‘An Accident of Time and Place’  —  “...I thank God that live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I've come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf.  —  I would like to applaud President Obama …

Rove Had Heavier Hand in Prosecutor Firings Than Previously Known  —  Political adviser Karl Rove and other high-ranking figures in the Bush White House played a greater role than previously understood in the firing of federal prosecutors almost three years ago, according to e-mails obtained …

57 signatures on anti-Blue Dog letter  —  About 50 House liberals have signed on to a letter calling the deal struck between the Blue Dogs and House leadership “totally unacceptable” — and have vowed to vote against it on the floor.  —  The point may be moot: Democratic leadership is spinning the deal …

U.S. Adviser's Blunt Memo on Iraq: Time ‘to Go Home’  —  WASHINGTON — A senior American military adviser in Baghdad has concluded in an unusually blunt memo that the Iraqi forces suffer from deeply entrenched deficiencies but are now capable of protecting the Iraqi government, and that it is time …

Pelosi lashes out at private health insurance ‘villains’  —  A day after formally delaying a vote on a healthcare bill and having to accept a further weakening of a public option to compete with private insurers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lashed out at the health insurance industry …

Government suspends ‘cash for clunkers’ program  —  The government is suspending the explosively popular ‘cash for clunkers’ program fearing it would go broke before it could parcel out what it still owes dealers for a huge backlog of sales.  —  The pending suspension was confirmed by Bailey Wood …

Obama's Ratings Slide Across the Board  —  The Economy, Health Care Reform and Gates Grease the Skids  —  Barack Obama's approval ratings have suffered major declines.  The president's overall job approval number fell from 61% in mid-June to 54% currently.

Disorderly Conduct: Conversation About Gates Arrest Precedes Arrest  —  A lawyer who moments earlier had been complaining to friends about police overreaction in the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., got a taste of the Gates treatment himself after loudly chanting …

Tax Burden of Top 1% Now Exceeds That of Bottom 95%  —  Newly released data from the IRS clearly debunks the conventional Beltway rhetoric that the “rich” are not paying their fair share of taxes and disproportionately benefited from the Bush tax cuts.  —  Indeed, the IRS data shows that in 2007 …

Officers Run Background Check On Obama; Placed On Leave  —  DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two DeKalb County police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave after an investigation revealed they ran a background check on President Barack Obama.  —  A representative for the DeKalb County …

Disgraced Dinosaur Dan Rather Urges, “Save The Press”  —  Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather called on President Barack Obama to form a White House commission to help save the press in an emotional speech at the Aspen Institute.  At stake, he argued, is the very survival of American democracy.

The only thing weirder than the Birthers are the anti-Birthers, who blame the Birthers for being conspiracy theorists yet actively feed the conspiracy by refusing to call for President Obama to release his birth certificate.  —  The state official in Hawaii who manages such things has reiterated …

UPDATED: Hutchison site is loaded with hidden phrases—including two “Perry gay” references, which the campaign says it's removing  —  This morning, I came across a Web site for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's gubernatorial campaign.  —  A provocative twist: The site may have been juiced …

SALES PITCH.... President Obama told Time's Karen Tumulty that, when it comes to health care, the need to reform the system “is so clear to me,” but he's finding it “difficult ... to describe in clear, simple terms how important it is” to get this done.  —  Reading the transcript …

Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List  —  Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the sluggers who propelled the Boston Red Sox to end an 86-year World Series championship drought and to capture another title three years later, were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players …

President Obama Names Medal of Freedom Recipients 16 Agents of Change to Receive Top Civilian Honor  —  WASHINGTON - President Obama today named 16 recipients of the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom.  America's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom is awarded to individuals …

Suborned in the U.S.A.  —  Throughout the 2008 campaign, Barack Hussein Obama claimed it was a “smear” to refer to him as “Barack Hussein Obama.”  The candidate had initially rhapsodized over how his middle name, the name of the prophet Mohammed's grandson, would signal a new beginning in American relations with the Muslim world.

Baucus: ‘No idea’ how he'll vote on Sotomayor  —  Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Thursday he hasn't made up his mind on whether he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.  —  Baucus this summer has infuriated liberals on and off Capitol Hill by working to strike a deal with Republicans on healthcare reform.