**President Obama
*"Americans decidedly oppose the government's efforts to save struggling companies by taking ownership stakes even if failure of the businesses would cost jobs and harm the economy," a poll from AP and the National Constitution Center shows. Just 38 percent favor government intervention, while 60 percent oppose it.

*Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke "came close to declaring the recession over Tuesday, but warned that economic growth will remain too sluggish to quickly restore the nearly 7 million jobs lost since 2007," the Washington Times reports. "He made the remarks as a string of positive economic news helped lift stock indexes to new highs for the year."

*Obama "presented himself as a champion of blue-collar workers on Tuesday, laying out his credentials with populist addresses to the AFL-CIO and autoworkers during a campaign-style swing through the Rust Belt," The Hill reports. "Obama's speech in Pittsburgh to the union coalition, which included an endorsement of card-check legislation that would make it easier for workers to organize, came on a day he traveled through Pennsylvania and Ohio -- two states that will be critical to his 2012 reelection."

But the Times adds, "despite the thunderous applause he received, his mentioning the term "public option" only once during a 35-minute speech" at the AFL-CIO conference "did not go unnoticed."

*A major subject of conversation today: former Pres. Jimmy Carter told NBC: "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man. I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that share the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans."

**Health Care/Congress
*Baucus, set to introduce his bill in the Senate Finance Committee, makes a case for reform in the Wall Street Journal: "The facts are undisputable: Our current system is simply unsustainable."

*"The House returns to work Wednesday with nerves still raw over the bitterly divided vote" to rebuke Rep. Joe Wilson, AP says. "The final vote tally was 240-179, generally but not entirely along party lines. It was 233 Democrats and seven Republicans voting to chastise Wilson, 167 Republicans and 12 Democrats opposing the measure and five Democrats merely voting 'present.'"

*After a Senate vote to strip funding from ACORN, "federal and local authorities are considering pulling back on funding," Wall Street Journal reports. House Minority Leader John Boehner introduced legislation yesterday to cut off all funding to the group, "and sent a letter about Acorn's activities to President Barack Obama."

*Gallup: "Americans are closely divided as to whether Congress should pass a healthcare bill this year. Thirty-eight percent say they would advise their member to vote for a bill, 40% would advise a "no" vote, and 22% do not have an opinion. When the leanings of those without an opinion are taken into account, 50% of Americans favor or lean toward favoring a bill, while 47% oppose it or lean toward opposition."

*Both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal look at the mandate that will be included in health care reform. WaPo notes that young adults "could even wind up paying disproportionately hefty premiums -- effectively subsidizing coverage for their parents" -- one reason Obama is holding a "campaign style rally" at the University of Maryland on Thursday. WSJ notes that the mandate "has so far stoked relatively little debate," and reports on an underreported group -- "the millions of consumers who make too much money to qualify for assistance, yet not enough to bear the full cost of new policies on their own."

**Campaign Stuff
*One year ago today, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina said Sarah Palin and John McCain could not run a corporation (Obama and Biden, too). Now, as she runs for Senate in California, the big question the last few days has been how much of her own money she will contribute to her campaign.

*The Denver Post reports on an embarrassing e-mail gaffe by Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-Colo.) office, showing staff struggling with responding to a local terrorism investigation. It comes as former Lt. Gov. Jane Nortion on the GOP side, and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff on the Democratic side get into the 2010 race.

*The Daily News: "While the rest of his party was celebrating the choice of novice VP candidate Sarah Palin last August, then-President George W. Bush attempted to inject some reason and caution into the melee," per excerpts from a new book by a former White House speechwriter. "'This woman is being put into a position that she is not even remotely prepared for,'" Bush is quoted as saying. "She hasn't spent one day on the national level. Neither has her family. Let's wait and see how she looks five days out."

CNN's Hamby talks to a former aide to both Bush and Palin who disputes the claims, and calls the author a relative unknown to White House staff.

*Attention Romney, Pawlenty, Huckabee, Palin, et al: make those checks payable to Ted Gatsas, who emerged as the Republican candidate in November's election for mayor of Manchester, N.H., yesterday.

*Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) got a GOP primary opponent last night, when former U.S. District Judge Brian Sandoval announced his campaign, Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

*Obama helped raise $2.5 million for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) yesterday, and "Obama administration officials say it's only a matter of time before the president returns to the state for Specter -- and they say he's even willing to do TV ads for the incumbent," J-Mart reports.

*In New York, it's Mike Bloomberg vs. Bill Thompson after yesterday's primary. The NY Times: "Wednesday is the first day of the general election campaign for mayor, but the outline of each side's message is already emerging. And this much is clear: The race will be combative. It will be expensive. And it will be personal."

*And in Japan, "Longtime opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama was elected prime minister of Japan today, promising to reinvigorate the world's second-largest economy and shake up government with his left-of-center party," AP reports.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad