**President Obama
*Gallup: "Americans' first reactions to the news of President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court are decidedly more positive than negative, with 47% rating the nomination as 'excellent' or 'good,' 20% rating it 'only fair,' and 13% rating it 'poor.' "

*The New York Times reports that some are beginning to worry about Sonia Sotomayor's true views on abortion. "When she has written opinions that touched tangentially on abortion disputes" during her 11 years on the federal bench, "she has reached outcomes in some cases that were favorable to abortion opponents." In a letter, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, "urged supporters to press senators to demand that Judge Sotomayor reveal her views on privacy rights before any confirmation vote."

*The LA Times reports that, faced with a nearly filibuster-proof Democratic majority, Republicans "are looking for other strategies to gain political yardage in the debate" over Sotomayor. Conservative activists "see lines of attack that would make a filibuster unnecessary: They aim to paint a portrait of Sotomayor to make conservative Democrats squirm, eroding support from within Obama's party."

*AP: Obama yesterday "picked a major Democratic fundraiser as ambassador to Britain, a theology professor to represent the United States at the Vatican and a former member of the 9/11 Commission to be the top U.S. diplomat in India." Heading to London is Louis Susman, retired vice chairman of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, and a former Solomon Brothers employee.

*In Los Angeles, Obama "basked in the glow of his Hollywood supporters and thanked them for making his candidacy possible," the Times notes. Obama: "If it weren't for you, we would not be in the White House." He also gave himself a strong grade so far: "I would put these first four months up against any prior administration since F.D.R."

*Oh that Joe: the Vice President jokes about his boss' reliance on a teleprompter, and during his speech at the Air Force Academy, no less. "What am I gonna tell the president?" Biden said as a gust of wind knocked down his left teleprompter, per CNN. "I'm gonna tell him his teleprompter is broken. What will he do then?"

*Ted Kennedy has an op-ed in the Boston Globe on health care outlining the terms of a health care bill.

**Cheney Alert: In an interview with CNBC's Kudlow, Dick Cheney tempered his comments about Colin Powell. "We're happy to have General Powell in the Republican Party," Cheney said. "I meant no offense to my former colleague. I wasn't seeking to rearrange his political identity."

**In the States
*A Quinnipiac poll out this morning finds Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) leading ex-Rep. Pat Toomey (R) by 9 points. Specter leads Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) 50%-21% in the Dem primary.

*TPM reported yesterday that Sestak was soliciting fundraising for a Senate bid. The second-term lawmaker then told the Philly Inquirer in an interview last night that "he needs to consult with his wife, Susan, and their 8-year-old daughter, Alex, before launching what would be an all-consuming statewide campaign."

*VA Gov: Brian Moran raised $150k at the McLean home of Ethel Kennedy, who's endorsed Moran along with her nephew, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.).

AP, on McAuliffe: "In a governor's race that's all about jobs, Terry McAuliffe is facing questions about huge profits he made from a company that collapsed two years later, leaving 10,000 people unemployed."

*Ben Smith flags a comment from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who says she doesn't think there will be a Cuomo-Paterson primary in New York. "I think that at the end of the day, Andrew and the Governor are all focused on solving the problems of this state," she told NY1.

*Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) "added another layer Wednesday to the evolving story of his appointment, saying he was only trying to 'placate' then- Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother to keep his Senate prospects alive knowing no campaign money would ever change hands," the Chicago Tribune reports.

*Brownstein v. Brownstein: "The most striking thing about the 2008 election, however, is that for all the noise and hullabaloo about it being a realignment, there was very little evidence to support such a claim," RCP's Trende writes.

*At least San Francisco commuters have some good news: the bad economy is likely contributing to a 12% drop in drive-time for Bay Area workers, the first drop "since 2003, when it dipped after the technology boom went bust," SF Chronicle reports.