The Flimflam Man  —  One depressing aspect of American politics is the susceptibility of the political and media establishment to charlatans.  You might have thought, given past experience, that D.C. insiders would be on their guard against conservatives with grandiose plans.

Scalia Was Right  —  Why the same-sex marriage ruling will stand.  —  For the first time, a federal judge has held that the Constitution mandates the legal redefinition of marriage.  The California Supreme Court had reached a similar conclusion in 2008, and voters responded by amending …

Private Growth Is Tepid as U.S. Economy Sheds Jobs Overall  —  With the American economic recovery hanging in the balance, private employers added 71,000 jobs in July, up from a downwardly revised 31,000 in June but below the consensus forecast of 90,000.  The unemployment rate stayed steady at 9.5 percent.

Private Sector Adding Jobs, State Budget Crises Killing Economy  —  The new unemployment report highlights the fact that the economy remains lousy and John Boehner is going to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.  Ironically, it also demonstrates the bankruptcy of Boehner's way of thinking.

Obama Fed Board Pick Diamond Gets Referred Back to White House by Senate  —  The Senate sent the nomination of Peter Diamond, one of President Barack Obama's three nominees for the Federal Reserve Board, back to the White House because of objections from at least one lawmaker.

What Collapsing Empire looks like  —  As we enter our ninth year of the War in Afghanistan with an escalated force, and continue to occupy Iraq indefinitely, and feed an endlessly growing Surveillance State, reports are emerging of the Deficit Commission hard at work planning how to cut Social Security …

IGNORING AN ALARM.... In light of the latest discouraging jobs report — the third consecutive month in which the job totals were disappointing — there's an obvious course ahead.  Heidi Shierholz, an economist from the Economic Policy Institute, said, “The economic case for more government action …

RNC approves 2012 nominating calendar  —  The RNC has approved a 2012 presidential calendar that pushes the first GOP primaries to February 2012.  —  Kansas City, Missouri (CNN) - The Republican National Committee on Friday passed an amendment that would shift the 2012 presidential calendar …

Palin's Fraternal Greetings  —  No sooner had President Obama concluded his dirge before the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations than Sarah Palin was out with a posting on her Facebook page, commiserating with her husband's fellow union members on having to sit through another “Blame Bush” lecture.

Old Washington hands break with GOP leaders on Bush-era tax cuts  —  A number of old Republican hands warning of a deficit crisis have split with the GOP leadership over extending the George W. Bush-era tax cuts.  —  Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), President Reagan's budget chief David Stockman …

Exotic Deals Put Denver Schools Deeper in Debt  —  In the spring of 2008, the Denver public school system needed to plug a $400 million hole in its pension fund.  Bankers at JPMorgan Chase offered what seemed to be a perfect solution.  —  The bankers said that the school system …

Hiroshima and the Art of Outrage  —  THE Futenma Marine Corps Air Station on Okinawa, one of the largest United States military bases in East Asia, is in the center of a crowded city.  The American and Japanese governments acknowledge the dangers of this situation, and they agreed nearly 15 years ago …

Sharron Angle opposes gay adoption  —  Sharron Angle doesn't believe gays should be able to adopt, according to a questionnaire she filled out.  AP  —  Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle believes that gays should not be allowed to adopt children and that religious leaders should be allowed …

America Is at Risk of Boiling Over  —  And out-of-touch leaders don't see the need to cool things off.  —  It is, obviously, self-referential to quote yourself, but I do it to make a point.  I wrote the following on New Year's day, 1994.  America 16 years ago was a relatively content nation …

2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll: Results of Arab Opinion Survey Conducted June 29-July 20, 2010  —  Shibley Telhami, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy  —  On Thursday, August 5, Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development …

Dean: Individual Mandate Will Be Removed From Health Care Reform By 2014  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean has never been a fan of the individual mandate for insurance coverage, both on policy and political grounds.  And once Senate negotiators removed any hope …