While we were all paying attention to Tucson last week, I missed some terrific articles. I'm betting some of you did too, so here's my top list of "you must read these" articles. Take a few minutes and enjoy.

Here we go...

Howie Klein, on lessons Obama should learn from last week's stunning defeat of England's Conservative/LibDem coalition. And via Howie, everything you didn't know about Reince Priebus that you really must know.

AlterNet has a great article on unemployment and Martin Luther King's legacy. The Atlantic's in-depth look at the new global elite is a must-read, if you read nothing else. Over on The Nation, you can meet the New Mad Tea Party. Also on The Nation, an article about kabuki democracy and why we need to fix it.

Max Blumenthal says Arizona is drowning in a sea of extremism (ya think?).

If you're in the mood for a really long read, the full National Commission report on the Deepwater Horizon is out -- all 398 pages of it. I'm on about page 120. They did a great job documenting the timeline and causes. Bottom line: BP, Transocean and Halliburton have some 'splainin' to do.

On the book list, I have Matt Taibbi's latest, Griftopia, on audio. His characteristic snark plays well as an audiobook. Highly recommended. I'm also reading Greg Mitchell's Campaign of the Century, taking us back to the 30's and Upton Sinclair's famous campaign. When I feel like debunking a few tea party myths, I head for some oldies, like Gore Vidal's Inventing a Nation, which reminds that today's tea party is comprised of yesterday's illegal aliens. All of this goes nicely with a C Street chaser, courtesy of Jeff Sharlett. Great books, all.

What's on your Kindle/Nook/iPad today?