On being labeled as ‘racist’  —  A clear pattern of behavior has emerged over the last 16 months.  According to liberals, if you disagree with their thinking, and if you disagree with the Obama administration, you are not only wrong, you are a “racist.”  —  The latest strike by the left comes …

Charlotte zings Reid from beyond the grave  —  Election 2010 has just heard from a member of the Silent Majority.  —  You know, from a deceased person.  —  Chances are good you never met Charlotte McCourt during her 84 years, but I'm willing to bet you'll be hearing about her in the coming days …

EXCLUSIVE: Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston Are Engaged!  —  Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston reveal exclusively in the new Us Weekly that they are getting married.  —  And, they tell Us Weekly, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been kept in the dark about their plans ... until now.

Megyn Kelly's minstrel show  —  I don't really get a chance to watch TV in Unalaska, and the one thing I miss is Megyn Kelly of Fox News.  The last week or so of her work — her one woman crusade against the New Black Panther Party — has been truly riveting television.

Reflections on the Jim Bunning presidency  —  Brian Beutler reports and ruminates on the failure of Democrats (at this point I could use a shortcut key to type those three words) to do what seemed like it would be easy — shame the GOP into going along with unemployment insurance extensions or “jobs bills.”

Bill Clinton back in the White House, holds economic meeting with Obama  —  Burdened by low approval on the economy, President Obama brought former president Bill Clinton and investor Warren Buffett to the White House on Wednesday to talk about job creation.

NBC, CBS refuse ground zero mosque ad  —  CBS and NBC have refused to air a provocative ad from the confrontational, well-funded National Republican Trust PAC that calls on Americans to oppose the building of a mosque two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

Journalism Needs Government Help  —  Media budgets have been decimated as the Internet facilitates a communications revolution.  More public funding for news-gathering is the answer.  —  We have entered a momentous period in the history of the American press.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Out Of Control Mel Gibson Says He'll Burn Down House After Demanding Sex  —  WARNING: This audio may not be reproduced or republished.  —  An out of control Mel Gibson demands sex from his girlfriend and tells her he will burn down the house afterwards in one of the most bizarre …

Memo to media: Pamela Geller does not belong on national television  —  Numerous mainstream media outlets have recently hosted right-wing “Atlas Shrugs” blogger Pamela Geller to discuss the controversy surrounding a proposed Islamic community center set to be built blocks away from Ground Zero.

The Reeducation of Rand Paul  —  Soon after Rand Paul won Kentucky's GOP Senate primary in May, his campaign was rocked — not by an affair or a kamikaze YouTube clip, but by his own textbook libertarianism.  In a series of post-election interviews, Paul criticized parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 …

58% of Real Income Growth Since 1976 Went to Top 1% (and Why That Matters)  —  If you have any doubts about how easy it is for someone who works hard in the US to get ahead, consider this factoid from Martin Wolf's latest comment in the Financial Times, on Raghuram Rajan's new book (see Satyajit Das' review here:

White House to Unveil List of Free Preventative Services  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration on Wednesday will unveil new rules specifying which preventive health services will be free to consumers under the new health law.  —  Cancer screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies …

McInnis's Colo. gubernatorial bid derailed by plagiarism charges  —  Former Rep. Scott McInnis's (R-Colo.) gubernatorial campaign is in a fight for its life as charges of plagiarism have led to questions of whether McInnis can stay in the race.  —  Republicans in Colorado say he's a dead man walking …

This is what a fierce advocate looks like  —  Argentina is the latest country to consider same-sex marriage rights; the legislature is set to debate the issue today.  President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner supports the legislation and gave this interview to a Chinese news crew while visiting the country on a diplomatic mission.

Nobody Understands The Liquidity Trap (Wonkish)  —  Sigh.  In an otherwise useful article about divisions in the Fed, Jon Hilsenrath says this: … Sorry, but that's totally wrong.  The question is whether, at the zero bound, the Fed has the ability to increase aggregate demand — full stop.

Judge blocks new Neb. abortion screening law  —  OMAHA, Neb. - A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a new Nebraska law requiring mental health screenings for women seeking abortions because the measure could have made it impossible to get an abortion in the state.

How Bad is the Job Situation, Really?  —  (cross-posted at ProgressiveFix.com and FrumForum.com)  —  When it comes to economic conditions, I'm generally a glass-three-quarters-full kind of guy.  Take unemployment.  Quick—what was the risk in 2008 that an American worker would experience at least one bout of unemployment?

VP Favorable Ratings: Gore Down, Cheney Up, Biden Flat  —  Americans more negative than positive toward Gore, Cheney  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' current views of former Vice President Al Gore have become significantly more negative compared with three years ago, and are among the worst for him in more than a decade.

Climategate and the Big Green Lie  —  By way of preamble, let me remind you where I stand on climate change.  I think climate science points to a risk that the world needs to take seriously.  I think energy policy should be intelligently directed towards mitigating this risk.  I am for a carbon tax.

GOP senators float amendment to stop Arizona lawsuit  —  Two Republican senators announced Wednesday they will attempt to amend legislation to prevent the Obama administration from suing Arizona over its controversial immigration law.  —  Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.) and David Vitter (La.) …

Obama Administration Approves First Direct Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Through New High-Risk Insurance Pools  —  (CNSNews.com) - If you want proof that President Obama's Executive Order on taxpayer-funded abortion was a sham, look no further than Pennsylvania, says House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio).

Former Vice President Dick Cheney gets new heart device  —  (Reuters) - Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems, said on Wednesday he has had a new heart pump implanted.  —  “A few weeks ago, it became clear that I was entering a new phase of the disease …