This Year's Maverick  —  Lindsey Graham was sitting in a sedan early one morning and contentedly discussing the various fellow South Carolina conservatives who dislike him — Tea Partiers, Constitutionalists, immigration hardliners — when Van Cato, his upstate regional director …

Barack Obama is among best presidents ever - George W. Bush not so much, say scholars in Siena poll  —  George W. Bush was no FDR, but Barack Obama could be.  —  That's the verdict of 238 of the nation's leading presidential scholars, who - for a fifth time - rated Franklin Delano Roosevelt …

Cantwell a ‘yes’ on Wall St. reform  —  Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington announced Thursday that she'll support a sweeping Wall Street reform bill, bringing Democrats one vote closer to securing Senate passage.  —  Cantwell, who voted against similar legislation on the Senate floor …

First look at Daily Kos's lawsuit: Charges Research 2000 with “fraudulently manufacturing phony results”  —  I've obtained a copy of the lawsuit that Daily Kos just filed against Research 2000, and this going to get nastier than you thought.  —  The suit contains striking new details …

Boehner doesn't refute the notion that he's drinking at bars every night.  —  During a press conference earlier today, House Republican leader John Boehner was asked about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough's accusation that “every Republican I talk to says John Boehner, by 5 or 6 o'clock at night, you can see him at bars.”

Gaffetastic.  Obama Blows Line From Statue of Liberty in Immigration Address — It's Even Wrong on the White House Website!  —  Your huddled masses yearning to be free..." … Umm... It's “yearning to breathe free”, Barack.  —  Barack Obama blew a line from Emma Lazarus' poem …

House Democrats pass ‘budget enforcement resolution’ by 215-210  —  House Democrats passed a budget document Thursday that sets discretionary spending at levels below those proposed by President Barack Obama but doesn't address how Congress should cut deficits.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Mel Gibson's Racist Rant Caught On Tape - Tells Oksana She Would Get ‘Raped By N***ers’  —  In one of the most explosive, racist and vile outbursts by a celebrity ever caught on tape, Mel Gibson told the mother of his love child that the way she was dressed would get her …

Praying For Christopher Hitchens  —  I know he doesn't want me to and I know he thinks it is useless but, Christopher Hitchens, I am praying for you.  —  Christopher Hitchens can be smart, acerbic, funny, mean, insightful, and thick.  He defends Western Civilization while, via his outspoken atheism …

Objectivity of spill probe panel is questioned  —  WASHINGTON — On the same day the White House commission investigating the Gulf oil spill announced its first meetings — July 12-13 in New Orleans — a Senate committee cast what amounted to a no-confidence vote on the commission's objectivity.

Partisan Trends  —  Partisan Trends: 35.4% Democrat 33.0% Republican  —  During the month of June, the number of Republicans across the nation inched up by a full percentage point while the number of Democrats increased fractionally.  It is normal for the number unaffiliated with each party …

Voting Intentions Even, Turnout Indicators Favor GOP  —  Older Americans Eager to Vote... Republican, That Is  —  With four months to go before Election Day, voting intentions for the House remain closely divided, and neither party has gained or lost much ground over the course of 2010.

Google to Add Pay to Cover a Tax for Same-Sex Benefits  —  Working for a company as rich as Google comes with an incredible number of fringe benefits: the free food, the free laundry, the doctor on duty at company headquarters and the impressive five months of maternity leave with full pay and benefits, to mention a few.

BREAKING: Pelosi Sneaked Approval of Vote on Debt Commission Recommendations into Rule Regarding War Funding, Vote Happening Tonight  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (photo by Orin)  —  FDL has learned that in a last minute move, Nancy Pelosi sneaked language into the rule that the House is voting on tonight regarding war funding.

Gov. Chris Christie calls for Republican Party rebranding  —  At the heart of Christie's appeal, both within the state and outside its border, is an unfiltered, straightforward approach that is startlingly different from many of his gubernatorial colleagues.

Short-term insurance buyers in Massachusetts  —  Kay Lazar reports on the increase in part-year insurance buyers described in a new Massachusetts Division of Insurance report in today's Boston Globe. … Part of the problem is that individuals can jump in and out of coverage anytime during the year.

Health law risks turning away sick  —  The Obama administration has not ruled out turning sick people away from an insurance program created by the new healthcare law to provide coverage for the uninsured.  —  Critics of the $5 billion high-risk pool program insist it will run out of money before Jan. 1, 2014.

NRA Now Leans Toward Endorsing Harry Reid  —  Multiple sources tell me the National Rifle Association is planning to endorse liberal Harry Reid against pro-gun champion Sharron Angle.  —  Two weeks ago, I told you about the carveout the NRA received in exchange for their support for the DISCLOSE ACT deal.

Study: Newspapers stopped describing waterboarding as ‘torture’ during Bush years  —  Is waterboarding torture?  If you picked up a major U.S. newspaper before 2004, the answer would likely be yes, according to a new Harvard University study.  —  But in the post-9/11 world …