The Beginning of the End of the Ground Zero Mosque  —  A column (h/t, MEMRI) in the August 16, 2010 London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat by Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid, director of Al-Arabiya TV and the paper's former editor, “A House of Worship or a Symbol of Destruction?” should mean the end of plans for a mosque near Ground Zero.

Obama, the one-term president  —  Q: Will Barack Obama be a one-term president?  —  A: Yes, he might last that long.  —  Honest to goodness, the man just does not get it.  He might be forced to pull a Palin and resign before his first term is over.  He could go off and write his memoirs and build his presidential library.

BARBRA STREISAND SKIPS DEMOCRATIC FUNDRAISER  —  Barbra Streisand and Jeffrey Katzenberg were no-shows at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee fundraiser the two were to co-host Monday night at the Los Angeles home of television producer John Wells.

Israel has ‘8 days’ to hit Iran nuclear site: Bolton  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) - Israel has “eight days” to launch a military strike against Iran's Bushehr nuclear facility and stop Tehran from acquiring a functioning atomic plant, a former US envoy to the UN has said.

Rand Paul's Answer To Kentucky's Drug Epidemic: Help ‘Rich People’  —  Last week, Kentucky Senate candidate and Tea Party darling Rand Paul (R) told the AP of his desire to cut federal funding for undercover drug investigations and drug treatment programs that are “badly needed” in his state.

Guilty on just 1 count, Blago taunts U.S. attorney  —  Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after the verdict in his corruption trial today.  (Michael Tercha / Tribune)  —  After a federal jury convicted him of just one count — lying to the FBI …

Sarah Palin: Proposed ‘Mosque’ Like a Weapon  —  ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports:  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin delivered a scathing rebuke Monday night to the proposed “mosque” near Ground Zero and President Obama's comments supporting it.  —  “He just doesn't get it …

Justice Dept. threatens to sue Ariz. sheriff Arpaio in civil rights inquiry  —  A federal investigation of a controversial Arizona sheriff known for tough immigration enforcement has intensified in recent days, escalating the conflict between the Obama administration and officials in the border state.

The Web Is Dead.  Long Live the Internet  —  Sources: Cisco estimates based on CAIDA publications, Andrew Odlyzko  —  Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services — think apps — are less about the searching and more about the getting.

Does News Corp's Donation To The Republican Governors Association Violate Its Own Company Policy?  —  Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that News Corp., the Fox News parent company run by Rupert Murdoch, donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association (RGA) in June.

A Tea Party Manifesto  —  The movement is not seeking a junior partnership with the Republican Party.  It is aiming for a hostile takeover.  —  On Feb. 9, 2009, Mary Rakovich, a recently laid-off automotive engineer, set out for a convention center in Fort Myers, Fla. with protest signs …

America Has Disgraced Itself  —  Conservative fury over the “ground zero” mosque shows that when it comes to the battle for freedom and religious liberty, the U.S. has thrown in the towel.  —  The president is furiously backtracking; Republicans are clawing over each other to demonize Muslims; Democrats are dead silent.

Fine, I'll Talk About This Thing  —  Here's the deal: the odds are very, very good that the current controversy about the “Ground Zero Mosque”...  1. Won't affect any elections this year.  —  2. Certainly won't affect the presidential election in 2012.  —  3. Will be rapidly forgotten.

GOP WI Sen. candidate Ron Johnson claims ‘sunspot activity’ is the cause of extreme weather trends.  —  Yesterday, Wisconsin businessman and U.S. Senate candidate for the Republican Party Ron Johnson gave a wide-ranging interview to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.

Murdered soldier's parents: Repeal 'don't ask, don't tell'  —  Editor's note: Pat and Wally Kutteles are the parents of Pfc. Barry Winchell, who was murdered 11 years ago at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.  Each year the couple travel to Washington to share the story of their son's murder with members …

‘Mosque’ debate is a red herring  —  By 2012, our national debt will be larger than the entire U.S. economy, according to the International Monetary Fund.  So what's on the front burner in Washington these days?  Zoning issues in lower Manhattan!  —  Is it OK to put a Muslim community center close to Ground Zero?

Jared Bernstein, White House Economist, Throws Cold Water On Bush Tax Cuts Compromise  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A key member of the White House economic team is throwing cold water on a leading compromise proposal in the debate over the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Aircraft violates AF1 airspace  —  SEATTLE — Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept an aircraft that had violated restricted airspace around Air Force One as President Barack Obama visited Seattle on Tuesday, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said Tuesday.