Sing It... Van Jones Cut Nasty Hate-Filled Music Album, Too!  (Video) ...Update: Album Cover Found!  —  VAN JONES CUT A CD...  The CD starred Van Jones and cop killer Mumia abu-Jamal.  —  UPDATE: Kristinn found the album (CD) cover:  —  Jones used his Ella Baker Center for Human Rights …

Three Ohio Democrats asked about paying for Obamacare, all walk away  —  Just in time for Labor Day weekend we bring you this blockbuster video taken by Jawa operative “hourglass” Wednesday evening at an Obamacare rally at the Ohio Expo Center featuring hundreds of Democratic party operatives and union mafia goons.

Clinton's '94 Health Plan Defeat Sways Obama's Tactics  —  WASHINGTON — Before Congress's August break, the chief aides to Senate Democrats met in a nondescript Senate conference room with three former advisers to President Bill Clinton.  The topic: lessons learned the last time a Democratic president tried …

Professional Issues  —  AP's dead Marine photo violates its own embed agreement and the wishes of a dead Marine's family.  Gates objects.  NYT.  —  The journal entries of AP Photog Julie Jacobson regarding the incident in which Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard was killed are compelling reading. via Miami Herald.

Obama looking for retirement plan reforms  —  Among the changes are expanded access to 401k plans and a pledge to let workers convert vacation days into retirement savings.  —  President Barack Obama announced a series of policy changes Saturday aimed at making it easier for Americans to save money for retirement.

Appeals Court Rules Against Ashcroft in 9 / 11 Case  —  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal appeals court delivered a stinging rebuke Friday to the Bush administration's post-Sept. 11 detention policies, ruling that former Attorney General John Ashcroft can be held liable for people …

The ESPN Zone of Empires  —  ESPN Zone New York (cc photo by bigweasel)  —  Afghanistan is often called the “Graveyard of Empires,” but I think the phrase is pretty misleading.  It seems to imply that empires that venture in Afghanistan get defeated and die.

US Embassy memo: ‘Afghan First’  —  U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, retired Gen. Karl Eikenberry, has distributed an unclassified memo to U.S. diplomatic and foreign assistance personnel, obtained by POLITICO, which calls for the “Afghanization” of foreign assistance to that country.

Obama's back-to-school message is responsibility  —  WASHINGTON — Classrooms are filling up as kids head back to school, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's two children are among them.  —  In an interview with The Associated Press, Duncan said students should take more responsibility …

Calls to boycott Obama's speech to kids offer a disturbing lesson in paranoia  —  Those who are whipping up hysteria over the president's address are playing a dangerous game with an unhinged segment of public opinion.  —  While it long ago crossed the borders of reason and civility …

For Your Health, Froot Loops  —  A new food-labeling campaign called Smart Choices, backed by most of the nation's largest food manufacturers, is “designed to help shoppers easily identify smarter food and beverage choices.”  —  The green checkmark label that is starting to show up on store shelves …

Obama Asks Liberals How Far They're Willing to Compromise on Public Option  —  A variety of reports suggest that, during a conference call this afternoon, President Obama probed House progressives to see just how flexible their demands are.  —  A source familiar with the call tells TPM …