Democrats Plan Political Triage to Retain House  —  WASHINGTON — As Democrats brace for a November wave that threatens their control of the House, party leaders are preparing a brutal triage of their own members in hopes of saving enough seats to keep a slim grip on the majority.

What America Has Lost  —  It's clear we overreacted to 9/11.  —  Nine years after 9/11, can anyone doubt that Al Qaeda is simply not that deadly a threat?  Since that gruesome day in 2001, once governments everywhere began serious countermeasures, Osama bin Laden's terror network has been unable …

TRENDING: Tony Blair on Bill Clinton's ‘potentially sexual element’  —  (CNN) - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was hesitant in an interview broadcast on Sunday to explain a passage from his new book that referenced a “potentially sexual element” to former President Bill Clinton's “curiosity about people.”

Kaine to fellow Dems: ‘Foolish’ to run from party  —  Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine has a message for Democrats trying to run from President Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid: Don't be foolish.  —  “If you run away from who you are and you're a Democrat, it's foolish,” Kaine said on “Fox News Sunday.”

McCain: Dems ‘flailing around’  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday called a series of tax breaks to be proposed by the White House this week “a deathbed conversion” and slammed Democrats for wanting to let tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans expire.  —  “They're just flailing around,” McCain said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Who is responsible for Warmabomber's violent agenda?  —  Filthy.  Parasites.  Disgusting, overbreeding candidates for sterilization and extermination.  Possessed of false morals and a “breeding culture.”  —  Hitler talking about the Jews?  Nope.  This is Discovery Channel hostage-taker James Lee talking about ... human beings.

GOP resurgent  —  More Ohioans plan to vote for Republicans in the election, and they are excited to do so.  But a lot can happen before Nov. 2.  —  THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH  —  Republican candidates have grabbed double-digit leads in the races for governor and the U.S. Senate …

Superbroke, Superfrugal, Superpower?  —  In recent years, I have often said to European friends: So, you didn't like a world of too much American power?  See how you like a world of too little American power — because it is coming to a geopolitical theater near you.

America's History of Fear  —  A radio interviewer asked me the other day if I thought bigotry was the only reason why someone might oppose the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan.  No, I don't.  Most of the opponents aren't bigots but well-meaning worriers — and during earlier waves …

Making Social Security less generous isn't the answer  —  There are a lot of things Congress doesn't know right now.  What to do about jobs, for instance.  Who'll be running the House come January.  How to balance the budget.  But there is one thing that both parties increasingly seem to agree on: You should work longer.

Political Implications of Over-Bashfulness in The Non-Economics Social Sciences  —  Scott Eric Kaufmann says that yes indeed academics are generally discouraged from communicating about their work to popular audiences.  Neil Sinhababu notes the political implications:

Paul up by 15 in new poll that Conway campaign disputes  —  With just under two months until Kentucky's U.S. Senate election, a new WHAS11/Courier-Journal Bluegrass Poll shows Republican Rand Paul nearly doubling his lead in the last month, now up 15 points over Democrat Jack Conway, 55% to 40%.

Anti-war groups battle for survival  —  As President Barack Obama formally declared an end to combat operations in Iraq this week, the anti-war movement that helped sweep him into office — and that worked for seven years to bring U.S. troops home — finds itself struggling for survival.

Graham calls Obama ‘tone deaf’  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday called President Barack Obama “tone deaf” to the voices of the American people, slamming the president for putting forth the “most liberal agenda of modern times.”  —  “The only way the president could possibly survive …

Small business pares down to succeed  —  Washington (CNN) - After her bicycle shop fell victim to a tough economic climate, Denise D'Amour took some time to regroup and then tried again.  —  In less than one year, she opened a stripped-down version of her Capitol Hill Bikes store …

Report: Iran pays $1,000 for each U.S. soldier killed by the Taliban  —  Afghan group's treasurer admits receiving money from Iran, newspaper says  —  msnbc.com staff and news service reports  —  Iran is paying Taliban fighters $1,000 for each U.S. soldier they kill in Afghanistan, according to a report in a British newspaper.

Iran ‘stoning woman’ to be lashed over photo: son  —  Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, has also been sentenced to 99 lashes for a photo published of her without a headscarf, according to her son.  —  In an interview published on the website …

Palin Derangement Syndrome Outbreak: There Are Still Five A's in Raaaaacism … Some things are predictable — i.e., that the Palin-haters would decide it was a good time to recycle the old SPLC/LGF attacks on me in order to exploit my interview with Todd Palin for a guilt-by-association smear.

Freedom's Just Another Word  —  AMONG the few scraps of news to emerge from Barack Obama's vacation was the anecdote of a Martha's Vineyard bookseller handing him an advance copy of Jonathan Franzen's new novel, “Freedom.”  The book has since rocketed up the Amazon best-seller list …