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.)

Hillary Clinton for president ad hits airwaves  —  A new ad advocating for Hillary Clinton for president in 2012 began running in New Orleans Wednesday.  —  (CNN) - We've still got two months left until the 2010 midterm elections, but we now have our first television commercial of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Stay Classy, Christine O'Donnell  —  She didn't make the charge; a firm employed by her did.  She's not commenting. … She cannot win in Delaware, which is usually among the ten most Democratic states in the union.  Allow me to be a little elistist — what in this odd biography says “serious candidate for Senator”?

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Congressman Anh “Joseph” Cao shies away from partisan debate: Stephanie Grace  —  Most Republicans are probably thrilled that their party is in striking distance of regaining its majority in the U.S. House this fall.  —  Yet for Anh “Joseph” Cao, the unlikely first-term GOP congressman …

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 …

Mideast talks close; leaders agree to meet every two weeks  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas agreed to meet again in about two weeks as the first round of peace talks in nearly two years concluded Thursday at the State Department.

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.

What I Learned Behind the Lines of the Anti-Obama Backlash  —  What's Your Reaction: … Last March, the week that the health care reform was signed into law, I plopped down on a sofa and watched Fox News Channel's Glenn Beck for an hour with two of his biggest fans.

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.

Gallup poll: Signs point to strong GOP turnout in elections  —  Republican voters are poised to turn out in large numbers in support of the party's candidates this fall, a new poll suggested Thursday.  —  The Gallup poll found that a key measure of voter enthusiasm showed GOP voters intensely interested in this fall's elections.

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.

8.4 Million New Yorkers Suddenly Realize New York City A Horrible Place To Live  —  'We're Getting The Hell Out Of This Sewer,' Entire Populace Reports  —  NEW YORK—At 4:32 p.m. Tuesday, every single resident of New York City decided to evacuate the famed metropolis, having realizing …