Sometimes it takes an outsider to show the press corps the way.  —  Among the many glorious things about American journalism is that no credentialing organization or regulatory body stands between an individual who wants to break a story and his public reporting of it.

Obama takes the supplication of America to a disgusting new level  —  Conservative commentary on President Obama's U.N. speech has correctly taken note of the extent to which Obama once again has apologized for America.  What struck me as new, though, was extent to which he begged his audience …

Effort to replace Kennedy hits snag  —  The Massachusetts Legislature on Wednesday granted Gov. Deval Patrick the power to appoint a temporary replacement for the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, but with one catch: when the appointment can be made.  —  Lawmakers declined to allow the law …

Al Franken Reads the 4th Amendment to Justice Department Official  —  Just in case he wasn't familiar with it, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) decided to read the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution to David Kris, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department's National Security Division …

AP source: Census worker hanged with ‘fed’ on body  —  The FBI is investigating whether anti-government sentiment led to the hanging death of a U.S. Census worker near a Kentucky cemetery.  A law enforcement official told The Associated Press the word 'fed" was scrawled on the dead man's chest.

DeMint: Obama ‘Puts Our Troops At Risk’ By Working On Health Reform  —  The Washington Post reported this week that Gen. Stanley McChyrstal, the top commander in Afghanistan, has recommended that more U.S. troops be sent there or the conflict will “likely result in failure.”

Dems Ramp Up Push For Colleagues To Block Filibuster On Health Care  —  Buoyed by news of a temporary replacement for the late Senator Ted Kennedy, Senate Democratic leaders are launching a renewed effort to get all 60 members of their caucus — even those who might eventually vote …

Video: Children sing songs of Obama's glory  —  No word on where or when this was shot but it was posted to YouTube just two days before The One's speech to students, which makes me wonder if it was part of some school's festivities for the screening.  I think parents' fears about their kids …

Brown denies ‘Obama snub’  —  Gordon Brown has denied being snubbed by the US president after diplomatic sources told the BBC his team had been “frantic” to secure bilateral talks.  —  Mr Brown said he and President Barack Obama “talk all the time” and he insisted the special relationship was “strong and continues to strengthen”.

Health, Race And Obama  —  America's real and imagined grievances.  —  After an exceedingly disappointing 10 months in office pursuing a hyper-partisan agenda, President Barack Obama reminded me last week of why, for a brief moment during his campaign eons ago last year, he actually won my heart.

King: Same-Sex Marriage Is ‘A Purely Socialist Concept’  —  In April, when the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously struck down a state law defining marriage as solely between a man and a woman, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) called it an “unconstitutional” decision and predicted that it could lead to Iowa becoming “the gay marriage Mecca.”

Obama's ‘Policy Presidency’  —  A new publication came across my desk this week containing an essay that offers as good an insight into President Obama's approach to government as anything I have read — and is particularly useful in understanding the struggle over health-care reform.

Bloomberg Has 16-Point Lead In Mayoral Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Most Voters Back Mayor's Bid To Ban Butts In Parks  —  New York City Comptroller William Thompson, denied a bounce after his Democratic primary victory, trails Mayor Michael Bloomberg 52 - 36 percent among …

Obama's Policies Would Redistribute Nearly $1 Trillion in Wealth Every Year  —  (CNSNews.com) - By 2012, nearly $1 trillion from the top 30 percent of American families will be redistributed among the bottom 70 percent if Obama's proposals on taxes, health care, and climate change become law, according to the Tax Foundation.

Palin breaks with McCain on F-22 cuts  —  Sarah Palin, outlying her “common sense conservative” foreign policy views in Hong Kong yesterday, denounced her former running mate's push to cut new F-22 Raptor fighter jets, an efficiency move in which Senator John McCain allied himself …

White House: Official ‘misspoke’ on Goldstone report  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — The White House says an official “misspoke” when he said the Obama administration would not allow the Goldstone report recommendations on Israel's conduct in the Gaza war to reach the International Criminal Court.

Critics Assail Obama's ‘Safe Schools’ Czar, Say He's Wrong Man for the Job  —  Critics say Kevin Jennings is too radical for the job of director of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, citing what they say is his promotion of homosexuality in schools, his writings about his past drug abuse and his onetime contempt for religion.

I went to Afghanistan and all I got was H1N1  —  It started as a cough.  It wasn't the kind of cough where something is temporarily stuck in your throat.  It wasn't the kind of cough where simply clearing your throat would've been adequate.  This was the kind of cough that hurts when you do it.