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Interesting article here notes that Monday is John White's final day as chancellor at the University of Arkansas and also the final day of the payout agreement with former basketball coach Nolan Richardson (right). White, while discussing his own mistake, does seem to be shoveling a little of the blame for the Richardson meltdown off on Frank of the Ozarks, already departed from UA officially, but still on the payroll. Other articles in the package talk about goals of the new chancellor, David Gearhart (one of them, more Ark. butts in UA seats) and give his view on campus protests.

The single most important reason why Obama must win:

For much of its term, the Supreme Court muted last year's noisy dissents, warmed to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s vision of narrow, incremental decisions and continued a slow but hardly steady move to the right.

But as justices finished their work last week, two overarching truths about the court remained unchanged: It is sharply divided ideologically on some of the most fundamental constitutional questions, and the coming presidential election will determine its future path.

A victory by the presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama, would probably mean preserving the uneasy but roughly balanced status quo, since the justices who are considered most likely to retire are liberal. A win for his Republican counterpart, John McCain, could mean a fundamental shift to a consistently conservative majority ready to take on past court rulings on abortion rights, affirmative action and other issues important to the right.

NY Times reports on a photo exhibit of a harmonious piece of American statesmanship of the 1950s. Instead of war, the Eisenhower adminisration waged music, sending jazz bands around the globe to spruce up the country's image. There was a spot of trouble:

[Louis] Armstrong canceled a 1957 trip to Moscow after President Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to send federal troops to Little Rock, Ark., to enforce school-integration laws. “The way they are treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell,” he said. “It’s getting so bad, a colored man hasn’t got any country.”

Administration officials feared that this broadside, especially from someone so genial as “Ambassador Satchmo,” would trigger a diplomatic disaster. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles told Attorney General Herbert Brownell that the situation in Arkansas was “ruining our foreign policy.” Two weeks later, facing pressure from many quarters, Eisenhower sent the National Guard to Arkansas. Armstrong praised the move and agreed to go on a concert tour of South America.

Was Rogers contractor Robin Tumey, an active Democrat, a victim of a Justice Department political witch hunt? Or was she just the victim of a U.S. attorney who was, in her case, merely incompetent? The U.S. attorney, thankfully no longer in government employ, was indisputably tied up in the politicization and corruption of the Justice Department by the Bush administration.

It's an important story by Doug Thompson, worth a look. Thanks to DBI for noting it in the overnight open thread.

Brummett proposes a peace plan for the Democratic convention with speaking roles for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Interesting legal fight here.

An ex-cop who says he suffered permanent injuries by being shot in the ankle on the job, has been denied benefits by the state Workers Comp Commission, which apparently doesn't believe he was injured. The commission is famously anti-worker thanks to business lobby influence on the law and governors who appoint members. The state Court of Appeals has slapped the commission down twice in this case for ignoring evidence. Now the case is going to the state Supreme Court, where biggies Wal-Mart and Tyson are weighing in on the horror of a court stepping in to help an injured working man. Can't have that, they say. Wouldn't be good for business.