One Day Before Its Gulf Oil Rig Exploded, Mariner Energy Said Obama ‘Is Trying To Break Us’ With Moratorium  —  The U.S. Coast Guard said this morning that a natural gas and oil drilling platform exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana.  A Coast Guard spokesperson said the platform …

Dept. of stage fright  —  Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's opening statement in last night's debate reflects either an amazing lack of preparation, or sheer panic.  —  (The video caption isn't mine.)

Dan Gaffney Audio: Christine O'Donnell for Senate Interview  —  With just days left before her primary election day challenge against Mike Castle (R) here is the complete interview with Christine O'Donnell (R) from today's Dan Gaffney Show.  —  2 Responses  —  O'Donnell Can't Take the Spotlight : Delaware Liberal says:

Dodge Charger owner upset vehicle crushed by suicidal fall  —  Tweet  —  Her car was crushed — and so is she.  —  A New Jersey woman is devastated that her precious sports car — just repaired and fully gassed up — was wrecked by a suicidal man's 40-story attempted death leap on the Upper West Side.

Economist Christina Romer serves up dismal news at her farewell luncheon  —  Lunch at the National Press Club on Wednesday caused some serious indigestion.  —  It wasn't the food; it was the entertainment.  Christina Romer, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers …

Democrats unlikely to repeal tax cuts for the rich  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are poised to play a leading role this month in thwarting their party's effort to raise income tax rates on the wealthy.  —  Tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire at the end of this year.

Sixty Days to Go  —  The Crystal Ball's Labor Day Predictions  —  Larry J. Sabato, Director, U.Va. Center for Politics  —  For decades I've advised students to let the facts speak for themselves, while avoiding the indulgence of shouting at the facts.  In other words, we should take in …

Sen. McConnell: ‘We Can Do Business’ with Obama if He Moves to Center  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell had his first one-on-one meeting with President Obama a few weeks ago, shortly before Congress broke for its summer recess.

Warren fuels speculation by dropping class  —  When fall classes began Wednesday at Harvard Law School, Elizabeth Warren was scheduled to be teaching contract law to first-year students.  But something happened on the way to the chalkboard.  —  “I'm writing to let you know that Professor Jerry Frug …

FTC Subpoenas 48 Food Companies Regarding Marketing to Kids  —  Follow-up to 2008 Report Unlikely to Lead to More Regulation  —  NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The Federal Trade Commission is once again handing out subpoenas to companies that market food to children and teens.

Obama Unpopular Ahead of Midterms: Will the GOP Benefit?  —  President Obama, during a town-hall meeting with young African leaders in the East Room of the White House on Aug. 3, 2010  —  The Barack Obama that most Hoosiers remember voting for can still be found on YouTube.

It's Important To Be Right  —  I previously expressed hope that Markos Moulitsas' American Taliban: How War, Sex, Sin, and Power Bind Jihadists and the Radical Right would be better than the publicity material suggested.  Jamelle Bouie read it for The American Prospect and reports back that it isn't.

Rupert Murdoch's War On The New York Times  —  “I read the Journal a little less now.  I find that I can skim it in a way I couldn't before.  If the Journal is gaining market share I'd guess it is more at the expense of USA Today than the Times,” New York Times executive editor Bill Keller tells Vanity Fair writer Sarah Ellison.

Sarah Palin has tough words for the MSM  —  In the first half this interview with Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin says that Republicans must ensure that the public understands that cutting taxes and getting the government out of the way is the best way to fix our economy and that they must communicate …

The profound mystery of the “enthusiasm gap”  —  I'm somewhat pressed for time today, but wanted to note the following items, all of which are significant in their own right and, taken together, make an important point:  —  (1) Huffington Post's Sam Stein notes the increasing number …

Saying anything about Palin, cont'd  —  I generally avoid playing press critic, knowing that I live in a particularly fragile glass house and that good reporters make mistakes.  —  But the Vanity Fair piece on Sarah Palin is so emblematic of much that's wrong about the way she's covered …

Republicans Hold Wide Lead in Key Voter Turnout Measure  —  Republican advantage in “thought given to election” greatly exceeds that for past midterms  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Two months before this year's midterm congressional elections, Gallup finds 54% of Republicans, compared with 30% of Democrats …