Top Items:
Jamie Stiehm / Washington Post:
Oval Office rug gets history wrong — A mistake has been made in the Oval Office makeover that goes beyond the beige. — President Obama's new presidential rug seemed beyond reproach, with quotations from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy …
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
In defense of Alan Simpson — (updated below) — The President's Deficit Commission is designed to be as anti-democratic and un-transparent as possible. Its work is done in total secrecy. It is filled with behind-the-scenes political and corporate operatives who steadfastly refuse to talk to the public about what they're doing.
RELATED:
Dana Milbank / Washington Post:
America has a cow over Alan Simpson's candor on deficits — There was a time, not too long ago, when a politician could talk about tits in public. — In 1992, Sen. Alan Simpson, a Wyoming Republican, complained in a speech to the National Conference of State Legislatures about how Social Security …
Discussion:
Firedoglake and Hullabaloo
Dan / Riehl World View:
My Response To Stephen Bainbridge's Ad Hominem Attack — According to Stephen Bainbridge, suddenly I'm a holier than thou purist with no tolerance and an enemy of the good, ... along with my ilk. It's difficult to see Bainbridge as the good here, given his mis-labeling me so falsely, while ignoring my arguments.
Discussion:
Red Dog Report, Hotline On Call, The Other McCain, Gateway Pundit and Outside the Beltway
Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
NO ONE SHOULD BE SURPRISED BY THE SHUTDOWN.... Josh Marshall had an item yesterday that I suspect represents the way many observers consider reports of a government shutdown next year: “When I first heard this talk of another ‘government shutdown’ in 2011, I figured it was just Democrats whipping it up as a cudgel for the election.
Discussion:
A plain blog about politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Talking Points Memo and TPMDC
BBC:
Tony Blair pelted with eggs at book signing in Dublin — Activists clashed with Irish police as they tried to push down a security barrier outside the bookshop — Eggs, bottles and shoes have been thrown at the former prime minister Tony Blair as he attended a book signing in Dublin.
Discussion:
thenational.ae, Firedoglake, The Impolitic, FrumForum and Suburban Guerrilla
RELATED:
Commentary:
What Kind of Socialist Is Barack Obama? — The assertion that Barack Obama is a socialist became a hallmark of the 2008 presidential campaign. His opponent, John McCain, used Obama's own extemporaneous words to an Ohio plumber as Exhibit A: “When you spread the wealth around,” Obama had said, “it's good for everybody.”
Discussion:
NewsReal Blog
Nick Gillespie / Hit & Run:
Glenn Beck's “Restoring Honor” Rally, a Week Later — Last Saturday, Glenn Beck held his “Restoring Honor” rally in Washington, DC. Reason.tv's segment on the event, which went up a few hours after its conclusion, is above. (Shot by Jim Epstein with help from Josh Swain …
Discussion:
AmSpecBlog
Allysia Finley / Wall Street Journal:
Broke—and Building the Most Expensive School in U.S. History — Benches that talk, a Cocoanut Grove auditorium, and a marble slab engraved with quotes from Ted Kennedy. — Los Angeles — At $578 million—or about $140,000 per student—the 24-acre Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex …
Discussion:
24Ahead and GayPatriot
Adam B. Ellick / New York Times:
Afghanistan Tries to Help Nation's Biggest Bank — KABUL, Afghanistan — In a bid to fend off the threat of a nationwide financial crisis, the Afghan government scrambled to shore up Afghanistan's largest bank on Saturday after lines of frantic depositors mobbed the bank for a third day.
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, ChristWire and Fire Andrea Mitchell!
Mark Hyman, MD / The Huffington Post:
Millions Die Due to Withheld Medical Treatment — What's Your Reaction: — Imagine we found the cure for heart disease or diabetes, but as a society chose to withhold that treatment from those who need it most. Would it be ethical to withhold effective treatments when the result …
Discussion:
protein wisdom
Bridget Johnson / The Hill:
Clinton hosting dinner for Ramadan geared toward young Muslims — The administration's marking of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues Tuesday when the State Department hosts an event. — The administration's marking of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan continues Tuesday …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers and Fire Andrea Mitchell!
CNN:
Salahi in Playboy? Just ‘another rumor.’ — Michaele Salahi (right) has not received an offer to appear in Playboy, her spokesman told CNN on Saturday. — (CNN) - A spokesman for Michaele Salahi of White House party-crasher fame batted down on Saturday morning a story that claims the …
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, American Power and PopEater
Gail Collins / New York Times:
The Ungreat Debate — We do not generally look to gubernatorial debates for excitement. But this week there was a fascinating one in Arizona, where Gov. Jan Brewer gave a bad performance of epic proportions. Really, Richard Nixon in 1960 was Demosthenes in Athens compared with this one.
Discussion:
Prairie Weather
RELATED:
Jackie Calmes / New York Times:
On Economy, Democrats Face a Lack of Unity — WASHINGTON — Democrats are entering the fall sprint to the midterm elections lacking a unifying message to address the lackluster economy, scrambling to come up with further job-creating remedies and out of time to show substantial results before voters go to the polls.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo, Outside the Beltway, Daily Kos, American Power and Washington Wire
RELATED:
Shailagh Murray / Washington Post:
Democrats add fiscal austerity as a campaign issue