IT MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST IDEA FOR DAVID LETTERMAN TO JOKE ABOUT UNDERAGE GIRLS BEING RAPED  —  Look out, Guy Cimbalo.  There's a new thuglike misogynist creep in town:  —  Before I continue, I'll pause for a moment so you can catch your breath and ease that stitch in your side.  —  Ready?

America's Sea of Red Ink Was Years in the Making  —  There are two basic truths about the enormous deficits that the federal government will run in the coming years.  —  The first is that President Obama's agenda, ambitious as it may be, is responsible for only a sliver of the deficits …

Rev. Wright says he doesn't regret severed relationship with president  —  HAMPTON - - The Rev. Jeremiah Wright says he does not feel any regrets over his severed relationship with President Barack Obama, a former member of the Chicago church in which Wright was the longtime pastor.

Limbaugh, Gingrich, Cheney Seen as Speaking for GOP  —  Obama overwhelmingly seen as main person who speaks for Democrats  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Asked to name the “main person who speaks for the Republican Party today,” Republicans across the country are most likely to name three men: Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, and Dick Cheney.

Deeds Surges to Stunning Win in Va.  —  Running with the least money and fewest ties to vote-rich Northern Virginia, State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds has won the three-way Democratic primary for governor, paving the way for a rematch with Republican Bob McDonnell in the fall.

HOW FOX NEWS OPENED AMERICA  —  The following is excerpted from Charles Krauthammer's remarks upon receiving the 2009 Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism, named for The Post's late edit orial-page editor, yesterday in Washing ton.  —  AT a time when awards in the humanities …

Some Israelis Insulted By Obama Picture  —  Israeli TV newscasters Tuesday night interpreted a photo taken Monday in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an “insult” to Israel.  —  They saw the incident as somewhat akin …

45% Say Cancel Rest of Stimulus Spending  —  Forty-five percent (45%) of Americans say the rest of the new government spending authorized in the $787-billion economic stimulus plan should now be canceled.  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 36% disagree and 20% are not sure.

Coach Obama: Shape up now  —  President Barack Obama eats his vegetables and exercises every day — and he really wants you to do the same.  —  From the White House garden to his picks for top health jobs, Obama is telling America's McDonald's-loving, couch-dwelling, doctor-phobic populace that things are about to change.

Palau to Take Chinese Guantánamo Detainees  —  WASHINGTON — The United States has won an agreement to transfer up to 17 Chinese Muslims from the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Palau, a sparsely populated archipelago in the North Pacific, according to a statement released …

Christie Has 10-Point Likely Voter Lead In New Jersey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Corzine Approval Drops To New Low  —  Fresh from his Republican primary victory, former federal prosecutor Christopher Christie leads Democratic incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine 50 - 40 percent among likely voters …

TAIL ATTEMPTS TO WAG DOG.  —  Now this is fascinating: … This puts to test the notion that Israel is a major strategic asset for the United States, rather than a strategic liability.  I have never been particularly convinced by the “Israel as asset” notion; it seems to me that underwriting …

3 People Shot at U.S. Holocaust Museum  —  A security guard and two other people were shot today inside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in downtown Washington, authorities said.  —  U.S. Park Police said a gunman armed with a shotgun opened fire on the security guard and that other security guards returned fire.

Peter Allen, in Paris  —  Two passengers with names linked to Islamic terrorism were on the Air France flight which crashed with the loss of 228 lives, it has emerged.  —  French secret servicemen established the connection while working through the list of those who boarded the doomed Airbus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 31 May.

The Six Top Republicans Obama Listens To  —  Regardless of whether the President's bipartisan outreach is producing legislative results, there is a handful of conservatives and Republicans that the president and his White House team respect.  By respect, I mean, quite simply …

Obama's hit — and big miss  —  Plus: U2, Depeche Mode and one “wise Latina”  —  Barack Obama was elected to do exactly what he did last week at Cairo University — to open a dialogue with the Muslim world.  Or at least that was why I, for one, voted for him, contributed to his campaign, and continue to support him.

Michelle Obama's Abbey outfit: stacked like a wedding cake - but nice colours  —  Wow, look at her go.  Michelle Obama, who was in London on a short sightseeing trip with her daughters, didn't let the small issue of a failing government stand in the way of her sunny style.

Feeling Slighted, Rich Patron Led Albany Revolt  —  ALBANY — In early spring, Tom Golisano went to Albany from his home in Rochester to meet with Malcolm A. Smith, then the Senate majority leader.  —  Mr. Golisano, a billionaire business executive, had spent heavily to help Mr. Smith …

Get Ready for Inflation and Higher Interest Rates  —  The unprecedented expansion of the money supply could make the '70s look benign.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Rahm Emanuel was only giving voice to widespread political wisdom when he said that a crisis should never be “wasted.”