Van Jones's first take on 9/11  —  When Obama administration green jobs commissar Van Jones signed on to the Truther statement in 2004, he was concerned that 9/11 might have been an inside job perpetrated by the Bush administration.  In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, on September 13, 2001, however, Jones had a different explanation.

Obama's UN Gambit: King of the Universe and the Polls  —  Looking for a quick and easy boost in the polls, President Obama has decided to go to the one place where merit bears no relationship to adulation: the United Nations.  On September 24, the president will take the unprecedented step …

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 …

Pelosi loath to drop hammer on Rangel  —  Why is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refusing a growing chorus of calls to drop the hammer on ethics-challenged Charlie Rangel?  —  Because, at the moment, doing nothing creates a lot less trouble for Pelosi than doing anything, current and former House aides tell POLITICO.

What Obama will say in his address  —  President Barack Obama plans to reach out to Republicans and reassure — rather than confront — his liberal supporters when he addresses an extraordinary joint session of Congress at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.  —  But he will warn lawmakers against seeking …

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.

Republicans Against Medicare  —  I knew that despite their recent posturing as the Party of Medicare, most Republicans actually hate Medicare.  But I hadn't realized they'd gone on record with this so recently: … Of course to pile ironies onto ironies, providing subsidies to help people enroll in …

New Exotic Investments Emerging on Wall Street  —  After the mortgage business imploded last year, Wall Street investment banks began searching for another big idea to make money.  They think they may have found one.  —  The bankers plan to buy “life settlements,” life insurance policies …

Obama theme: incompetence?  —  Mark Tapscott picks up the thread of yesterday's Obamateurism and follows it back through the first seven months of the Barack Obama presidency.  The failure to check with school districts on start dates before scheduling a national address to “schoochildren” …

State GOP chief Jim Greer rips Obama — but pushes Republican views at schools  —  TAKING NAMES  —  There once was a political operative who loved to tell crowds he had a simple way of explaining to children the difference between Republicans and Democrats.  —  “Republicans get up and go to work,” he would tell his son.

Spending on Lobbying Drops in a Down Economy  —  In a year when Washington's influence industry should be thriving, with epic battles over health-care and energy legislation, lobbying in many sectors is in marked decline as defense contractors, real estate firms and other companies pull back in a down economy.

Warning: The Deficits Are Coming!  —  The former head of the Government Accountability Office is on a crusade to alert taxpayers to their true obligations.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Washington, D.C.  —  David Walker sounds like a modern-day Paul Revere as he warns about the country's perilous future.

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.

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 …

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Announces New Initiatives for Retirement Savings  —  WASHINGTON - In this week's address, President Barack Obama will announce new steps to make it easier for American families to save for retirement.  These new initiatives will complement …