Terror group's leader: ‘Have to build it’  —  By S.A. MILLER in Washington and TOM TOPOUSIS in New York  —  A leader of the Hamas terror group yesterday jumped into the emotional debate on the plan to construct a mosque near Ground Zero — insisting Muslims “have to build” it there.

Feds clear DeLay after six years  —  The Justice Department has informed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) that the government has ended a six-year investigation of his ties to the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to DeLay's lead counsel in the matter, Richard Cullen, chairman of McGuireWoods.

President goes for a swim in the Gulf - or does he?  —  President Barack Obama wanted to convince America that the Gulf of Mexico remains open for business.  But perhaps he didn't want the world to catch another glimpse of his hairless chest.  —  So when he and his daughter, Sasha …

Holy Frickin' Reagan: Best Advertorial You'll See  —  Seriously, watch it.  —  This comes from the Republican Study Committee, which is headed, if I have the information right, by Rep. Tom Price of Georgia.  —  So now you can't say the GOP isn't doing anything to advance the message.

Attacking Social Security  —  Social Security turned 75 last week.  It should have been a joyous occasion, a time to celebrate a program that has brought dignity and decency to the lives of older Americans.  —  But the program is under attack, with some Democrats as well as nearly all Republicans joining the assault.

It Begins... Dem Congresswoman Brings In Street Thug at Town Hall Meeting to Threaten Constituents (Video)  —  SUMMER SLAM 2010...  Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) brought Bruno the Bone-Crusher with her to a town hall meeting this weekend to threaten constituents.

Breaking: Reid calls for mosque to be built “someplace else”  —  Harry Reid is breaking with the President, claiming that while he respects freedom of religion, he's not willing to support an Islamic center near Ground Zero.  —  Specifically, says Reid spokesman Jim Manley, he thinks the “mosque” should be built “some place else”:

Dept. of propaganda  —  Rep. Darrell Issa is out with a report this morning claiming that the Obama administration has engaged in an unprecedented amount of illegal propaganda.  —  The charge is almost undoubtedly true: As the report drily catalogues, virtually every 20th century administration …

Huckabee Leads 2012 Iowa Caucus Poll - Palin Finishes Fourth behind Newt  —  Believe it or not, the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination is already underway in Iowa.  Potential candidates like Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich are already making frequent visits …

Alvin Greene howls and wails at reporter … Alvin Greene's mugshot from Richland County arrest  —  MANNING, SC (WIS) - In a bizarre interview at his home in Manning, South Carolina, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, Alvin Green said he is not quitting the race even after his indictment on a felony charge of obscenity.

The Transformer  —  Bob Gates never thought he'd be Barack Obama's defense secretary.  Now, in an exclusive interview, the most revolutionary Pentagon leader since Robert McNamara tells FP why he said yes, when he'll get out of Washington, and what legacy he hopes to leave behind.

Mich. school practices 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.  —  DEARBORN, Mich. — A Michigan high school football team is holding preseason practices in the middle of the night to help its Muslim players practice both faith and football.  —  The predominantly Muslim squad from Dearborn says the nocturnal regimen …

A Man Who Deserves To Be Viable in 2012  —  Imagine a successful two-term Republican governor with a credible small government record, a demonstrated commitment to civil liberties, skepticism about foreign wars, a longstanding determination to right America's fiscal ship …

Stanley McChrystal to Yale  —  Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was forced to retire in July after an embarrassing Rolling Stone article quoted him and his staff making disparaging remarks about top White House officials, is taking a job at Yale, POLITICO has learned.

Taliban ‘kill adulterous Afghan couple’ in marketplace  —  A man and a woman who allegedly had an adulterous affair have been stoned and killed in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz.  —  The punishment happened in a crowded bazaar on Sunday in the Taliban-controlled village of Mullah Quli.

James J. Kilpatrick, Conservative Voice in Print and on TV, Dies at 89  —  James J. Kilpatrick, a prominent conservative voice for half a century as a newspaper editor and columnist, author and television personality, died Sunday in Washington.  He was 89.  —  The cause was congestive heart failure, said his wife, Marianne Means.

FDA considers revoking approval of Avastin for advanced breast cancer  —  Federal regulators are considering taking the highly unusual step of rescinding approval of a drug that patients with advanced breast cancer turn to as a last-ditch hope.  —  The debate over Avastin …

Newt Gingrich compares mosque to Nazis  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Monday compared the mosque planned to go up blocks away from ground zero in New York to Nazis protesting next to the Holocaust museum.  —  Gingrich highlighted the fact that New York Democratic Gov. David Paterson …

Bedbug City: 1 in 10 New Yorkers has grappled with bedbugs in their home  —  Updated:  —  Bedbugs are taking over New York.  —  A new Daily News-Marist poll suggests that The City That Never Sleeps is probably too busy itching: One in 10 New Yorkers has now battled bedbugs in their home.

Iran, Nuclear Ambitions, and Uncertainty  —  I'm looking forward to reading Jeffrey Goldberg's piece elsewhere at The Atlantic on Iran, its pursuit of nuclear technology, Israel's likely response, and America's options.  In general I find his long form reportage an invaluable source …