Clinton's Unwise Trip to North Korea  —  The Obama administration characterized Bill Clinton's unexpected visit to Pyongyang to secure the release of two American reporters, held unjustifiably by North Korea for nearly five months, as a private, humanitarian mission.

Shocked.  SHOCKED.  Astoturfing Exists. ...  Now What?  —  In eight years of writing about politics, nothing gets people angrier than when I try to make the case that most activists and most journalists practice politics differently, have different worldviews, and are both forces for good in the democracy.

Young GOPers Gaga Over Gingrich  —  ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports:  —  Before an energetic and enthusiastic young Republican crowd, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich weighed in today on the upcoming Senate confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor and made predictions for health care reform legislation this fall.

Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder  —  A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia.

Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S.  —  WASHINGTON — A pair of nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines has been patrolling off the eastern seaboard of the United States in recent days, a rare mission that has raised concerns inside the Pentagon and intelligence agencies …

Hey, Mister Postman  —  Art Laffer (why is he, of all people, on my TV?) asks what it will be like when the government runs Medicare and Medicaid.  —  But I'd raise a further question: he warns that when the government takes over these, um, government programs, they'll be like the Post Office and the DMV.

Hezbollah stockpiles 40,000 rockets near Israel border  —  Richard Beeston on the Israel-Lebanese border and Nicholas Blanford in Beirut  —  Three years after Israel fought a bloody war in Lebanon against Hezbollah, there are fears that hostilities could erupt again — this time with the militant group better armed than ever.

Milbank And Cillizza Record Unfunny “Response Video” To Outrage Over Last Unfunny Video  —  Last Friday, WashingtonPost.com consumers were treated to another one of those “Mouthpiece Theatre” videos, in which reporters Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza smarmily attempt humor and fail.

Obama's Birthday Cards From Birthers (PICS)  —  It's the president's birthday!  And what better way to celebrate than to give the birther movement even more media attention.  Of course, we don't really know that Obama was born on August 4th, because he refuses to show his birth certificate …

Making Home Affordable Program on Pace to Offer Help to Millions of Homeowners Public Release of Data Provides Transparency on Servicer Performance  —  WASHINGTON - Today, the Obama Administration released its first monthly Servicer Performance Report detailing the progress to date …

NJ Gov Poll: Point Of No Return For Corzine?  —  After a month of potential game-changing moments — a visit from President Obama and the selection of a running mate — Gov. Jon Corzine (D) has only lost ground in the latest Monmouth University poll.  —  General Election Matchup — Likely Voters

AIPAC slams Obama for honoring ‘anti-Israel’ ex-Irish president  —  The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on Tuesday slammed the Obama administration for its decision to give a former Irish president the presidential Medal of Freedom, saying they were “deeply disappointed” by the move.

Disgrace: Gibbs says Ahmadinejad is the elected leader of Iran  —  Via Breitbart.  He could have dodged this question a dozen ways.  He could have said the election's irrelevant from our standpoint since we have to play the cards we're dealt; he could have noted, as Obama's often done in the past …

Call For Informants: If You Oppose Obamacare, Even in ‘Casual Conversation,’ the White House Wants to Know About It  —  If you see anybody publicly opposing President Obama's plan to implement a government-centric overhaul of the health care system, the White House wants you to report that person (or persons) ASAP.

More facts behind the GE/Fox deal and a new Olbermann statement  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  On Saturday, I wrote a post under the headline: “GE's silencing of Olbermann and MSNBC's sleazy use of Richard Wolffe.”  In it, I wrote: “now we have an example of GE's forcibly silencing …

Protestor In Connecticut: “Treat” Dodd With Handful Of Painkillers And Whiskey  —  Wow, check out these protestors outside a health care event by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) in Hartford (via My Left Nutmeg).  What follows are some very direct jokes about Dodd's cancer — and the idea of some sort of euthanasia involving booze and pills:

CNN Poll: Did Obama act stupidly in Gates arrest comments?  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - A new national poll indicates that white and black Americans don't see eye to eye on last month's arrest of Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates.  The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey …