McConnell: Medicare recess appointment is ‘truly outrageous’  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday blasted the White House for its plan to sidestep Congress in appointing Donald Berwick to lead Medicare.  —  “As if shoving a trillion-dollar government takeover …

Republicans And Democrats Lining Up Behind Major Changes To Social Security  —  Is there a new, bipartisan consensus forming on Capitol Hill about whether (and how) to scale back Social Security benefits?  A surprising number of signs point to “yes” — and that has many progressives looking ahead …

Obama Job Approval Rating Down to 38% Among Independents  —  Overall job ratings for the president continue to be below majority level  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Thirty-eight percent of independents approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, the first time independent approval of Obama …

America's most unlikely politician  —  Last month, an unknown, unemployed former soldier astonished America by becoming the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's upcoming senate election.  How on earth did he do it?  —  The journey to the home of one of the most enigmatic figures to emerge …

A New Generation, an Elusive American Dream  —  GRAFTON, Mass. — After breakfast, his parents left for their jobs, and Scott Nicholson, alone in the house in this comfortable suburb west of Boston, went to his laptop in the living room.  He had placed it on a small table that his mother …

Why I am blacklisted by MSNBC  —  In case you were wondering why you haven't seen me on MSNBC recently, it seems that Joe Scarborough, he of the lowest rated morning show in cableland, has blackballed me.  And Phil Griffin, the alleged president of MSNBC, is going along with it.

Something Is Happening In Palinland  —  From Mercede Johnston's blog: … That's a very good question.  So is the question of how Palin finally put the screws on Levi.  In Palinland, no one knows what's really going on.  But I wonder if this is a somewhat panicked response …

Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans  —  The Democratic Party is moving faster and more aggressively than in previous election years to dig up unflattering details about Republican challengers.  In House races from New Jersey to Ohio to California …

Tipper Gore Isn't Buying Masseuse's Story  —  According to the tabloids, the last straw in Al and Tipper Gore's 40-year marriage was massage therapist Molly Hagerty's claim the former Vice President demanded sexual favors during a 2006 massage in his Portland, Ore. hotel room.

Mitt Romney's dumb critique of Obama's New START nuke treaty.  —  In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney's attack on the New START treaty in the July 6 Washington Post.

Darrell Issa Emerges as Obama's Annoyer-in-Chief  —  WASHINGTON — As a sign of the pride Representative Darrell Issa takes in annoying the Obama administration, consider his account of a recent exchange with Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman and now the White House chief of staff.

There is no ‘free’ lemonade  —  In giving drink away, girls ignore rules of economics — and sum up what's wrong with U.S.  —  This column is a true story — every word of it.  And I think it very appropriate to consider around the Fourth of July, Independence Day spirit.

Mob shoots fireworks at police, firefighters  —  ALTON - First responders from the Alton Fire Department and five officers from the Alton Police Department were attacked by a crowd of several hundred people in the Oakwood Housing Complex who shot large bottle rockets at them.

CNN's Octavia Nasr Leaving Network After Controversial Hezbollah Tweet  —  In the latest case of new media (or oversharing) gone wrong, CNN's Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr is leaving the company following the controversy caused by her tweet in praise of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah

Okla., S.C., Utah could pass Ariz.-style anti-immigration laws  —  Which state is the next Arizona?  —  Attention is focused on the federal government's decision to challenge Arizona's strict anti-immigration law, but three other states could pass similar legislation next year.

Former Fox News Producer Committed Suicide, Investigators Say (Updated)  —  Julianna Rolle, a 39 year-old former Fox News producer, was found dead at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff last weekend in her hometown of Rancho Palos Verdes, California.  Authorities now say she jumped to her death.

Why Isn't Investment Higher?  —  Truly, we live in a time of mass delusion — or maybe make that elite delusion — where there are lots of things that everyone believes, without a shred of evidence to back that belief.  Here's one more: everywhere you go, you encounter the claim that businesses …

Head Of 'World's Largest Interactive Christian Website' Calls Out Beck's ‘Deception’ About His Mormonism  —  Glenn Beck often speaks about faith on his radio show and Fox News program, but he almost never mentions his own faith — Mormonism.  Beck's audience largely consists of conservative Christians …

Good news: Michigan school district effectively bans white teachers from being hired  —  UPDATE: On second thought, it is interesting that liberals want to beat conservatives over the head with a legal shovel when it suits their purposes.  But when the law is against their ideological goals, they flip it the finger.

Obama Asks Court to Reinstate Ban on Deepwater Drilling  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has asked a federal court in Louisiana to reinstate the ban on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the moratorium was a rational response to the unprecedented emergency of the BP oil spill.

Colorado Pols Responds to Newspaper Legal Threats  —  UPDATE: Check out this note we received from David Mastio, Deputy Editorial Page Editor at The Washington Times: … You might have noticed that the principal authors of Colorado Pols have not cited The Denver Post, or several other newspapers in the state, for some weeks.

Crack the Code in Cyber Command's Logo  —  The U.S. military's new Cyber Command is headquartered at Ft. Meade, Maryland, one of the military's most secretive and secure facilities.  Its mission is largely opaque, even inside the armed forces.  But the there's another mystery surrounding the emerging unit.

Sen. David Vitter: Case of Violent Aide Old News  —  Louisiana Senator Brushes Off Questions About His Decision to Retain Staffer After Arrest  —  Louisiana Sen. David Vitter today offered his first public response to questions about the behavior of his longtime aide, who resigned last month …

Graham criticizes Obama suit against Ariz. immigration law  —  Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas) have sided with the state of Arizona in its battle with the Department of Justice over a controversial state immigration law.  —  Graham's declaration of opposition …

Rachel Maddow Reports From Kandahar; or, Just When You Thought DOD Got Beat Up on Rolling Stone and McChrystal...  I caught a little coverage earlier of Rachel Maddow's reporting from Afghanistan.  Yeah, you read that right: The fever swamp leftist with her own show on MSNBC is actually in Afghanistan to report on the war.