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.

The Democrats' New Normal  —  I don't usually like to comment on individual polls.  Most of the time, when a poll produces an “unusual” result, it simply reflects random noise and the best advice is to wait for the next edition of the poll to come along, when more often than not it will revert to its previous position.

Meghan McCain Breaks Silence on Palin  —  Sen. John McCain's Daughter: Sarah Palin's Rise Was ‘Too Fast,’ ‘Too Easy’  —  For the first time since the end of her father's 2008 presidential bid, Meghan McCain, Sen. John McCain's daughter, spoke out about Sarah Palin, writing in a new book that Palin brought …

Glenn Beck may be unlikely leader for conservative Christians  —  A few weeks before organizing a massive rally on the Mall that had the feel of a religious revival, Glenn Beck sought the blessing of some of the country's most prominent conservative Christian leaders.

ALASKA SENATE COUNTDOWN TODAY UPDATE: Miller Leads by 1,325 Votes After Initial Absentee Count in Anchorage UPDATE: Miller Campaign Spokesman Expects ‘Good Day at the End of the Day’  —  Posted on |  August 31, 2010 |  7 Comments  —  ANCHORAGE, Alaska  —  UPDATE 4:25 p.m. ET …

Health Care Reform Has Endangered the Democratic Majority  —  This Politico piece by Jim VandeHei, Alex Isenstadt, and Mike Allen got a lot of play last week: … There is no mention of health care reform in this piece.  The economy is referenced several times.  So is the President's inability to control the narrative.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — August 2010  —  The August Health Tracking Poll finds that support for health reform fell over the course of August, dipping from a 50 percent favorability rating in July to 43 percent, while 45 percent of the public reported unfavorable views.

Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama  —  Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund manager, was one of Barack Obama's biggest backers in the 2008 presidential campaign.  —  A registered Democrat, Mr. Loeb has given and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democrats.

Four killed as terrorists open fire near Kiryat Arba  —  Victims, shot while driving, include 2 men, 2 women, one reportedly pregnant; attack comes before Netanyahu and Abbas set to meet in Washington for peace talks.  —  Talkbacks (1)  —  Iranian Threat  —  Jewish World  —  Local Israel

The Impending Democratic Bloodbath.  —  If this new Gallup poll is any indication, liberals will soon be able to complain about Speaker John Boehner, and possibly Majority Leader Mitch McConnell:  —  According to Gallup, this Republican lead is greater than any previous midterm advantage …

Afghanistan bomb attacks kill twenty-one US soldiers in 48 hours  —  Twenty-one American troops have been killed in Afghanistan since Friday in one of the bloodiest periods of the summer.  —  A series of bomb attacks have badly hit US troops in eastern and southern Afghanistan in the past 48 hours.

Sorry Charlie  —  Charlie Crist will not be Florida's next United States Senator.  —  In a year where most predictions are downright silly, I am very confident in that one.  When Kendrick Meek won last Tuesday, with his victory went Charlie Crist's chances.  Democrats who want to beat Marco Rubio should jump on the Meek train.

New Left Media uses Trojan trick to get interviews  —  Chase Whiteside and Erick Stoll, the two young journalists behind “New Left Media,” tell attendees at Tea Party and other conservative rallies that they are student journalists working on a school project in order to get them to talk openly on camera about their beliefs.

CBO: Eight Years of Iraq War Cost Less Than Stimulus Act  —  As President Obama prepares to tie a bow on U.S. combat operations in Iraq, Congressional Budget Office numbers show that the total cost of the eight-year war was less than the stimulus bill passed by the Democratic-led Congress in 2009.

Wealthy lawmakers increased their riches as economy sputtered in '09  —  The wealthiest members of Congress grew richer in 2009 even as the economy struggled to recover from a deep recession.  —  The 50 wealthiest lawmakers were worth almost $1.4 billion in 2009, about $85.1 million …

Poll: Majority Of GOP Believes Obama Sympathizes With Islamic Fundamentalism, Wants Worldwide Islamic Law  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A majority of Republicans believe that President Barack Obama “sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world …

Brother, Can You Paradigm?  —  A few months back one of my original mentors in economics — someone who got his graduate training in the pre-fresh-water era — asked me whether there was anything about the current crisis that required fundamentally new analysis.  We agreed that there wasn't.