memeorandum: Dems may use food stamp money to pay for Michelle Obama's nutrition initiative (Russell Berman/The Hill)

5:55 PM ET, August 14, 2010

Top Items:

Obama narrows mosque defense — Speaking to reporters today, President Obama drew a sharp line under his comments last night, insisting that his defense of the right to build a mosque does not mean he supports the project. — “I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there.

Discussion: DISSENTING JUSTICE, Freedom's Lighthouse, Weasel Zippers, Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway, Pajamas Media and FrumForum

William Kristol / Weekly Standard:

No, Mr. President — Penetrating commentary on President Obama's remarks last night on Islam, 9/11, and Ground Zero is already available. — The lawyers at Powerline dissect Obama's high-flown rhetoric: “a classic of brain-dead multiculturalism,” “the ultimate destination of multiculturalism is platitudinous stupidity.”

Discussion: 9/11 Families …, Sister Toldjah, Israel Matzav, Taylor Marsh, Power Line, Right Wing News, Wake up America, Washington Post, Conservatives4Palin.com and Michelle Malkin

The Politico:

Obama's comments take mosque story national — President Barack Obama on Saturday sought to defuse the controversy over his remarks on plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero, insisting that he wasn't endorsing the specific project but making a general plea for religious tolerance toward all.

Discussion: Power Line, Talking Points Memo, Outside the Beltway, Say Anything, Gateway Pundit, Pajamas Media and Creeping Sharia

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Hear Washington Speak — We now have official Washington's response and take on the President's speech last night stating that Muslim-Americans have every right to build an Islamic center on private property near Ground Zero. It comes in the form of Politico's ubiquitous and closely followed “Playbook” email.

Discussion: Newshoggers.com and Balloon Juice

Mike Allen / The Politico:

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Obama strongly backs ‘Ground Zero’ mosque - Michael Gerson agrees - GOP aide: ‘will drive Middle America crazy’ - W.H. official: ‘inconvenient,’ but Obama wouldn't duck it — E-MAIL FROM AUTUMN: The beautiful and perfect Allie Ross Thomas was born at Sibley Hospital yesterday …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, USA Today, The Plum Line, The Daily Dish and The Page

Faiz Shakir / Think Progress:

Fox Hosts Agree With Obama's Defense Of Mosque: ‘He Has To Stand Up For Our Constitution’ — Reacting to President Obama's forceful defense of Muslims' rights to build a new Islamic community center near Ground Zero, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) — who believes there are “too many mosques in this country” …

Discussion: ABCNEWS, Financial Times, The Last Tradition and Mediaite

Sean J. Miller / The Hill:

Obama expands on mosque comments, said he supports ‘the right’ to build — Obama said that his statement on Friday didn't express support for the “wisdom” of building a mosque blocks from the 9/11 site. — President Obama expanded on his remarks about the mosque planned near ground zero during his trip to Florida Saturday.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:

Obama Says Mosque Upholds Principle of Equal Treatment — PANAMA CITY, Fla. — President Obama said on Saturday that in defending the right of Muslims to build a community center and mosque near Ground Zero he “was not commenting” on “the wisdom” of that particular project …

Discussion: CBS News, The Confluence, CNN and DISSENTING JUSTICE

Andy McCarthy / National Review:
9/11 Families Stunned by President's Support of Mosque at Ground Zero

Discussion: The Mahablog and neo-neocon

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Bush aide backs Obama on mosque

Discussion: FrumForum and The Page

CNN:
Crist backs Obama on controversial Islamic center

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Frank Gaffney / Big Peace:
Obama's Ground Zero Mosque

Discussion: Wintery Knight, Gates of Vienna, National Review and Townhall.com

Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Obama Strongly Backs Islam Center Near 9/11 Site

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Guardian, Maggie's Farm, FiveThirtyEight, Washington Monthly, The Impolitic, No More Mister Nice Blog, Connecting.the.Dots, Bold Faith Type, The Washington Note, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Gawker, Riehl World View and DISSENTING JUSTICE

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama defends “ground zero mosque”

Discussion: Firedoglake, Politics Daily, News Hounds, Unqualified Offerings, Washington Monthly, The Hill, AMERICAblog News and Swampland

John / Power Line:
An Awful President, A Worse Theologian

Discussion: White House.gov Blog Feed

Fox News:
Obama's Support for Ground Zero Mosque Draws Fire

Discussion: New York Times and Jihad Watch

Andrew Malcolm / Top of the Ticket:
At Ramadan Iftar dinner, Obama supports new mosque on private …

John McCormack / Weekly Standard:
Obama on the Ground Zero Mosque

Discussion: Don Surber, Doug Ross, The Plum Line and Tim Blair

Abby Phillip / The Politico:
Obama defends Ground Zero mosque

Discussion: Associated Press, Don Surber, Washington Wire, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, New York Magazine and Power Line

Rick Moran / Right Wing Nut House:

THE TOP 43 DUMBEST CONSERVATIVE BLOGGERS — Well, perhaps not all 43 of this list of conservative bloggers that John Hawkins polled to get “The Top 25 Worst Americans.” After all, we don't know who voted Barack Obama on to that list over, say, Jeffrey Dahmer.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, mean ol' meany, Dodgeblogium, Lawyers, Guns & Money, American Power and TigerHawk

Jim Geraghty / National Review:

Some of My Fellow Righty Bloggers Need a Broader Definition of ‘Worst Figure’ — I can't believe conservative bloggers put a bunch of garden-variety Democratic politicians so high, when asked to compile a list of the Worst Figures in American History. — The list, compiled from the responses …

Steve Bainbridge / ProfessorBainbridge.com:
20 Worst Americans — John Hawkins asked a bunch of right …

Discussion: The Daily Dish, The Last Tradition, Left Coast Rebel, Right Klik, Marginal Revolution, The Volokh Conspiracy and Vox Popoli

Van Helsing / Moonbattery:

Attention Google Moonbats... ...you might want to fix your autocomplete: — On a tip from John Lohman. — If you scroll further, it will say, “Obama is anti-Christ”. — ROFLMAO! — I thought it was a photoshop. Nope. I went to Google and typed it in............... ROFLMAO!

Discussion: Macsmind, Weasel Zippers and Proof Positive

Doug Powers / Michelle Malkin:
Helpful Tip for Obamaniacs: Turn Off Google's ‘Auto Complete’ …

Discussion: Say Anything

Jim Hoft / Gateway Pundit:

American Socialists Release Names of 70 Congressional Democrats in Their Ranks — The Socialist Party of America announced in their October 2009 newsletter that 70 Congressional democrats currently belong to their caucus. — This admission was recently posted on Scribd.com:

Discussion: Left Coast Rebel, Big Journalism, The Political Carnival, alicublog, Wizbang, Sweetness & Light, Freedom's Lighthouse and Nice Deb

Priya Ganapati / Gadget Lab:

Man Scrawls World's Biggest Message With GPS ‘Pen’ — One man drove 12,238 miles across 30 states to scrawl a message that can only be viewed using Google Earth. His big shoutout: “Read Ayn Rand.” — Nick Newcomen did a road trip over 30 days that covered stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

Discussion: theblogprof, Lean Left, Hullabaloo, Hit & Run, Wonkette and The New Republic

Russell Berman / The Hill:

Dems may use food stamp money to pay for Michelle Obama's nutrition initiative — Democrats who reluctantly slashed a food stamp program to fund a state aid bill may have to do so again to pay for a top priority of first lady Michelle Obama. — The House will soon consider …

Discussion: Red Dog Report and Say Anything