Republican Senator: Jesus's ‘Golden Rule’ Inspired His Vote For Pro-Abortion Kagan  —  (CNSNews.com) - Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that Jesus's Golden Rule inspired him to vote to confirm Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court and suggested it would be a good thing …

Reminder to critics who think a mosque is offensive to the legacy of 9/11: There's already one at the Pentagon.  —  In opposing the planned Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero in New York City, conservative stalwarts have picked up on right-wing extremists' paranoid hysteria over the initiative.

RNC adopts new 2012 presidential primary schedule  —  KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Republican National Committee adopted a new schedule for the 2012 presidential primaries Friday, agreeing to a plan worked out in concert with Democrats and designed to delay the start of the campaign season.

Five myths about the ‘tea party’  —  The grass-roots conservative activists who march under the “Don't tread on me” Gadsen flag and the “tea party” label have put a new twist on Gandhi's maxim: First they were ignored; then they were ridiculed; then they began to fight.

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown urges judge to allow same-sex marriages to resume while opponents wait on appeal  —  California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown urged a federal judge Friday to permit same-sex marriages to resume in the state immediately.  —  Brown told U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker …

Spanish police close public beach for Michelle Obama's £250,000 Spanish holiday  —  Michelle Obama today faced a fresh wave of attacks over her lavish break in Spain with 40 friends, which could easily cost U.S. taxpayers a staggering £50,000 a day.

What collapsing empire looks like  —  (updated below)  —  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 …

Sharron Angle: I would refuse money from company that supports gay rights  —  Sharron Angle has taken some extreme positions, but this one is remarkable even by her standards: She said on a candidate questionnaire that she would refuse political contributions from a private company …

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 …

Palin vs. PolitiFact  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is duking it out with PolitiFact.com, the fact-checking arm of the St. Petersburg Times, over her claim that “Democrats are poised to allow [the] largest tax increase in U.S. history” by letting the Bush tax cuts to expire.

Manchin's Office Confirms Subpoenas  —  Gov. Joe Manchin's office confirmed today that state government officials have been contacted by the U.S. Attorney's Office this week regarding an ongoing investigation.  The target may be Manchin himself, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.

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 …

Dick Morris' Plan for Economic Recovery: Bankrupt States; Break Unions  —  It's silly season, and Republican consultants are leaving no stone unturned in their effort to confuse, conflate, attack and stir up anger and fear.  But Dick Morris' latest may possibly be one of the most evil.

The problem with Larry Summers  —  You're seeing some White House pushback on the idea that Christina Romer is leaving because she's tired of fighting with Larry Summers.  And fair enough: People do tire of serving in the pressure cooker that is the White House, Romer and Summers were often …

Media Matters Gives Glenn Beck's Co-Hosts The Shirley Sherrod Edited Audio Treatment (Update)  —  Let's end the week with some Shirley Sherrod-ing - editing a clip to make it sound like a person is saying something that is actually the complete opposite of what they're saying.

Birth of a Strategy: Talking Immigration With Lindsey Graham  —  Yesterday I spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) who caused a bit of a stir by tentatively endorsing a plan to modify the century-old standard of birthright citizenship — by constitutional amendment if necessary.