GOP leaders let demagogues set tone, lawmaker says  —  WASHINGTON - Too many Republican leaders are acquiescing to a poisonous “demagoguery” that threatens the party's long-term credibility, says a veteran GOP House member who was defeated in South Carolina's primary last month.

“We will never go back to the way it once was,” the Supreme Court justice says.

The Obama-Pelosi Lame Duck Strategy  —  Union ‘card-check,’ cap and trade, and so much more.  —  Democratic House members are so worried about the fall elections they're leaving Washington on July 30, a full week earlier than normal—and they won't return until mid-September.

Election 2010: West Virginia Senate Special Election  —  West Virginia Senate: Manchin (D) 53%, Capito (R) 39%  —  A special Senate election this November to replace the late Robert Byrd is still awaiting the green light from West Virginia's attorney general, but popular Democratic Governor Joe Manchin …

55 Percent of Likely Voters Find ‘Socialist’ an Accurate Label of Obama?  —  The latest poll by Democracy Corps, the firm of James Carville and Stan Greenberg, has Republicans leading on the generic ballot among likely voters, 48 percent to 42 percent.  —  Deep in the poll, they ask, “Now …

Obama is convinced of his own magnificence, and hardly any of his own country's.

Obeying President Obama's dictum that it's always educational to check in with what the other side is saying, I checked in with MSNBC's Countdown the other night.  —  Sure enough, there was Keith Olbermann himself barking up I will admit, interesting leftist views on issues A, B …

Now Appearing - Muslim Stripper - Limited NSFW Engagement  —  See amazing video (49 sec.) in extended entry.

Headless bodies and other immigration tall tales in Arizona  —  Jan Brewer has lost her head.  —  The Arizona governor, seemingly determined to repel every last tourist dollar from her pariah state, has sounded a new alarm about border violence.  “Our law enforcement agencies have found bodies …

Walking Away From Million-Dollar Mortgages  —  LOS ALTOS, Calif. — No need for tears, but the well-off are losing their master suites and saying goodbye to their wine cellars.  —  The housing bust that began among the working class in remote subdivisions and quickly progressed …

How LeBron's Move Helps the Tea Party  —  So LeBron James is abandoning Cleveland for sunny Miami.  That's a tough break for Ohio sports fans.  But what effect might LeBron's departure have on Ohio's politics?  I think it helps the Tea Party, for reasons I'll lay out.

Christie looks to privatize motor vehicle inspections, other services  —  New Jersey would close its centralized car inspection lanes and motorists would pay for their own emissions tests under a sweeping set of recommendations set to be released by the Christie administration today.  —  Buy this photo

Family Says Nephew of Justice Clarence Thomas Was Beaten, Tazed at West Jeff Hospital  —  Meg Gatto - meg@abc26.com / Joe Rawley - joe@abc26.com  —  MARRERO — Family members of Derek Thomas, nephew of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, are alleging that the younger Thomas …

Monkeys trained as battlefield killers in Afghanistan  —  Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents are training monkeys to use weapons to attack American troops, according to a recent report by a British-based media agency.  —  Reporters from the media agency spotted and took photos of a few …

White House declines comment;  —  Political implications could be enormous  —  The gay rights law group that convinced a federal district court judge Thursday to strike down a federal ban on gay marriage has told the New York Times they “fully expect” the Justice Department to appeal the decision …

Raising the Retirement Age  —  Via Ezra Klein, Here's a chart from Larry Mishel that's pretty astonishing.  It shows that since 1972 the life expectency of men with low incomes has increased by two years while life expectency for men with high incomes has increased by more than six years.

Corrected 11:03: An earlier version of this item incorrectly quoted Gen. James Mattis.  —  President Obama's pick to lead military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and the Middle East is an experienced ground combat commander, but also earned a stern rebuke in 2005 for controversial comments about combat operations.

Battle brews over nominee for ambassador to Turkey  —  A behind-the-scenes clash is playing out over President Obama's nominee to be the next U.S. ambassador to Turkey, a key Middle East post at a time of tense relations between Washington and an increasingly independent-minded Ankara.

Do the States Have the Power of Nullification?  —  In a recently published book, Nullification, author Tom Woods maintains that states have a power to nullify laws that exceed the powers of Congress to enact.  This claim has a long history, some of it distinguished-as in the case …

Arizona immigration law unlikely to survive federal lawsuit  —  Legal experts cite the longstanding principle that the federal government has exclusive control over immigration.  —  Immigrant rights supporters protest outside the Major League Baseball headquarters in New York City …

Yes, The Government Creates Jobs  —  As I was saying to a friend last night, one of the most frustrating things about the Obama administration is the tendency of its leaders and communicators to project a message that's absolutely demoralizing to progressive political activists.

The Town Hall Revolt, One Year Later  —  Democrats didn't get the message.  Will Republicans do better?  —  Much has happened in the dense and shifting political landscape of the past 18 months—the quick breakdown along partisan lines in Congress; continuing arguments over spending …

You Shall Know The Velocity of Our Money  —  Gross domestic products equals output times the price level (P * Y) which is the same as the money supply times the velocity of money (M * V), ergo recessions (declines in GDP) and inadequate recoveries (failures to catch up to the trend level of GDP) …