Today Show host Ann Curry gave the commencement address over the weekend at Wheaton College, praising the school for famous alums like evangelist Billy Graham and filmmaker Wes Craven among others.

Too bad she was at the secular Wheaton College in Massachusetts, not the evangelical Wheaton College in Illinois where Graham and Craven went to college.

Released a short time ago …

Lieberman, Levin, Murphy Announce White House Support for
‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal Amendment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) today sent a letter to the White House announcing that they “have developed a legislative proposal for consideration by the House and Senate that puts a process in place to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ once the working group has completed its review” and the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs “certify that repeal can be achieved consistent with the military’s standards of readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention.”

Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag’s response confirmed that “the Administration is of the view that the proposed amendment meets the concerns raised by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff” and “the Administration therefore supports the proposed amendment.”

The full letter from Senator Lieberman, Senator Levin, and Congressman Murphy is available online here.

The Administration’s response is available online here.

Rob Simmons is reportedly dropping out tomorrow from Connecticut Senate race.

Have to say I think the Dems are getting really lucky here.

Earlier this evening the Simmons campaign sent out an email alerting the press that Simmons would appear tomorrow at 9 AM in New London to make an “announcement on [the] future of [the] senate campaign.”

Blumenthal campaign releases poll data purporting to show that the candidate has already weathered the Vietnam scandal with only manageable damage.

As I noted last night, I think the Dems in Connecticut got a huge stroke of luck when word leaked last night that Rob Simmons is dropping out of the campaign and leaving the field to Linda McMahon.

It’s not looking good for state Rep. Nikki Haley down in South Carolina. The Republican operative-turned-blogger who revealed yesterday that he had what he calls an “inappropriate physical relationship” with Haley, the leading GOP gubernatorial candidate, now claims to have years of emails, voicemails, and texts between himself and Haley that prove the existence of the relationship. And a post on his blog suggests he might divulge them since Haley is strenuously denying any sexual relationship whatsoever.

The battle between GOP establishments and Tea Party candidates is playing out across the country — but seldom as flat-out and publicly as the case in North Carolina. Tim D’Annunzio is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination to challenge conservative Dem Rep. Larry Kissell (D). But the state GOP says he’s unfit for office and is circulating divorce court records claiming that D’Annunzio once claimed to be the Messiah, traveled to New Jersey to try to raise his stepfather from the dead, believed God would drop a 1000 mile high pyramid on Greenland and even that the Ark of the Covenant would be found in Arizona.

The last suggestion, frankly, you could see catching on in this climate.

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) sentenced to 18 months to 5 years in prison.

With the news that congressional Dems, the White House and the DOD have reached an agreement that should bring DADT to an end this year, it’s worth remembering how deeply uncontroversial a decision this has become. According to the latest CNN poll, almost 80% of Americans now support allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the US Armed Forces.

And it’s not even a new number. Public support has been at similar levels for the last few years. I confess that as someone who remembers the early 90s battle over this question, those numbers are about as gratifying as they are surprising to me. But there it is.

Man, this Republican senate primary in Arizona is really getting entertaining. The McCain campaign has now released a web ad calling opponent and former member of Congress J.D. Hayworth “among the dumbest members of Congress” after Hayworth’s ill-fated history lesson which we reported yesterday.

Tom Campbell, contender for the GOP senate nomination, has a history of being a pretty so-so fundraiser. And Carly Fiorina, who’s using a decent amount of her own money to finance her campaign, has just had the airwaves to herself for about a week straight. And two new polls suggests it’s paying off for her in a big way. After being behind for months, she’s jumped to a twenty point lead.