Launches

The Space Shuttle Atlantis blasts off from launch pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center on May 11, 2009 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is on a mission to service the Hubble telescope. (NASA Photo)

Another FLA Launch
Florida Governor Charlie Crist's bid for the US Senate seat of 'retiring' Mel Martinez faces a home state hurdle. Namely, restless conservatives. According to an article in Politico, the GOP base is not particularly happy with Crist's embrace of the the Obama stimulus. But, his biggest challenge could come from a fresh face. Read full article here.

New Afghan Warrior
"This is a very big deal," Fred Kaplan writes at Slate of President Obama's plan to replace General David McKiernan, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, with General Stanley McChrystal. "McKiernan's ouster signals a dramatic shift in U.S. strategy for the war in Afghanistan. And it means that the war is now, unequivocally, 'Obama's war.'" Read full article here.