Republicans divided on the importance of an agenda for midterm elections  —  Sometime after Labor Day, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner plans to unveil a blueprint of what Republicans will do if they take back control of the chamber.  He promises it will be a full plate of policy proposals …

America's Ruling Class — And the Perils of Revolution  —  As over-leveraged investment houses began to fail in September 2008, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties, of major corporations, and opinion leaders stretching from the National Review magazine (and the Wall Street Journal) …

TRENDING: Vitter sorry for Maddow comment  —  Vitter is apologizing for a comment poking run at Rachel Maddow.  —  (CNN) - Republican Sen. David Vitter apologized to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow Friday after jesting on a radio program that she only looked like a woman “a long time ago.”

Introducing The Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit  —  For your entertainment pleasure this Friday evening, the folks at NewsBusters want to introduce you to “The Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit.”  —  Did you buy into Hope and Change a few years ago only to now feel embarrassed by what's adorning your wheels?

A conservative dismisses right-wing Black Panther ‘fantasies’  —  A scholar whom President George W. Bush appointed vice chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Abigail Thernstrom has a reputation as a tough conservative critic of affirmative action and politically correct positions on race.

A Mosque Grows Near Brooklyn  —  The dubious financing of ‘Cordoba House’ deserves scrutiny.  —  Since a proposal to construct a 15-story mosque and community center two blocks from Ground Zero was announced last year, the project has been a focus of widening protests.

Wealthy Reduce Buying in a Blow to the Recovery  —  The economic recovery has been helped in large part by the spending of the most affluent.  Now, even the rich appear to be tightening their belts.  —  Late last year, the highest-income households started spending more confidently, while other consumers held back.

Margaret Thatcher's family are ‘appalled’ at Meryl Streep film  —  Film about Margaret Thatcher's life, which is expected to star Meryl Streep, shows the former prime minister as a dementia-sufferer looking back at her life with sadness.  —  Tim Walker.  —  Although the prospect …

State Department warns employees about new website highlighting Top Secret facilities  —  The State Department is bracing for a potentially explosive new feature on the Washington Post website that would publish the names and locations of agencies and firms conducting Top Secret work on behalf …

Mexican drug cartels' newest weapon: Cold War-era grenades made in U.S.  —  MEXICO CITY — Grenades made in the United States and sent to Central America during the Cold War have resurfaced as terrifying new weapons in almost weekly attacks by Mexican drug cartels.

What Went Wrong: The Rahm Factor  —  A fascinating and depressing interview with David Obey: … But remember, the Cossacks work for the czar.

Treasury Makes A Mistake - Claiming They Are Not Blocking Elizabeth Warren  —  It's one thing to block Elizabeth Warren from heading the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  —  It's quite another thing to deny in public, for the record, that any such blocking is going on (e.g. …

Professor Of Military History Weighs in on the Implausibility of Bellesiles's Story  —  The Chronicle of Higher Education has not yet revealed the results of its investigation of the veracity of Michael Bellesiles's story about a dying soldier and his student brother.

Tricky Bibi  —  Israel has had many rightist leaders since Menachem Begin promised “many Elon Morehs,” but there has never been one like Netanyahu, who wants to do it by deceit.  —  This video should have been banned for broadcast to minors.  This video should have been shown in every home in Israel …

Bigoted Tea Party Leader Mark Williams: 'It's Impossible For There To Be A Racist Element In The Tea Party'  —  Mark Williams, the former chairman and current spokesperson of Tea Party Express, went on MSNBC today to again deny that there is any racism in the tea party, and to bash the NAACP …