Responding to the President's op-ed  —  I would like to respond to the President's Washington Post op-ed, “Rebuilding Something Better.”  All quotes in this post are from the President. … The President and his team use this language to lower the bar against which they are measured.

FOLKS: O, FOR SHAME!  —  'GIRL'S NO SEX SYMBOL!'  —  The Secret Service might want to put a new threat on its watch list: the mad-as-hell mama of the 17-year-old Brazilian beauty ogled by President Obama and French leader Nicolas Sarkozy at the G8 summit last week.

The Future of Conservative Ideas  —  Drake Bennett profiles four up-and-coming right-of-center thinkers: Luigi Zingales, Bradford Wilcox, Reihan Salam, and Megan McArdle.  I've never heard of Wilcox, but his ideas (family is good!) don't sound very interesting.

Palin: I'm Not Leaving Politics  —  McCain Says His Former Running Mate Simply “Changed Her Priorities” in Resigning as Alaska's Governor  —  (AP) Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she's not only staying involved in national politics, but she plans to jump back into the national scrum when she leaves office at the end of the month.

Goldman Sachs Likely to Post Huge Profits, Analysts Say  —  Most of Wall Street, and America, is still waiting for an economic recovery.  Then there is Goldman Sachs.  —  Up and down Wall Street, analysts and traders are buzzing that Goldman, which only recently paid back its government bailout money …

The Holder trial balloon: Abu Ghraib redux  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  Yesterday, I treated this new Newsweek report that Eric Holder is “leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's brutal interrogation practices” as something to celebrate.

Charge in Fla. slayings: Evidence tampering  —  PENSACOLA, Florida (CNN) — A Florida man has been arrested on evidence-tampering charges in connection to the killings of a Gulf Coast couple known for adopting special-needs children, a case that has become increasingly “multifaceted,” authorities said Sunday.

Lawmakers reject tax to pay for health reform  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Sunday criticized a plan to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for a $1 trillion healthcare overhaul and warned Congress was unlikely to meet President Barack Obama's goal of passing the measure by August.

How to Win in Afghanistan  —  Summary — The deployment of more U.S. troops to Afghanistan is necessary to tip the balance of power against the Taliban.  But this military “surge” must be accompanied with a political one designed to persuade insurgents to give up their fight.

GOP Responds To Cheney's Concealment Of CIA Program With Strawmen And Shrugged Shoulders  —  Earlier this week, seven House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee released a letter revealing that CIA Director Leon Panetta had “recently testified to Congress that the agency concealed information …

Teen Girl Falls In Open Manhole While Texting  —  Alexa Longueira Suffers Deep Cuts, Bruises After Landing In Raw Sewage, Blames DEP For Leaving Hole Unattended  —  NEW YORK (CBS) ― It was an accident waiting to happen — an open sewer and a 15-year-old girl who was texting while she walked.

Republicans Reject Science; Scientists Reject Republicans  —  The Republican Party has a serious infection of anti-science syndrome.  And, scientists have noted the The Republican War on Science.  The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press came out, last week …

Will ObamaCare threaten medical innovation?  —  Glenn Reynolds argues that the wait lines for treatments in a single-payer system are not the biggest concern.  In a Washington Examiner column, Glenn relates personal stories of how his family members have benefited from innovation in medical treatments …