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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

Obama Bombing Iran?  Don't Be Surprised  —  This post is part of our forum on Jeffrey Goldberg's September cover story detailing the prospects and implications of an Israeli strike against Iran.  Follow the debate here.  —  Jeffrey Goldberg's main subject is an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear program …

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.

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.

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.

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.

9th Circuit finds a right to lie  —  In a major First Amendment decision Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit struck down a federal law making it a crime to falsely claim a military honor or decoration.  —  In a 2-1 ruling, the appeals court panel found that the poetically named Stolen Valor Act is unconstitutional.

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.

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.

Giannoulias has a small lead  —  In a race pitting two of the weakest Senate candidates in the country Alexi Giannoulias continues to hold a small lead over Mark Kirk, 37-35, with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones pulling 9%.  Voters in the heavily Democratic state it seems would narrowly prefer …

Gingrich went too far, says Buchanan  —  Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, left, is being criticized by conservative stalwart Pat Buchanan.  —  (CNN) - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's latest comments regarding the controversial Islamic center near the site …

White House frustrated with gay bloggers  —  Feeling's mutual.  —  From an account by Michael Kenny, executive director of Florida Together, of a White House meeting last week with state-based equality groups. … It's great that you're “supportive.”  But it's the same argument gay Republicans used to describe George Bush.

Dean Baker: 'We've lost about $6 trillion in housing wealth, and I expect we will lose more.'  —  When I looked over the invitees to the Treasury Department's forum on housing policy today, I noticed one of the names that wasn't there: The Center for Economic and Policy Research's director, Dean Baker.