JAMES PETHOKOUKIS: It’s Time To Reevaluate Bushonomics. Most people would trade the economy we have now for the one we had under Bush, I expect. . . .

THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED: Fracking is safe, scientists say.

UPDATE: Here’s a better link, courtesy of reader Matthew Fenn.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: To Obama’s dismay, America not outraged by gun control fail, poll suggests. “A new poll finds that less than half of America is upset by the Senate’s failure to pass expanded background checks. That was supposed to be the gun control issue with the broadest support.”

#NARRATIVEFAIL: Brendan O’Neill: Where is the mob of Muslim-hating Americans going crazy after Boston? It’s a figment of liberals’ imaginations. Kinda like those oft-imagined but seldom-seen Tea Party Terrorists.

#GREENFAIL: Promise of shale gas throws ‘unexpected wrench’ into Germany’s green energy plans.

JOBS: Texas Lawmakers Invited Connecticut Gun Manufacturers to Relocate. “In Texas, we are committed to protecting our right under the constitution to own and use guns …The business-friendly environment in Texas prompted CEO Magazine to name Texas the best state in the nation for doing business, eight years in a row. Texas lawmakers have paved the way for business through reasonable regulations, low taxes, a skilled workforce, cutting-edge infrastructure and the advantage of being a right to work state.”

BLOOD LIBELS: Developer of Eliminationist Narrative still claiming Jared Loughner was “right-wing.”

Almost everyone else, even in the left-blogosphere, has given up on that claim. Loughner was a lunatic living in a nether world who had no obvious political motivation for the shooting. Indeed, Loughner was so out of it that he initially was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, a really tough standard.

Anecdotally, Loughner in his earlier years seemed to have liberal leanings according to people who knew him. He had no right-wing activism or connection, regardless of how broadly one defines “right wing.”

But it’s all about the narrative.

MEGAN MCARDLE: The Real Problem With the Internet Sales Tax. “People who are saying this is no big deal aren’t thinking things through.”

MICKEY KAUS: Today’s Gang of 8 Fraud: “Back Taxes.”

AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM: Explosions In Mobile Harbor.

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Obamacare’s PR Problem: Not Just a Flesh Wound.

ED DRISCOLL: The Chechen In The Rye.

ANN ALTHOUSE: “If Gosnell Is Not Convicted . . . It Will Help The Pro-Life Movement.”

NEW FROM JAMES LILEKS: TINY LIES.

I ASKED THIS MORNING HOW TERRY MCAULIFFE GOT SO RICH. Marc Danziger emails: “Terry McAuliffe – got rich investing $100k in Global Crossing, then cashed out for $18MM just before it imploded…”

QUICK, CALL IN SOME FRENCHMEN AND GARLIC: Florida battles slimy invasion by giant snails.

SYNESTHESIA: When Three Plus Green Equals Four. Don’t be silly. It’s three plus purple that equals four. Three plus green just tastes kinda metallic.

AT AMAZON, new releases on Amazon Instant Video.

80% OF LIFE IS SHOWING UP: UNLESS YOU’RE IN CONGRESS. Congress Ought to at Least Show Up to Vote: The House and Senate both violate the Constitution’s quorum requirement.

Congress’s approval rating continues to hover just above all-time lows, an abysmal 15% in the most recent Gallup poll. Americans are clearly frustrated by the apparent inability of elected representatives in Washington to address critical issues like government overspending. Yet even when Congress does act, it is often acting unconstitutionally—because it lacks a quorum.

The Constitution imposes a straightforward quorum requirement on both houses of the legislative branch. Article I, Section 5 states that “a majority of each [house] shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number of them may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members . . .”

The plain meaning is that a majority of the membership must be in attendance to conduct legislative business. When any group smaller than a majority is present, it can do only two things: adjourn and compel the attendance of absent members.

Yet Congress—particularly the Senate—too often proceeds without a quorum. The Senate conducts much of its business by “unanimous consent.” This is a procedural device that allows virtually any action to be taken so long as no senator actively objects.

Bah. If they had to show up, it would cut into fundraising and other important activites.

ALL YOUR PHONES ARE BELONG TO US: How Federal Distracted-Driving Guidelines Will Shape Your Next Phone.

Given that daydreaming causes five times more accidents than texting, the feds seem to be putting too much emphasis on this subject.

LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS: The Navy’s New Tool for Dominating the Coast. “This type of vessel, called the Littoral Combat Ship, has been hailed as a visionary craft and lambasted as a costly black hole.”

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Can Oxytocin Get Me A Boyfriend?

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GOSNELL FALLOUT? Obama backs out of Planned Parenthood keynote address. Instead, he’s suddenly planning to visit the scene of the Texas fertilizer plant explosion.

REASON TV ON LAW ENFORCEMENT PRIORITIES: Sex First, Then Arrest Hooker? Don’t Cops Have Better Things to Do?