Legislator resigns after ‘dead Palin’ comment  —  New Hampshire State Rep. Timothy Horrigan resigned Thursday after making comments about Sarah Palin on Facebook.  —  (CNN) - A New Hampshire state legislator resigned his office Thursday after becoming the second Democrat in as many days …

FULL AUDIO: Dr. Laura Schlessinger's N-word rant  —  On August 10, Dr. Laura Schlessinger launched into a racially charged rant, during which Schlessinger — in her own words — “articulated the ‘n’ word all the way out — more than one time.”  Among other things, Schlessinger also told …

Judge keeps California gay marriage ruling on hold  —  The federal judge who last week overturned the state's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, agreed to a continued hold on his ruling while foes appeal.  —  Reporting from San Francisco — A federal judge Thursday refused to permanently stay …

OUR DAUGHTER ISN'T A SELFISH BRAT; YOUR SON JUST HASN'T READ  —  ATLAS SHRUGGED.  —  I'd like to start by saying that I don't get into belligerent shouting matches at the playground very often.  The Tot Lot, by its very nature, can be an extremely volatile place—a veritable powder keg …

U.S. SENATE CAMPAIGN: Angle, Reid race still tight  —  More voters picking sides as senator's clout comes into play  —  Locked in a dead heat, both U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and Sharron Angle picked up support in the past two weeks, according to a poll for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow …

CBS 5 Poll: Fiorina Widens Lead Over Boxer  —  Dead Heats In Governor, Lt. Governor Races; Marijuana Prop.  16 Passing  —  SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ― California Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina has increased her lead over Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer …

Are We At War With All Of Islam?  Right Wingers Think So  —  Nearly every oath of service in this nation includes the phrase “Defend and protect the Constitution of the United States of America” in some form or the other.  Not having a King we needed an object of loyalty, something bigger than the individual to focus our loyalty on.

‘Professional left’ not ready to back an Obama primary challenger in '12  —  As angry as they might be, the professional left isn't ready to back a primary challenger to President Obama just yet.  —  Two high-profile liberals on Thursday said they are not interested in running against the president in 2012 …

Disappointed, down, despondent  —  And not about to rush to the polls in November, either  —  WHY, asks a Democrat leading a training session for fellow activists, doesn't “Yes we can” work as a slogan any more?  “Because we haven't,” a jaded participant responds.

Op-Ed Columnist: Paralysis at the Federal Reserve  —  Ten years ago, one of America's leading economists delivered a stinging critique of the Bank of Japan, Japan's equivalent of the Federal Reserve, titled “Japanese Monetary Policy: A Case of Self-Induced Paralysis?”

Elizabeth Warren, likely to head new consumer agency, provokes strong feelings  —  Somewhere along the line, Elizabeth Warren became a symbol.  —  She's either the plain-spoken, supremely smart crusader for middle-class families that her supporters adore, or she's the power-hungry headline seeker …

The Anti-Obama Democrats  —  Democrats in deep-red states who voted against health reform and higher spending may yet survive the midterm.  —  It's 81 days to the election.  Expect many of them to be filled with the explanations Democrats are now serving up as to why Nov. 2 is likely to be a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.

GOP candidate calls for internment camps for ‘people that snuck into the country.’  —  Speaking at a rally sponsored by Glenn Beck's 9/12 Project, GOP state house candidate in Florida, Marg Baker, endorsed building concentration camps for undocumented immigrants: … Watch it:

Can Ken Buck buck the system?  —  Ken Buck is congratulated by a supporter after winning the Republican Senate nomination.  AP  —  DENVER — Among political candidates, there has always been a familiar type: the white-hot ambitious prosecutor with an Ivy League degree …

The “Neutral Story Line” and How The Media Uses It To Justify Its Perpetual Game of “Guess That Party!”  —  Several months ago I wrote one of my better-received pieces.  If you've read that you can skim and get to the new stuff; if not, I think (IMHO) it's worth reading.  Excerpts below:

Sacrilege at Ground Zero  —  A place is made sacred by a widespread belief that it was visited by the miraculous or the transcendent (Lourdes, the Temple Mount), by the presence there once of great nobility and sacrifice (Gettysburg), or by the blood of martyrs and the indescribable suffering of the innocent (Auschwitz).

Defense chief Gates orders review of Marines' role  —  Acknowledging concerns among current and former Marines that the Corps has evolved into another ground combat force, the Defense secretary aims to define the service's future path.  —  Reporting from San Francisco …

Inside the World's MOST EXCLUSIVE (and Most Accessible) CLUB with SPECIAL GUESTS including  —  The other day, I got an email from a new friend.  The subject line read “Are you a TED talk person?”  —  It linked to an 18-minute video of MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely talking about the bugs in our moral codes.

Gallup: Spending slumps lower than 2009 levels in Recovery Summer  —  The advance retail numbers for July will come out tomorrow from the Commerce Department, but Gallup's survey of consumer spending gives a pretty good indication that the report won't boost the notion of Recovery Summer.

Brief Post on Immigration  —  The Pew Research Center has a new report on the children of unauthorized immigrants: … I've noticed that defenders of the birthright citizenship status quo are emphasizing that unauthorized immigrants can't immediately obtain citizenship by virtue of giving birth …