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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Dem group launches ‘F*ck Tea’ campaign  —  Last summer, Democrats argued that the Tea Party movement was the astroturf creation of corporate groups.  Now that the grassroots conservative resurgence has emerged as a clear force on the right, the left is making a different case: That tea parties are simply the enemy.

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:

The difficulty of opposing gay marriage  —  When we talk about gay marriage, we should first be clear about what we're discussing: State-sanctioned marriage is a central element in American life.  It includes both legal and substantial, important cultural benefits.

The Bush tax plan vs. the Obama tax plan in one chart  —  Source.  —  United States - Tax - Democratic Party - Accounting - President

Portrait of a frustrated electorate  —  Want sure-footed polling analysis?  Ask Nate Silver.  Want a sort of bemused confusion?  Well, then you're in the right place.  —  I was on “Morning Joe” today talking about the new NBC/WSJ poll (pdf), and I don't think we had time to really dig into how weird the results are.

Justice Alito refers Orly Taitz's request to reverse sanctions to U.S. Supreme Court  —  A request to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito by “birther” attorney Orly Taitz asking that $20,000 in sanctions against her be reversed was referred on Tuesday to the entire court.

With Off-the-Record Lunch, Obama Extends a Hand  —  It may seem odd, but the journalists assigned to cover President Obama on a daily basis often have less access to him than the columnists, television personalities and feature writers who cover the president less frequently.

Glenn Beck: Gay Marriage NOT Threat To America (VIDEO)  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Why doesn't Glenn Beck cover gay marriage?  Because he doesn't believe it's a threat to the nation.  —  In a conversation with Bill O'Reilly on why he avoids culture war issues, Beck admitted …

Say Goodbye to Fannie and Freddie  —  THE Federal National Mortgage Association — known as Fannie Mae — and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation — Freddie Mac — were poorly structured from the time, 40 years ago, when they were set up as so-called government-sponsored enterprises.

Obamas Plan Fifth Vacation Since July  —  There they go again.  For the fifth time since July, the first family has set plans to board Air Force One for a frilly vacation, a 10-day return trip to exclusive Martha's Vineyard where they are expected to stay at the 28-acre oceanfront Blue Heron Farm that rents for up to $50,000 a week.

Updated Senate and Governor rankings!  —  With the 2010 primary season (nearly) over, the Fix and Post senior political reporter — and co-author of “The Battle for America” — Dan Balz sat down to revisit our rankings of the most competitive Senate and governor's races in the country.

Adios, Gray Lady  —  Joseph Epstein cancels his ‘New York Times’ subscription.  —  The New York Times used to be called the Gray Lady of American newspapers.  The sobriquet implied a certain stateliness, a sense of responsibility, the possession of high virtue.  But the Gray Lady is far from the grande dame she once was.

The Strategic Angle  —  This week, the campaign for Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle will run 1,000 to 1,600 points' — about $575,000 — worth of television advertising.  Normally, an advertising onslaught such as this one would be well-suited to the final weeks of a campaign — and a bit much for the dog days of August.

How propagandists function: Exhibit A  —  Jeffrey Goldberg, in the new cover story in The Atlantic, on an Israeli attack on Iran: … Good news!  Israel can successfully end a country's nuclear program by bombing them, as proven by its 1981 attack on Iraq, which, says Goldberg, halted …

Iran TV airs ‘confession’ from woman facing stoning  —  The BBC's Jon Leyne explains what the footage showed  —  Iranian state TV has aired what it says is a confession by a woman under threat of being stoned to death for adultery.  —  In the interview shown on Wednesday …

Race Card Is Maxed Out … - Recommended

“Not An Ounce Of Contrition”  —  There is some bizarre notion among the punditocracy that the Obama administration cannot and should not blame Bush and the GOP for the awful recession, looming tax rises and entitlement cuts, endless wars, tainted moral standing, crumbling infrastructure and massive debt that Obama inherited.