W.H. political team stumbles, bumbles  —  They toppled Hillary Clinton, crushed John McCain and managed to get the first black man elected president of the United States.  —  But now a series of recent missteps just keeps getting worse for Barack Obama's political operation …

American, 19, Among Gaza Flotilla Dead  —  Furkan Dogan Was Shot Five Times, Including Four Times in Head  —  A U.S. citizen who lived in Turkey is among the nine people killed when Israeli commandos stormed a Turkish aid ship heading for the Gaza Strip, officials said today.

'I'd do it again' former President Bush tells Grand Rapids crowd about waterboarding terrorists … GRAND RAPIDS — Former President George W. Bush was by turns affable, relaxed — and deadly serious in his local appearance Wednesday.  —  “Yeah, we water-boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,” …

Kiss and Tell, Tell, Tell  —  If chivalry were still alive and well anywhere, I'd expect it to be in South Carolina.  But clearly South Carolina politicos cannot keep their mouths shut about who they've slept with.  —  You'll remember that in one of the text messages Nikki Haley's first accuser …

Things Everyone In Chicago Knows  —  Which happen not to be true.  —  It was deeply depressing to see Raguram Rajan write this: … That's a claim that has been refuted over and over again.  But what happens, I believe, is that in Chicago they don't listen at all to what the unbelievers say and write …

Nuclear Option on Gulf Oil Spill?  No Way, U.S. Says  —  The chatter began weeks ago as armchair engineers brainstormed for ways to stop the torrent of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico: What about nuking the well?  —  Decades ago, the Soviet Union reportedly used nuclear blasts …

Golden Girls Star Rue McClanahan Dies at 76  —  Golden Girl Rue McClanahan has died at the age of 76.  —  “She passed away at 1 a.m. this morning,” her manager, Barbara Lawrence, tells PEOPLE.  “She had a massive stroke.”  —  McClanahan, who played man-happy Blanche Devereaux …

Director James Cameron says BP turned down help offer  —  PALOS VERDES, Calif (Reuters) - Film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron said on Wednesday that BP Plc turned down his offer to help combat the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  —  “Over the last few weeks I've watched …

How not to save news  —  The Federal Trade Commis sion says it wants to save journalism.  I'm not sure who asked it to.  —  In a just-released “staff discussion draft” of “potential policy recommendations to support the reinvention of journalism,” the agency only circles its wagons around old newspapers …

The Times to Host Political Polling Site FiveThirtyEight  —  The New York Times said Thursday that it would begin hosting the popular blog FiveThirtyEight and make its founder, Nate Silver, a regular contributor to the newspaper and the Sunday magazine.  —  Mr. Silver, a statistical wizard …

Balls  —  See if you can find the person in this video with balls:  —  Paul Brasel  —  KeninMontana said it best, “That kid has balls that CLANK solid steel.”  Good on him.  —  Robert Mahoney  —  I am glad the picture said it all.  I frankly don't have 7 minutes and 19 seconds to waste on idiots.

New memos detail Republican Frederic Malek's role in Nixon campaign against Jews  —  Frederic V. Malek, who is among Washington's wealthiest Republican power brokers, is discovering that even a single problematic episode in government service can be hard to shake.

Rep. Parker Griffith Discusses Loss in Tuesday's Primary  —  Congressman said he wasn't the voters' choice, and appreciates them making that clear in the election  —  HUNTSVILLE, AL - Congressman Parker Griffith said voters made their choice on Tuesday, and it was clear he wasn't it.

Poll: Angle leads among GOP to face Reid  —  Buoyed by endorsement from top conservatives, Sharron Angle has jumped into the lead among Republicans vying in Tuesday's primary for the right to face off against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this fall, according to a poll released Thursday.

Data Used to Justify Health Savings Effort Is Sometimes Shaky  —  In selling the health care overhaul to Congress, the Obama administration cited a once obscure research group at Dartmouth College to claim that it could not only cut billions in wasteful health care spending but make people healthier by doing so.

Gaza flotilla: How Israel's ministry of foreign affairs fakes photos of seized weapons  —  On the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs' Flickr page, the pictures of the so-called weapons seized on the ships taking part in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla provide ample evidence of the deviousness of those darned anti-semitic terrorists.

Sources: Commissioner Selig Reviews Galarraga Game  —  Major League Baseball sources with direct knowledge of the meeting confirm that key members of baseball's hierarchy were to convene this morning in New York to review the circumstances of Umpire Jim Joyce's erroneous “safe” …

Statehouse Picture Slowly Emerging  —  Larry J. Sabato, Director, U.Va. Center for Politics  —  There's now no question that the gubernatorial turnover in November will be historic, with half or more of the states electing new governors (see our previous article on the subject here).

Election 2010: Connecticut Senate  —  Connecticut Senate: Blumenthal 56%, McMahon 33%  —  Democrat Richard Blumenthal apparently has weathered charges that he exaggerated his military service in Vietnam for years and is running as strongly as ever against both his Republican challengers in Connecticut's race for the U.S. Senate.