Afghan War Diary, 2004-2010  —  25th July 2010 5:00 PM EST WikiLeaks has released a document set called the Afghan War Diary (AWD), an extraordinary compendium of over 91,000 reports covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010.  —  The reports, while written by soldiers …

Sherrod: “We Must Stop The White Man And His Uncle Toms ...”  —  First, a note of heartfelt appreciation for Joan Walsh of Salon.  Her moving post on Charles Sherrod - in defense of his wife, Shirley - provided the inspiration required to dust off my Google skills.

Oliver Stone: ‘Jewish-Dominated Media’ Prevents Hitler from Being Portrayed ‘in Context’  —  Director Oliver Stone belittled the Holocaust during a shocking interview with the Sunday Times today, claiming that America's focus on the Jewish massacre was a product of the “Jewish domination of the media.”

Senate hopeful Buck regrets criticism of Tea Party birthers  —  Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Buck called Tea Partyers questioning the authenticity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate “dumba—s” to a Democratic operative recording his comments without his permission.

Defining Lynching Down.  —  My apologies for being in Shirley Sherrod overdrive recently, but this piece from Jeffrey Lord nearly made my eyes pop out of my head.  After reviewing the Screws case, Lord concludes that Sherrod lied about Sheriff Claude Screws lynching Bobby Hall …

GOP lawmakers optimistic about ‘no’ votes  —  In February, when unpredictable Sen. Jim Bunning single-handedly stalled extensions of unemployment benefits for several days, his Republican colleagues quickly abandoned him, worried that the GOP would be cast as the party against helping people who are out of work.

The Care and Feeding of the Liberal Psyche  —  I have a Netroots Nation wrap piece up at The Daily Beast saying that progressive activists are depressed and the White House hasn't done very much to offer the kind of psychic goodies that keep people's spirits up: … My prescription to cure the malaise is Elizabeth Warren:

Reid: Healthcare reform will help Dems this fall  —  Healthcare reform will end up helping Democrats at the polls this fall, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) suggested Monday.  —  Reid, who is facing a tough reelection challenge himself, said public opinion is shifting in favor …

More States “Competitive” in Terms of Party Identification  —  Democrats lose ground, while Republicans gain  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More states are politically competitive this year than was the case in 2009, as fewer Americans nationwide identify with the Democratic Party.

Fact Checking Bob Schieffer's Call For Better Fact Checking  —  Bob Schieffer of CBS News ‘Face The Nation’ is irrationally exuberant over the Shirley Sherrod debacle; he calls on the New Media to adopt the rigorous fact checking of our diligent Old Media but delivers this baffler:

Journolist debates making its coordination with Obama explicit  —  Sarah Palin's speech to the 2008 Republican convention impressed more than a few doubters, including even some members of Journolist, an online community for liberal journalists.  —  “This speech is gangbusters,” wrote Ari Melber of the Nation.

President Obama to Appear on ABC's ‘The View’  —  Will Become First Sitting U.S. President to Visit Daytime TV Talk Show  —  President Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit a daytime TV talk show when he tapes an interview Wednesday with ABC's “The View.”

Who Cooked the Planet?  —  Never say that the gods lack a sense of humor.  I bet they're still chuckling on Olympus over the decision to make the first half of 2010 — the year in which all hope of action to limit climate change died — the hottest such stretch on record.

The Unpresidential President  —  Barack Obama has managed a rare feat: The longer he holds office, the more he diminishes in stature.  —  From charisma to populism—this is the slippery slope down which Barack Obama has been sliding over the past two years.