Confidence in Obama reaches new low, Washington Post-ABC News poll finds  —  Public confidence in President Obama has hit a new low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.  Four months before midterm elections that will define the second half of his term …

Obama strategy against Palin, or other GOP foes?  Run against Bush  —  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs didn't talk about Sarah Palin specifically yesterday, but he did address any Republican who is thinking about challenging President Obama in 2012.  —  The bottom line …

Dems, AARP want to make IRA enrollment automatic  —  The White House and congressional Democrats, with the backing of the AARP, will soon put forth a plan to automatically enroll new private-sector employees in investment retirement accounts (IRAs).  —  The measure will apply to new workers …

Tea party groups choose to stand mute on same-sex marriage ruling  —  While many conservative organizations immediately decried a federal judge's decision last week to invalidate the federal ban on recognizing gay marriages, tea party groups have been conspicuously silent on the issue.

A Congressman, Held Accountable  —  If you don't think voters are up in arms about the discriminatory policies of Barack Obama's Department of Justice, check out this video of a town hall meeting held by Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, CA-27.  A constituent asks him about DOJ's dismissal …

Zuckerman's contribution  —  Real Estate and media mogul Mort Zuckerman raised eyebrows all over yesterday with the claim on Fox that he “helped write one of [Obama's] speeches,” and his subsequent refusal to go into it right now.  —  Among those with reason to be puzzled …

Beyond Guns: N.R.A. Expands Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Fresh off a string of victories in the courts and Congress, the National Rifle Association is flexing political muscle outside its normal domain, with both Democrats and Republicans courting its favor and avoiding its wrath on issues that sometimes seem to have little to do with guns.

Ben Nelson Leaves Dems One Vote Shy Of Wall Street Reform  —  Democrats in Washington might want to nudge West Virginia governor Joe Manchin to name a replacement for Sen. Robert Byrd already.  —  The good news for Dems is that tonight, in a statement to reporters, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) hopped aboard the Wall Street reform train.

Republican senator says he backs birther lawsuits  —  WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says he supports conservative organizations challenging President Barack Obama's citizenship in court.  —  Vitter, who is running for re-election, made the comments at a town hall-style event …

The Coming Birth Control Battle  —  Health-care reform raised the possibility that birth control could soon be free for most women.  But not if conservative activists have their way.  Dana Goldstein reports.  —  Could prescription birth control—whether the pill, an IUD, or a diaphragm …

George Steinbrenner, owner of New York Yankees, has died in Tampa at age of 80  —  George Steinbrenner, a towering and intimidating figure who dominated the New York sports scene for 35 years, winning 11 American League pennants and seven world championships as owner of the Yankees …

Media Maven  —  The strategic genius of Sarah Palin.  —  Like most great women of mystery, Sarah Palin is at once everywhere and nowhere.  On any given evening, you might see the former Alaska governor-turned-conservative- icon on Fox News, chatting up like-minded travelers about the political buzz du jour.

Reader Thoughts: Why Pickup Artists Are Lame  —  Reader DavidBN explains some of the sadness of pickup artists: … Incidentally, I'm being accused in the comments of engaging in some sort of conspiracy to keep the Beta Man down.  More on primate theory later, but for now let me point …

Corporations not hoarding cash  —  Over the past couple of weeks, a lot of people have been talking about how corporations are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash reserves and that if we could just get them to feel more confident, we could unleash a massive private-sector stimulus.

The Bush Tax Cuts and the Deficit Myth  —  Runaway government spending, not declining tax revenues, is the reason the U.S. faces dramatic budget shortfalls for years to come.  —  President Obama and congressional Democrats are blaming their trillion-dollar budget deficits on the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Another Mel Gibson Slur Caught On Tape In Crazed Rage - Listen To It Here  —  Warning: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  Mel Gibson is caught using yet another ethnic slur while going on a crazed rampage on new audio exclusively obtained and released by RadarOnline.com.

Mocking war hero Nick Popaditch: A teachable moment  —  On Sunday night, several readers e-mailed to let me know about a cartoon in the Imperial Valley (CA) Press that upset them immensely.  —  Reader Marty sent the jpeg.  It shows two young skateboarder punks looking up at a campaign poster.

N.Y. Congressman Calls for Inquiry Into Funding of Mosque Near Ground Zero  —  May 25: Community members both for and against the plan to build a mosque and cultural center near Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan speak during board meeting.  —  NEW YORK — The ranking Republican …

Kathy Griffin's ‘My Life on the D-List’ trip to Washington falls flat on humor  —  Kathy Griffin, a relentless publicity seeker who has built her comic persona around seeming less famous than she's actually become, brought her “My Life on the D-List” camera crew to Washington in March to show …

Farrakhan Demands Reparations from Jews  —  Louis Farrakhan recently sent a three-page letter along with two books to the heads of 16 Jewish organizations.  —  Dated June 24, 2010, the letter is resplendent with a crescent-and-moon flag and Farrakhan's impressive-sounding title …

4 missionaries charged in Dearborn festival proselytizing  —  Dearborn — Four Christian missionaries were arraigned today on misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace following their June 18 arrest at the Arab International Festival.  —  Negeen Mayel, 18, of California; Nabeel Qureshi …

Strategic Defaulters as the New Welfare Queens  —  A well placed Washington contact wrote: … Yves here.  What continues to amaze me is how fast the disinformation is being shoveled out: … So why all this hysteria about strategic defaulters?  If I were conspiracy-minded …