Iowa billboard compares Obama to Hitler; draws criticism  —  (AP) —A billboard created by an Iowa tea party group comparing President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Lenin is being condemned by other tea party activists.  —  The North Iowa Tea Party began displaying the sign in Mason City last week.

A Chart That Screams, ‘Extend Unemployment Benefits!’  —  At the end of May there were 3.2 million job openings, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  In the face of nearly 15 million unemployed, that's obviously not enough.  And if you add in those other Americans …

Crash Data Suggest Driver Error in Toyota Accidents  —  The U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed dozens of data recorders from Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles involved in accidents blamed on sudden acceleration and found that at the time of the crashes, throttles were wide open …

Pelosi rips Gibbs's House prediction  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bashed White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs in absentia Tuesday night, even after the president's top spokesman backpedaled from an earlier assertion that Democrats could lose control of the chamber in the November election.

Poll: Americans Say Bad Economy Will Linger  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  A majority of Americans have a negative impression of the economy and expect the effects of the recession to linger for years, according to a new CBS News poll.

Believing Sarah Palin  —  Like I said in my first post, I guest-blogged for the Daily Dish back in 2006.  I don't remember anyone, at the time, challenging the decision.  So I was unprepared for the rat-a-tat of criticism I got for signing up this week.  To quote Baseball Crank …

Megyn Kelly threatens to cut off Kirsten Powers “mic” over heated New Black Panther argument  —  FOX News has been ginning up a story about the hate group the “New Black Panthers” from the election on November 4th as some sort of ‘angry black man’ intimidation tactic that made Obama win the presidency.

New White House talking point: Al Qaeda is racist  —  First come the drone attacks, then comes the surge in Afghanistan, and now — the big one drops. … I like the idea behind it.  It's a cheap, hopefully effective way of combating jihadi recruitment in Africa by elevating racial pride above religious identity.

It's Unanimous!  GOP Says No To Unemployment Benefits, Yes To Tax Cuts For The Rich  —  For weeks, Senate Republicans have filibustered an extension of unemployment benefits on the grounds that Democrats aren't willing to cut spending or raise taxes to pay for them.

Crist leads 3-way Senate race in Florida  —  (Reuters) - Florida Governor Charlie Crist holds a narrow edge over Republican Marco Rubio in a three-way Senate race dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.  —  Crist, who left the Republican Party …

Rand Paul Faces Backlash After Suggesting That America's Poor Don't Have It That Bad (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  AP/Huffington Post - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul says the poor in America are “enormously better off than the rest of the world,” citing an old Cold War film …

Lesbian Prison Gangs Waiting to Get Hands on Lindsay Lohan, Report Says  —  Inmates of the jail where Lindsay Lohan is set to spend up to 90 days have warned of gangs out to attack the starlet, saying “everyone will want a piece of her”, The Sun reported Tuesday.

McInnis' articles for foundation lift ideas, words directly from 20-year-old essay  —  Although GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis presented his “Musings on Water” for publication as original works, portions are identical and nearly identical to an essay on water written 20 years earlier …

Tea Party Favorite Loses GOP Runoff in Alabama  —  Mainstream GOP candidate beats tea party activist in runoff for Ala House seat held by Dems  —  A mainstream Republican has rolled past a tea party activist in the GOP runoff for a southeast Alabama congressional seat that Republicans hope to reclaim.

Manchin to make Senate appointment by Friday  —  From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell  —  Earlier today, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin released special session legislation which will clarify the state code on the succession process for the vacant senate seat left due to the passing of longtime Senator Robert Byrd.

Suffer These Crimes in Oakland?  Don't Call the Cops  —  Dozens of layoffs effective at midnight, barring last minute deal  —  Oakland's police chief is making some dire claims about what his force will and will not respond to if layoffs go as planned.  —  Chief Anthony Batts listed …

Fiscal Fibs and Follies  —  print recommend Send link clip secure rights  —  BERKELEY - Across the globe, the debate over fiscal consolidation has the distinct sound of two sides talking past one another.  —  On one side are those who insist that governments must move now, at all cost, to rein in budget deficits.

It's Not “Just the Economy, Stupid” This Time  —  It's almost certain that the Democrats are heading for a terrible election in the fall - the only real dispute is whether it will be merely a bad election or a truly horrendous one.  And so, the pre-mortems have already begun.