The Daily Digest

1. James Joyner, "David Horowitz at CPAC."

"[T]he vast majority of the speakers at CPAC are much more mainstream and gracious. For every Horowitz, there are a half dozen Mark Tapscotts and Mike Pences. But it would be much more comforting if the radicals generated less enthusiasm."

2. Mark Blumenthal, "The Secret Lives of Pollsters."

"If pollsters disclosed more about how their polls were conducted, we would be in a better position to know which polls are likely to be right, and which ones can be safely ignored."

3. Deroy Murdock, "McCain Could Become the Reagan of Fiscal Discipline."

"McCain largely has refused to be led into temptation. He supported 2001’s $143.4 billion No Child Left Behind Act, but fought 2002’s $180 billion farm bailout, 2003’s $558 billion Medicare drug entitlement, and 2005’s $286.4 billion highway bill, which contained 6,371 earmarks worth $24 billion. 'Those were the four biggest budget-busting bills of the Bush presidency,' notes Heritage Foundation fiscal analyst Brian Riedl. 'And McCain voted against three of them.'"

4. Fred Kaplan, "What's Really in the U.S. Military Budget?"

"As usual, it's about $200 billion more than most news stories are reporting. For the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget, which President Bush released today, the real size is not, as many news stories have reported, $515.4 billion—itself a staggering sum—but, rather, $713.1 billion."

5. Chris Wilson, "Testify Before Congress, Meals Not Included."

"Even if a congressional committee forces you to testify in Washington, the government is not obligated to pay your way. The Committee on House Administration's handbook for such matters calls reimbursements to witnesses an 'extraordinary measure' that must be authorized by the chair."