE MORAL URGENCY OF CHANGE (CONT’D): Obama: Still Opposed to Truth Commission on Torture.

DOES IT REALLY WORK? Dry Shampoo.

LIST: States most and least friendly to motorists.

A MEMORIAL DAY SALE ON housewares and kitchen stuff.

WHY JOURNALISTS DESERVE LOW PAY. This’ll make some friends.

MEGAN MCARDLE DISCOVERS an NYT bankruptcy tale that isn’t what it’s been made to seem.

THOMAS BARNETT: Despite Rhetoric, Obama Still Following Cheney’s Lead in Dictatorial Justice. But Obama has the fierce moral urgency of change! And that’s something. Because even without the change, you’ve still got the fierce moral urgency, you know. And that’s the really satisfying part anyway.

PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE: What the Future of American Motoring Will Look Like.

BLOGGERS BEWARE: Of getting sued.

NO INTERNATIONAL TRADE IMPLICATIONS HERE: Warren mayor wants requirement for all municipal works to ‘Buy American’.

SHOOTING UNDERWATER HD VIDEO with new video-capable DSLRs.

SEVEN TIPS FOR making good conversation with a stranger.

A SOFTWARE ETHICS PACKAGE for battlefield robots. More Bolo than Skynet, one hopes.

AT REASON, a forum on Obama’s first Supreme Court pick. There appears to be a lot of support for Randy Barnett — more, I suspect, than we’ll find within the White House. . . .

Of people who actually have a chance, I like Kathleen Sullivan.

STUDY: Vitamin D improves cognitive function in middle-aged and older men. Is there anything better for you than sitting in the sun and having a glass of red wine?