President Obama's Oval Office speech on Iraq — text  —  Oval Office Remarks by President Obama, as provided by the White House  —  Good evening.  Tonight, I'd like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild our nation here at home.

The “nobody-could-have-known” excuse and Iraq  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  The predominant attribute of American elites is a refusal to take responsibility for any failures.  The favored tactic for accomplishing this evasion is the “nobody-could-have-known” excuse.

Oval Office gets a makeover  —  While President Obama was on vacation, his West Wing office got a bit of a face lift, complete with a new rug, fresh wallpaper and paint, and new furniture — all done at no taxpayer expense, the White House says.  —  Details of the renovation were released to the pool reporter this morning.

Obama declares it's time to turn page on U.S. mission in Iraq  —  President Obama officially declared an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom Tuesday night, saying the time has come to “turn the page” on a war that has lasted almost eight years.  —  “Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended,” Obama said.

Joe Miller Set to Win Alaska Senate Primary  —  Sources in Alaska have informed Big Government that the trend in the count of absentee ballots makes it virtually impossible that Sen. Murkowski will overtake Joe Miller in the GOP Senate Primary.  A trusted and well-placed operative told BG:

Murkowski Concedes Alaska Primary Race to Tea Party Candidate  —  In a major upset, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has conceded her GOP Senate primary race to Tea Party Express favorite Joe Miller, who had the backing of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.  —  “I don't see a scenario in which the primary …

In Sean Hannity's World, There Was No Glenn Beck Restoring Honor Rally  —  Bill O'Reilly spent his entire show Monday night talking about Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor rally.  Fox & Friends talked about it.  So did Megyn Kelly, and Bret Baier, and Greta Van Susteren.  But Sean Hannity didn't mention it.