Coast Guard: Platform on fire in Gulf; 13 workers rescued  —  [Updated at 1:05 p.m.] Mariner Energy, owner of the production platform, said in a press release that no hydrocarbon spill has been reported after an initial flyover of the incident.  —  “Mariner has notified and is working …

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.)

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 …

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 …

Deval Patrick on Beck rally: “It's a free country.  I wish it weren't.”  —  And you thought that a libtalker declaring a public space too sacred for God would be the dumbest quote from the Left on the Restoring Honor rally hosted by Glenn Beck.  Michael Graham from Boston's WTKK posts a clip …

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.

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:

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 …

Gunman's Environmental Grudges Well Known Before Discovery Channel Hostage Standoff  —  James Jay Lee wasn't a stranger to the Discovery Channel employees he terrorized Wednesday with a gun and with what appeared to be makeshift bombs strapped to his chest and back.

How Barack Obama Became Mr. Unpopular  —  The Barack Obama that most Hoosiers remember voting for can still be found on YouTube.  He stands before a cheering Elkhart high school gymnasium in August 2008, tireless, aspirational, promising a new America of jobs and hope.

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.

Obama is Not a Muslim  —  The nonsense about President Obama being a Muslim has got to stop.  I rise to defend him from this absurd accusation by pointing out that he is obviously an atheist.  —  Leave aside Obama's fanatical opposition to allowing Illinois hospitals to save the lives …

Lazio Up 12 Pts.  In New York GOP Primary For Governor, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Dems Still Don't Know Who's Running For Attorney General  —  Former Congressman Rick Lazio leads businessman Carl Paladino 47 - 35 percent among New York State Republican likely primary voters in the race for Governor …

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.

A Dream House After All  —  IF you read the coverage of the latest figures on the sales of existing homes from the National Association of Realtors, you may well have come to the conclusion that the American dream is dead.  It is indeed worrisome that sales in July were down 25 percent from a year ago.

Sec. Clinton warns of ‘setbacks’ as Middle East peace talks begin  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States will be “an active and sustained” partner in helping Israelis and Palestinians make peace, as direct talks between the two sides began Thursday morning at the State Department.

Shoup to O'Toole: The Market for Parking Is Anything But Free  —  We're reprinting this reply [PDF] from UCLA professor Donald Shoup, author of the High Cost of Free Parking, to Randal O'Toole, the libertarian Cato Institute senior fellow who refuses to acknowledge the role …

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.

GOP Rep. Cao: ‘I love the president’  —  Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) said he loves President Obama on a personal level, and believes that the president likes him very much, too.  —  Cao, a Republican elected in 2008 in a heavily Democratic district in New Orleans, said that he gets along …