Far from Ground Zero, other plans for mosques run into vehement opposition  —  MURFREESBORO, TENN. — For more than 30 years, the Muslim community in this Nashville suburb has worshipped quietly in a variety of makeshift spaces — a one-bedroom apartment, an office behind a Lube Express …

True stories of bloggers who secretly feed on partisan cash  —  Katie Couric once described bloggers as journalists who gnaw at new information “like piranhas in a pool.”  But increasingly, many bloggers are also secretly feeding on cash from political campaigns, in a form of partisan payola …

Now That's Rich  —  We need to pinch pennies these days.  Don't you know we have a budget deficit?  For months that has been the word from Republicans and conservative Democrats, who have rejected every suggestion that we do more to avoid deep cuts in public services and help the ailing economy.

ATLAS EXCLUSIVE!  GROUND ZERO MOSQUE IMAM FEISAL'S EXTREMISM EXPOSED: IN HIS OWN WORDS: “the United States has more blood on its hands than al Qaida,” Elimination of Israel, the N-Word, “Fahrenheit 911”  —  The media frenzy to destroy good, decent Americans who oppose a 15-story mega-mosque on Ground Zero is rabid.

The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.  —  David H. Koch in 1996.  He and his brother Charles are lifelong libertarians and have quietly given more than a hundred million dollars to right-wing causes.  —  KEYWORDS … On May 17th, a black-tie audience …

Was Mike Huckabee Ready To Sell His Endorsement to Rick Scott for $250,000?  —  I have spoken with a reliable source telling me that a little over a week ago, Mike Huckabee approached the Rick Scott campaign and made overtures that his endorsement could be had for $250,000 dollars.

So you are coming to the 8/28 Glenn Beck March on Washington?  —  by Bruce Majors  —  Herein a visitors' guide.  I will be updating it daily.  Please post any issues you want addressed or researched.  —  I am told (but did not check) that hotels are very full.

Poll numbers in 1994, a bad year for Democrats, don't bode well for them in 2010  —  Is it deja vu all over again for Democrats?  —  Some neutral observers and senior strategists within the party have begun to believe that the national political environment is not only similar to what they saw in 1994 …

Real Estate's Gold Rush Seems Gone for Good  —  Housing will eventually recover from its great swoon.  But many real estate experts now believe that home ownership will never again yield rewards like those enjoyed in the second half of the 20th century, when houses not only provided shelter but also a plump nest egg.

The best (positive) campaign ad of the cycle?  —  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) is out with a new ad in his bid for the state's open governorship that perfectly captures the anti-politician sentiment coursing through the electorate.  —  “I'm John Hickenlooper and I guess …

So far, Sestak back on his heels  —  Aggressive Toomey has sharper campaign message, more money to spread it.  —  WASHINGTON — Joe Sestak is halfway to learning whether his defeat of Arlen Specter will end with a seat in the U.S. Senate.  —  But so far Pat Toomey has controlled …

Dems urge Obama to take a stand  —  White House press secretary Robert Gibbs's recent complaint about the ingratitude of the “professional left” is a small symptom of a larger problem for President Barack Obama: He has left wide swaths of the Democratic Party uncertain of his core beliefs.

10 things Obama must do in 10 weeks  —  (CNN) — President Obama is facing criticism that his message has gone off track at a crucial time for his party and administration.  With the midterm elections just 10 weeks away, the president's approval ratings are at their lowest.

Many More Now Following Mosque Controversy - And Don't Like It  —  A lot more voters are paying attention to the plans to build a mosque near the Ground Zero site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City, and they don't like the idea.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds …

College Dropout Factories  —  It was money—or the lack of it—that determined where Nestor Curiel chose to go to college.  The third of six children in an immigrant Mexican family, Nestor grew up in Blue Island, a gritty working-class suburb near Chicago's South Side.

A Purge at the Cato Institute?  —  The libertarian Cato Institute is parting with two of its most prominent scholars.  Brink Lindsey, the institute's vice president of research and the author of the successful book The Age of Abundance, is departing to take a position at the Kauffman Foundation.

Eric Cantor: Mosque builders ‘not interested in healing’  —  ASHLAND, Va. — Rep. Eric Cantor, one of the highest-ranking Jewish lawmakers, says Muslims building a community center in lower Manhattan are “insensitive” and “not interested in healing or bringing people together.”

Taliban-hired snipers believed to have killed British soldiers killed by air strikes  —  Four foreign snipers hired by the Taliban, thought to be responsible for the deaths of ten British soldiers, have been hunted down and killed.  —  The mercenaries were found by British special forces …

Obama Weekly Job Approval Average at New Low of 43%  —  Obama's ratings improved near end of week  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Obama's job approval rating slipped to 43% for the week of Aug. 16-22, down one percentage point from the previous weekly low set a week ago.

Uninsured Slow To Sign Up For Coverage  —  HACKENSACK, N.J. - Just two people in New Jersey will begin receiving coverage Monday under new plans created by federal health care reforms.  —  NJ Protect plans are available to those who have been without insurance for at least six months …

Last-minute Palin robo-calls for Bondi in GOP attorney general primary  —  The day before Tuesday's primary election, political newcomer Pam Bondi brought out the big guns: a robo-call recorded by conservative darling Sarah Palin.  —  The “Mama Grizzly” calls Bondi “a real prosecutor …