White House official: ‘Organized labor just flushed $10 million down the toilet’  —  A senior White House official just called me with a very pointed message for the administration's sometime allies in organized labor, who invested heavily in beating Blanche Lincoln, Obama's candidate, in Arkanas.

Was Israel A Mistake?  —  So far, no luck on anti-Zionist columnists.  And being critical of Israel does not mean you're an anti-Zionist.  But a reader did note this 2006 column by Richard Cohen.  Money quote: … I was thinking recently how a Burkean could defend the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.

Palin's backing pays off for pals  —  Some of Sarah Palin's riskiest endorsements scored major victories Tuesday for the former Alaska governor, showing off her power in Republican primaries.  —  Palin had four primary endorsements in play - Carly Fiorina, Nikki Haley, Terry Branstad and Cecile Bledsoe …

Reid Opponent Embraces Patriot Group That Warns Of ‘Giant Concentration Camps’  —  The peculiar ideology of Sharron Angle, the Republican nominee challenging Sen. Harry Reid in Nevada, is perhaps no better illustrated than by her embrace of the patriot group Oath Keepers …

The Alien in the White House  —  The distance between the president and the people is beginning to be revealed.  —  The deepening notes of disenchantment with Barack Obama now issuing from commentators across the political spectrum were predictable.  So, too, were the charges …

This is the Sound of Hope Dying  —  Yesterday afternoon, Lindsay Graham confirmed that he's bailing from efforts to pass a climate change bill.  The odds weren't looking good for this legislation, but now they're hard to distinguish from zero.  And the news gets worse after the midterms.

Reuters Admits Cropping Photos of Ship Clash, Denies Political Motive  —  On the left, the uncropped photo.  On the right, Reuters' released photo.  (Reuters)  —  The British-based Reuters news agency has been stung for the second time by charges that it edited politically sensitive photos in a way that casts Israel in a bad light.

‘Lying face to face’  —  NEW BRITAIN — A member of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's staff, himself a former major and judge advocate in the U.S. Marines, is calling Blumenthal a liar and disgrace to the Marine Corps for representing himself repeatedly as having served in Vietnam.

Boehner to Obama: Find some ‘ass to kick’ on the budget deficit  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that President Barack Obama should find someone's “ass to kick” regarding the budget deficit.  —  The Republican leader riffed off comments the president made Tuesday …

The GOP Is Blowing It  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Republicans are poised for a landslide this fall.  But as Tuesday's primary results show, the party's fetish for ideological purity is hurting their chances of winning elections.  —  For the Republican Party, Tuesday's primaries contain good news and bad news.

The Climate Majority  —  ON Thursday, the Senate will vote on a resolution proposed by Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, that would scuttle the Environmental Protection Agency's plans to limit emissions of greenhouse gases by American businesses.  —  Passing the resolution might seem to be exactly what Americans want.

CA Voters Nix Baby Step on Public Financing, Pass Game-Changing Primary System  —  On June 8, California voters turned down campaign-finance reform but embraced an unusual new primary system.  The results last night were a mixed bag.  The biggest disappointment is that Prop.

TRENDING: Gore daughter separates from husband  —  Karenna Gore Schiff, the oldest daughter of former Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore.  —  (CNN) - Karenna Gore Schiff, the oldest daughter of former Vice President Al Gore and Tipper Gore, has separated from her husband, Dr. Andrew Schiff …

Nancy Pelosi, the liberal House speaker, is heckled by liberals  —  For 17 months, anger at President Obama and congressional Democrats has been pooling on the left.  On Tuesday morning, it spilled onto the floor of an Omni Shoreham ballroom and splashed all over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

American Jewish community ends support of Turkish interests on Hill  —  In October 2000, the government of Turkey had a problem.  —  House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert had promised to bring a resolution commemorating the Armenian genocide to the floor for a vote, a move that Ankara said would be a slap in the face to a NATO ally.