They won't build it!  Hardhats vow not to work on controversial mosque near Ground Zero  —  The site of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero.  Many construction workers are vowing not to work on the controversial project.  —  A growing number of New York construction workers are vowing …

Obama has himself to blame for Muslim problem  —  In 1985, Barack Obama had just arrived in Chicago for his new job as a community organizer when he headed to Smitty's Barbershop, a tiny storefront on the South Side.  As Smitty cut his hair, Obama listened to the men in the shop talk politics and racial grievance.

Treasury Admits HAMP Expectations Not Met, Thinks “Extend and Pretend” Is a Virtue  —  The Latin inscription reads: “We shall attain the excellence of virtue with the grace of God and the effort of our will.”  Federal government seems to be relying on similar methods to avert mortgage crisis.

Luxuries and necessities in one graph  —  I'd say people are underestimating the importance of computers given the evolving nature of the economy, overestimating the importance of appliances, and the centrality of cars doesn't bode well for pricing carbon.  —  Source.  Hat tip.

The new battle: What it means to be American  —  It's a classic case of be careful what you wish for.  President Barack Obama wanted to end the baby boomer-era culture wars — and he's done it.  —  But along the way, Obama has sparked an even more visceral values debate about whether he's moving …

Will bacteria count beach Barack Obama?  —  WEST TISBURY - Welcome to Martha's Vineyard, Mr. President - but don't go in the water!  —  President Obama, who took a plunge in the Gulf last week to show Americans it was safe to swim the oil spill-plagued area, arrived on this supposedly …

This just in... Quinn's media firm fired, fires shots  —  * 10:30 am - More really bad campaign news for Gov. Pat Quinn.  His media firm, AKPD, has just exited the campaign [it was fired].  And check out this harsh goodbye statement...  Oh, man, what a shot that was.

Why Political Sage Sees GOP Romp in November  —  In the panoply of political prognosticators populating Washington, few have painted a bleaker picture of Democrats' 2010 election prospects than Charlie Cook.  —  And he doesn't see that picture getting any brighter.

Obama now blames poor job numbers on congressional inaction.  Wait!  His party runs Congress  —  Just a few minor things to catch up on for the weekend now that the Fundraiser-in-Chief has gone on another vacation (Don't worry though.  White House chef Sam Kass went along, so the first family need not eat ordinary human food.)

Jeffrey Goldberg's fabrication on NPR  —  (updated below Update II - Update III - Update IV)  —  This is really quite strange.  Yesterday, my inbox began filling up with email telling me that Jeffrey Goldberg had gone on NPR and, when asked about my critiques of his Atlantic article on bombing Iran …

In First 2010 TV Ad, DNC Raises Specter Of Bush Once Again  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  The Democratic National Committee is once again using the imagery and words of former President George W. Bush to present a stark “choice” to voters heading into November in what an aide said is the DNC's …

The Palin Twitter Backlash  —  Black Republicans tell John Avlon that Sarah Palin's tweet in defense of Dr. Laura was ridiculous and indefensible—and that she may be “no longer fit to lead.”  —  Sarah Palin's post-VP nominee career has so far benefitted from bomb-throwing.

Obama had facts wrong about visit here  —  Finance director: Stimulus dollars didn't aid project  —  A local project that President Barack Obama cited during a visit Wednesday to Columbus as an example of how the federal stimulus package has worked isn't actually being funded with stimulus dollars.

The right stuff  —  Indiana's governor is a likeable wonk.  Can he save the Republicans from themselves and provide a pragmatic alternative to Barack Obama?  —  CLAY COUNTY  —  THE governor does not like to keep people waiting.  On a recent morning this small man leapt out of a trooper's Toyota …

Franklin Graham: President Obama Was Born a Muslim  —  We've got an economy that's a mess, people who have been unemployed forever that need jobs, massive flooding in Pakistan, millions of gallons of oil and dispersants still floating in the water in the Gulf of Mexico and what is the media spending hours upon hours covering?

At the Far Edge  —  For months, it has been clear that Republican Congressional candidates would benefit from independent voters' dissatisfaction with President Obama.  With the Republican field now largely in place, all voters might want to take a close look at who those candidates are.

BioShock Takes On American Exceptionalism.  —  I've written before about the horror/shooter BioShock series of video games being about the closest thing I've ever seen to narrative art in the genre, in part because the games tend to wrestle with political high concepts.

Target feels backlash from shareholders  —  Institutions with stakes in the retail giant are demanding that the company revamp its donation process after a $150,000 contribution backed an anti-gay-rights candidate.  —  Reporting from Washington — After weeks of public protest …

That 20%  —  Allahpundit says all that needs to be said about new polling on the perception of Obama's religion: … South Park put it more succinctly.  —  (Cable news fail via Pareene)  —  Christianity - United States - Barack Obama - South Park - President

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Be More Aggressive’: Tom DeLay Says GOP Needs to Go After ‘Obama Agenda’ Even Harder  —  Former GOP Leader Says He Still Speaks to Abramoff; Won't Rule Out Return to Politics  —  Despite the corruption and lobbying scandals that ensnared Republicans in Congress and triggered …

The expanding Senate playing field  —  As we sat down to rank which ten Senate races are most likely to flip party control on November 2, it became immediately clear that our Line wasn't big enough.  —  The simple truth is that over the past six to nine months, the Senate playing field …

Clinton Voices Hope for Peace Deal in Mideast Within a Year  —  WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Friday that Israel and the Palestinians would resume direct negotiations in Washington on Sept. 2, awakening hopes for the Middle East peace process but leaving many key questions unanswered.

U.S. Persuades Israel That Iran's Nuclear Threat Is Not Imminent  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran's nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year — and perhaps longer — for Iran to complete …

Needed: a new economic paradigm  —  The blame game continues over who is responsible for the worst recession since the Great Depression - the financiers who did such a bad job of managing risk or the regulators who failed to stop them.  But the economics profession bears more than a little culpability.

Why won't the Pentagon help WikiLeaks redact documents?  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  When the controversy first arose over the lack of redactions in the war documents released by WikiLeaks, the website insisted that, using the New York Times as an intermediary, it had asked …