Grim Voter Mood Turns Grimmer  —  Pessimism Rises on Economy and War; Bad Reviews for Both Democrats and GOP  —  Americans are growing more pessimistic about the economy and the war in Afghanistan, and are losing faith that Democrats have better solutions than Republicans, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

No more mosques, period  —  Permits should not be granted to build even one more mosque in the United States of America, let alone the monstrosity planned for Ground Zero.  This is for one simple reason: each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government.

Gibbs Stands By His ‘Professional Left’ Critique, Expects Liberals To Vote In 2010  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Speaking publicly for the first time since he disparaged the “professional left,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he stands by his comments, has no plans to resign …

Primary elections saw big wins for anti-establishment candidates and incumbents  —  Tuesday's primary elections produced a series of seemingly contradictory claims and interpretations: a good night for outsiders and the “tea party” movement, an equally good night for incumbents and President Obama.

Congressman Rangel's Party a Display of Defiance  —  It was a dramatic but fitting start to an evening that brimmed with political defiance.  About 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, as guests began strolling into the Plaza Hotel to celebrate Representative Charles B. Rangel's 80th birthday …

Local Democrats wish death upon Sarah Palin  —  There's only one way the tragic airplane crash in Alaska that ended the life of former-U.S. Senator Ted Stevens could have been better, according to New Hampshire Democratic activist and State Rep. candidate Keith Halloran: If Sarah Palin had been on it.

Unauthorized Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children  —  An estimated 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the United States in 2008 were the offspring of unauthorized immigrants, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center.

Ruling expected on stay in Prop. 8 case  —  Los Angeles, California (CNN) — A federal court in California will rule Thursday on whether to keep a temporary stay in place in the case that overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriages.  —  The United States District Court for the Northern District …

Borrowers Refuse to Pay Billions in Home Equity Loans  —  PHOENIX — During the great housing boom, homeowners nationwide borrowed a trillion dollars from banks, using the soaring value of their houses as security.  Now the money has been spent and struggling borrowers are unable or unwilling to pay it back.

Deficit in July Totals $165.04 Billion  —  The U.S. government spent itself deeper into the red last month, paying nearly $20 billion in interest on debt and an additional $9.8 billion to help unemployed Americans.  —  Federal spending eclipsed revenue for the 22nd straight time, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

Exclusive: Rand Paul's accuser clarifies “kidnapping”  —  The woman who sparked a national firestorm by recounting Rand Paul's  —  youthful indiscretions to GQ magazine is now clarifying her account: She says she was not kidnapped nor forced to do drugs by Paul.

George W. Bush makes surprise visit to U.S. troops  —  Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, made a surprise visit to U.S. troops this afternoon.  —  They showed up at the USO in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.  There they mingled with the returning soldiers, thanked them …

Waiting in the Wings to Be Chief G.O.P. Dealmaker  —  WASHINGTON — As lawmakers head home this week for what remains of summer, one question transfixes Washington: Will Democrats lose control of the House and possibly even the Senate in November, or will they hang on to fragile majorities?

The End of Retirement as We Know It  —  “I don't know if it's ever going to be realistic that everyone saves enough to spend the last third of their life on vacation.”  —  That quote is from Allison Schrager, and it's my favorite line in my newest column for the magazine.

Officer Sues to Block His Discharge Under Gay Ban  —  In early 2008, just eight days before he was to deploy in support of the war in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a decorated Air Force flight officer, was told he was under investigation on charges of sexually assaulting a civilian …

For the person who has everything: artisanal pencil sharpening  —  David Rees, the man behind the popular political comic Get Your War On, wants to sharpen you a pencil.  Slowly.  Attentively.  And with a carefully selected sharpener or blade that suits the pencil best.

Thoughtcrime: D.C. Reporter Suspended for Accurate Report on BP's Donations to Obama  —  WJLA-TV, a Washington, D.C. ABC affiliate, suspended reporter Doug McKelway following his alleged “partisan” comments at a liberal rally on Capitol Hill marking the three-month anniversary of the Gulf oil spill.

Gotta Water The Green Shoots  —  I don't think I have perfect predictive powers, and more than that my skepticism about the supposedly recovering economy mostly didn't come from my Ph.D in economics (plenty of people with those are idiots), but from some basic common sense combined with a bit of observation.

The Obsolescence of Barack Obama  —  The magic of 2008 can't be recreated, and good riddance to it.  —  Not long ago Barack Obama, for those who were spellbound by him, had the stylishness of JFK and the historic mission of FDR riding to the nation's rescue.

Barack Obama ‘may be prepared to meet Iranian president’  —  Barack Obama's national security adviser, Gen James Jones, has indicated the President may be prepared to meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad if the regime resumed negotiations over its nuclear programme.  —  The retired general also indicated …

On the Issues, Obama Finds Majority Approval Elusive  —  Scores best on race relations, education  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — Barack Obama's 52% approval rating for handling race relations is the only issue among 13 tested in two recent Gallup polls for which the president receives majority-level approval.

Cohee at OneUnited, bank in Maxine Waters case, has checkered record  —  As chairman and chief executive of OneUnited Bank, Kevin L. Cohee has sought to build a company that is about more than just money.  He promoted the bank, now at the center of a House ethics case against Rep. Maxine Waters …

Obama's state capitalism: A failure of modesty  —  “The pace of economic recovery is likely to be more modest in the near term than had been anticipated.”  Those were the carefully chosen words of the Federal Reserve Board after its meeting Tuesday.  Translation into English: We wuz wrong.

Guest post: El-Erian on violent market moves  —  Why such a sharp sell-off in equities on Wednesday, together with a further rally in US government bonds?  I suspect that three US-related drivers are part of the answer - one is obvious, and two, less so.  —  Tuesday's FOMC statement confirmed …