LIGHTNING ROUND: THE 24-HOUR NEWS CYCLE.

• The questions President Obama fielded during today's press conference were fairly low-quality and repetitive and not one took up the issue of climate change legislation -- which the president noted in his opening remarks -- that could come to a floor vote in the House as early as Friday.
• The unorthodox manner in which Obama called upon Nico Pitney of The Huffington Post has led some conservatives to speculate that the exchange was coordinated by the White House. But isn't the point of having scripted questions to produce softballs the president can field without having to talk out of both sides of his mouth? Pitney's question was actually one of the best of the entire conference and produced the least satisfying answer from Obama.
• Politico has an interesting look at the low-key tenure of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. First observing the expectations that Clinton would be a high-profile Cabinet member in the Obama White House, the piece reminds us that a commitment to quiet, hard work is precisely what she did after winning the U.S. Senate race in 2000. It's refreshing to see Clinton portrayed as a professional doing an important job, rather than the unflattering characterizations that have attached themselves to her over the years.
• Remainders: Barney Frank vs. the F-22; let's all take a moment to give thanks that Judd Gregg is not our Commerce secretary; Janet Napolitano kills off a Bush-era domestic surveillance program; and the Clean Water Act gets the Roberts Court treatment.

--Mori Dinauer