Jon Kyl gives away the game on deficits  —  “[Y]ou should never raise taxes in order to cut taxes,” Jon Kyl said on Fox News Sunday.  “Surely Congress has the authority, and it would be right to — if we decide we want to cut taxes to spur the economy, not to have to raise taxes in order to offset those costs.

2012: What Palin Is, and Isn't, Doing  —  Sarah Palin's PAC disclosure release has occasioned a new round of “Will she or won't she?”  If we take the dictum that one's judgment is more easily interrogated than one's motivation, we're left with a simple answer: she's seriously thinking about running for president.

Felons Voting Illegally May Have Put Franken Over the Top in Minnesota, Study Finds  —  The six-month election recount that turned former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Al Franken into a U.S. senator may have been decided by convicted felons who voted illegally in Minnesota's Twin Cities.

Democrats Gone Wild: Rep. Ciro Rodriguez Loses It  —  I've often noted that I expect this to be a long, hot summer.  The mid-term elections are inching closer and Democrats are having to finally admit that they are in real political trouble.  For those keeping score at home, let's recap …

Michelle Obama Rouses NAACP Before Vote Condemning ‘Racist’ Elements of Tea Party  —  Tea Party Leaders Say Political Motivation Driving NAACP Agenda  —  First Lady Michelle Obama brought renewed energy to the NAACP today, delivering the keynote speech at the annual convention …

Harvey Pekar, Cleveland comic-book legend, dies at age 70  —  CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — Harvey Pekar's life was not an open book.  It was an open comic book.  —  Pekar chronicled his life and times in the acclaimed autobiographical comic book series, “American Splendor,” …

In the heat wave, the case against air conditioning  —  Washington didn't grind to a sweaty halt last week under triple-digit temperatures.  People didn't even slow down.  Instead, the three-day, 100-plus-degree, record-shattering heat wave prompted Washingtonians to crank …

The Class War We Need  —  The rich are different from you and me.  They know how to game the system.  —  That's one interpretation, at least, of last week's news that Americans with million-dollar mortgages are defaulting at almost twice the rate of the typical homeowner.

EXCLUSIVE NEW AUDIO: Mel Gibson Admits Hitting Oksana, Threatens To Kill Her - Listen To It Here  —  WARNING: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson, under investigation for domestic violence, admits to hitting Oksana Grigorieva and TWICE threatens to kill …

Brown to support Wall Street reform; Dems edge closer to 60  —  Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) announced Monday he will vote for Wall Street reform when it comes up for a final vote, all but assuring Democrats the 60 votes they need to pass the legislation.  —  Brown voted for the bill …

Drilling ban reissued  —  Interior Secretary Ken Salazar reissued a moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling Monday, after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the White House's appeal of a lower court decision to halt the drilling ban.  —  The reinstated ban will " protect communities …

Obama at odds with Petraeus doctrine on ‘Islam’  —  The White House's official policy of banning the word “Islam” in describing America's terrorist enemies is in direct conflict with the U.S. military's war-fighting doctrine now guiding commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Americans Unsure About “Progressive” Political Label  —  More than twice as many say label does not describe them as say it does  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup polling reveals widespread public uncertainty about the “progressive” political label — a label recently embraced by no less than Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Stuff  —  As I mentioned in my last entry, I've been watching Babylon 5 lately.  It's not a perfect show, but it has one big advantage: it's consistent and believable.  —  Contrast this with Doctor Who.  Doctor Who is fun to watch, but if you think about it for more than two seconds …

When Was The New Black Panther Case Downgraded?  —  I did an interview with New York Daily News Columnist Errol Louis about the New Black Panther Party case today and realized that there's a specific data point that has been lost in all the breathless coverage of this case and whether …

The Feckless Fed  —  Back in 2002, a professor turned Federal Reserve official by the name of Ben Bernanke gave a widely quoted speech titled “Deflation: Making Sure ‘It’ Doesn't Happen Here.”  Like other economists, myself included, Mr. Bernanke was deeply disturbed by Japan's stubborn …

Polanski Is Free After Swiss Reject U.S. Extradition Request  —  Updated  —  Article: Swiss Reject U.S. Request to Extradite Polanski  —  The justice ministry of Switzerland said on Monday that it had denied a request to extradite the director Roman Polanski to the United States …

New conservative group will oppose Obama Mideast policy  —  Leading conservatives will launch a new pro-Israel group this week with a scathing attack on Rep. Joe Sestak, the Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, the first shot in what they say will be a confrontational campaign …

Senator LeMieux Endorses Rubio and Discusses Victory Strategies (VIDEO)  —  Regular readers of the Tank know that we have pulled no punches towards soon-to-be Democrat Governor Charlie Crist, which is why we're reposting Senator George LeMieux's endorsement of Marco Rubio.

Historic oil spill fails to produce gains for U.S. environmentalists  —  For environmentalists, the BP oil spill may be disproving the maxim that great tragedies produce great change.  —  Traditionally, American environmentalism wins its biggest victories after some important piece …

GOP ‘Young Guns’ to release book  —  Three top House Republicans are set to release a book this fall about the future of conservative politics, placing a younger set of GOP lawmakers center stage as the party makes its final push to win control of the House.