GOP headache: The birther issue  —  When lawmakers return home for recess in August, they can expect to hear tough questions from constituents on the economy, health care and government spending.  —  But Republicans are preparing for something else: the birthers.

The Henry Louis Gates “Teaching Moment”  —  The arrest of Harvard African-American Studies Professor Henry Louis Gates has certainly got everyone talking.  Unfortunately, everyone's talking about the wrong issue.  —  Responding to a 911 call from a woman who observed Gates prying open …

Bunning's not running  —  Cantankerous Kentucky Republican Sen. Jim Bunning has officially dropped out of next year's reelection campaign — citing his paltry fundraising efforts.  —  Bunning's office just put out the following statement:  —  I have the same conservative principles in 2009 …

GOP headache: The birther issue  —  So far, Hoekstra hasn't faced any such questions.  —  “When you're in a state with 15.2 percent unemployment,” he said, “most people have other things on their mind than this.”  —  But as if to illustrate the touchiness of the subject, Hoekstra quickly added: “Not that this isn't important.”

MoveOn Launches Anti-Palin Ad  —  ABC News' David Chalian Reports:  —  On her first full day as the former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin's political opponents are making sure to keep her in the political spotlight.  —  MoveOn.org Political Action launched a new 30-second television ad today painting …

ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE.... I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, though I'd hoped it wouldn't.  Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, during an official press briefing, was actually asked about the Birther conspiracy nuts.  —  I'm fairly certain it was Bill Press …

Amid New Scrutiny, John Yoo Rebuts Critics of Detainee Memos  —  Quietly but Forcefully, Author of Detainee Memos Rebuts Critics  —  Some public figures, if their judgment and ethics come under fire, retreat into solitude.  Then there is John C. Yoo.  —  The former Justice Department official …

Look out, gov - the ex-gov is comin'!  —  U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich says he'll be “actively involved” in the battle against proposals to expand gambling in Ohio, and that includes the plan to add slots at horse racetracks that was approved by the legislature and Gov. Ted Strickland.

An Incoherent Truth  —  Right now the fate of health care reform seems to rest in the hands of relatively conservative Democrats — mainly members of the Blue Dog Coalition, created in 1995.  And you might be tempted to say that President Obama needs to give those Democrats what they want.

New home sales: ‘Really good news’  —  Sales of newly constructed single family homes rose 11% over May, but median price fell 3%.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Sales of newly constructed single-family homes spiked 11% in June to an annualized rate of 384,000 homes, according to a report released Monday.

Pelosi unpopular?  'I don't care'  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the most despised political figures in the country.  —  And, frankly, she doesn't give a damn.  —  “No, I don't care,” Pelosi told POLITICO last Thursday, laughing heartily as she walked beneath the Capitol dome and plunged into a crowd of tourists.

Opposing view: A confirmation conversion  —  Nominee lacks deep convictions needed to resist judicial activism.  —  Elections have consequences: President Obama's first nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, will likely be confirmed.  —  But supporters of liberal judicial philosophy might find it a Pyrrhic victory.

Finally, Action on Gay Soldiers  —  Blogs and Stories  —  The Daily Beast has learned that the Senate, prompted by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, will hold hearings on “Don't Ask, Don't Tell”—a first since 1993, despite Obama's campaign promises.  —  After determining she didn't have enough votes …

The hidden hand  —  The wave of publicity for the Birther movement hasn't yet crested, with the dentist who's the movement's leading legal light, Orly Taitz, saying she's taping the Colbert Report tomorrow, and popping up elsewhere in the mainstream media.  —  This isn't necessarily a bad thing …