Yet again, it all turns on Olympia Snowe  —  UPDATE, 11:34 a.m.: Senator Ben Nelson's spokesman, Jake Thompson, confirms that Nelson will vote Yes.  “He will vote for cloture on the Disclose Act,” Thompson emails.  “It's all about transparency.”  —  That removes one more element of suspense.

Mass. Legislature approves plan to bypass Electoral College  —  The Massachusetts Legislature has approved a new law intended to bypass the Electoral College system and ensure that the winner of the presidential election is determined by the national popular vote.

NH looking more competitive  —  Kelly Ayotte's seen her appeal to moderate voters crumble in the wake of her endorsement by Sarah Palin and her lead over Paul Hodes has shrunk to its lowest level of any public polling in 2010- she has a 45-42 advantage over him, down from 47-40 in an April PPP poll.

Obama Missing Historic Boy Scout Jamboree for Fundraisers, ‘View’ Taping  —  President Obama will make history as the first sitting president on a daytime talk show when he visits with the ladies of “The View.”  But he'll be missing out on another historic occasion — the Boy Scouts' Jamboree marking …

Rep. Barney Frank causes scene demanding discount  —  Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank caused a scene when he demanded a $1 senior discount on his ferry fare to Fire Island's popular gay haunt, The Pines, last Friday.  Frank was turned down by ticket clerks at the dock in Sayville …

Former GOP House Speaker sounds off on midterms  —  Former GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert, center, spoke with CNN Tuesday about his Democratic successor Speaker Nancy Pelosi, foreground, and the upcoming midterm elections.  —  Washington (CNN) - Former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert …

“Journolist” Was Not a Progressive Idea (July 27, 2010 2:20 AM) … You can't argue that there's a careerist element lurking beneath the surface of Reihan Salam's latest defense of Journolist.  It's pretty much right there on top.  Salam explains that Ezra Klein's secretuve off-record web group represented …

How to end the filibuster with 51 votes  —  If you can't manage the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster, you can't manage the 67 votes to change the rules and end the filibuster.  At least in theory.  —  But in practice, there's another path open to the Senate's growing ranks of reformers …

18 States and D.C. Are Race to the Top Finalists  —  Eighteen states and the District of Columbia were named as finalists on Tuesday in the second round of a national competition for $3.4 billion in federal financing to support an overhaul of education policies.

The Long Strategy  —  I was a liberal Democrat when I was young.  I used to wear a green Army jacket with political buttons on it — for Hubert Humphrey, Birch Bayh, John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.  I even wore that jacket in my high school yearbook photo.  —  It's a magic green jacket.

Ex-Washington Post blogger David Weigel joins Slate  —  Journalist David Weigel, who resigned from the Washington Post last month following a leaked email controversy, is joining Slate as a political reporter.  —  “I'm thrilled to be joining Slate, thrilled to be working with writers I've read …

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks Octopus Paul  —  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, says Paul the Octopus, the sea creature that correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games, is a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world.  —  He claims that the octopus is a symbol of decadence and decay among “his enemies”.

Who's the Extremist?  —  As a progressive, I tend to think the Republican Party is much more ideologically extreme than the Democratic Party.  There are many reasons, some of which may be more legitimate than others.  But it turns out that my opinion isn't representative.

Rendell: Obama Could Face Primary Challenge Over Afghanistan (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell predicted on Tuesday that if the president escalates America's military involvement in Afghanistan he could very well face a primary challenger in 2012.

Gingrich: Forget Ground Zero — They Can Build A Mosque Near Central Park Or Columbia Instead (VIDEO)  —  Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appeared last night on Greta Van Susteren's show, elaborating on his opposition to the building of a Muslim community center near Ground Zero in New York City.

Despite Tough Climate, Public Prefers Obama's Policies  —  Despite a tough year for President Obama, the public believes his administration's policies offer a better chance at improving the economy over the policies of his predecessor, former President George W. Bush.

Jeff Lord Defends Jeffrey Lord  —  Well, somebody had to do it.  That fool has caused more trouble...but I like the guy so, here we go.  —  First, for the definition issue.  —  Random House Webster's College Dictionary defines lynching as: “to put to death, esp. hanging by mob action and without legal authority.”

Gore interviewed by Portland detectives  —  PORTLAND, Ore. - A law enforcement source confirms to KATU News that Portland detectives interviewed former U.S. Vice President Al Gore this past week in San Francisco.  —  Portland police detectives interviewed the VP on Thursday …

Jeb Bush says no to 2012 run  —  Former Florida GOP Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that he is “not running” for president in 2012.  —  In a wide-open presidential primary field, Bush's name has been floated as one of the few potential Republicans who might be able to attract voters beyond the typical GOP ranks.

Netroots Schizo  —  I had a good time in Vegas, so I didn't spend a huge amount of time at NN, but I did spend enough time to take in the mood, and it was schizophrenic.  About half the people there are some combination of angry, disappointed and bitter with Democrats in general and Obama in particular.

Sen. Kerry to pay $500K tax on yacht  —  Senator John Kerry said today he will voluntarily cut a check to the state of Massachusetts for some $500,000 in sales tax for a yacht he purchased in Rhode Island earlier this year.  —  “We've reached out to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue …

Shirley Sherrod's USDA Job Offer: Deputy Director of the Office of Advocacy and Outreach  —  Shirley Sherrod, who was forced to resign from the Department of Agriculture after an out-of-context video of remarks she made were published on a conservative website, is still considering …

Megan McArdle's Hack Post on Elizabeth Warren's Scholarship  —  So Megan McArdle wrote a long post attacking Elizabeth Warren as a scholar.  What's surprising is how little “there-there” there is to her critique.  I would love to see nomination hearings based around how expansive of a definition …

Barge crashes into oil well in Gulf of Mexico, new oil leak reported  —  NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — The US Coast Guard dispatched emergency teams Tuesday after a boat crashed into an oil well off the coast of New Orleans, reportedly sending crude spewing some 20 feet into the air.

Oliver Stone apologises for claim Hitler was a ‘scapegoat’ in World War Two ‘who did more damage to Russia than Jews’  —  Director Oliver Stone has been forced to apologise over a ‘Mel Gibson-style’ rant against Jews.  —  The double Academy Award winner claimed that the Russians suffered …

CBO: Risk of crisis growing with higher debt levels  —  The risk of a debt crisis along the lines of the kind being experienced in Europe will increase as long as the debt increases, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Tuesday.  —  The CBO said in a new report that while it was impossible …

On Walking Away: Is Strategic Default All That's Left to Stressed Homeowners?  —  Near the end of our foreclosure panel, we finally got into the meat of the situation: what it will take given a government unwilling to do more for struggling borrowers to actually reset the broken housing market.