JAMES TARANTO: TAKE COMFORT. A president who knew what he was doing could do lots more damage.

TOBY YOUNG ON STATUS ANXIETY. “No, the only people who take offence if you Anglicise foreign words are upper-middle-class Caucasian Americans. They imagine that other, less fortunate people will be insulted by your ‘imperialist’ attitude and they get offended on their behalf. In fact, to imagine that non-English-speakers are a poor, victimised group, requiring the protection of the American elite, is far more condescending than mispronouncing non-English words.”

CONGRESS TO INVESTIGATE FAKE DISTRICTS.

AMBUSHED BY Norah O’Donnell.

JOHN DICKERSON: Does it matter that Obama is behind schedule on most of his major plans?

I’M GETTING KINDA TIRED OF VAMPIRE STUFF. Besides, Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula could take ’em all.

UPDATE: John Lunde emails: “Too true. What male reader of Ann Rice hasn’t exclaimed at some point, ‘Damnit, man, shut up and bite someone!'” Ann Rice has male readers?

BLOGGINGHEADS TV: Ann Althouse and Michelle Goldberg on Sarah Palin.

TIM GEITHNER: Everything’s peachy. Really.

BETTER DO WHAT HE SAYS, ERIC: Breitbart to AG Holder: Investigate ACORN or We’ll Release More Tapes Just Before 2010 Election.

Meanwhile, there’s more out from L.A. And it’s already snared L.A. Times columnist James Rainey.

INTERESTING unemployment data.

RECOVERY.CON? More bogus stimulus numbers.

But we’re doing fine here in Tennessee’s 29th Congressional District.

ABC NEWS: Did The Chinese Government Crack Down On An Obama Interview?

CATHY YOUNG ON MEN’S RIGHTS: Feminism should be about equality–for males too.

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER on the KSM trial. “Everyone knows that whatever the outcome of the trial, KSM will never walk free. He will spend the rest of his natural life in U.S. custody. Which makes the proceedings a farcical show trial from the very beginning. . . . In his congressional testimony Wednesday, Holder was utterly incoherent in trying to explain.”

PITTSBURGH wants to tax tuition.

MORE PRESSURE ON TIM GEITHNER to resign? Actually, I think the GOP should want him to stay on until the election. . . .

MOE LANE: “It is no doubt rude of me to point out that this outbreak video represents two years’ worth of a Democratic-controlled Congress, and one year’s worth of a Democratic-controlled government.”

MORE ON THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY INNOCENCE PROJECT STORY.

BUYING MARY LANDRIEU’S VOTE for $100 million. Hey, why should they care what it costs — it’s your money, not theirs. . . .

HMM: St. Louis County Counselor Redington: Gladney Beating ‘Has Not Been Swept Under the Rug’.