BACK IN THE SADDLE…. My most sincere thanks to dday, publius, and of course my trusted partner Hilzoy, for going above and beyond during my little spring break. They did some really amazing work.

To read more from them on a regular basis, dday blogs at Hullabaloo, Calitics, and his own site, D-Day. You can find publius blogging regularly at Obsidian Wings, and Hilzoy, of course, is a regular contributor right here.

Thanks again to the guest posters for their time and words of wisdom. And now, back to the news….

Steve Benen

Follow Steve on Twitter @stevebenen. Steve Benen is a producer at MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show. He was the principal contributor to the Washington Monthly's Political Animal blog from August 2008 until January 2012.