Koran Burning Is Insensitive, Unnecessary; Pastor Jones, Please Stand Down  —  Book burning is antithetical to American ideals.  People have a constitutional right to burn a Koran if they want to, but doing so is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation - much like building a mosque at Ground Zero.

Barbara Boxer aide charged with possession of pot  —  A senior aide for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) was arrested Tuesday for attempting to bring marijuana into the Hart Senate Office Building, according to U.S. Capitol Police reports.  —  Marcus Stanley, who served as a senior economic adviser …

Obama vs. the Republicans (With Full Speech Text)  —  I think it's safe to say that President Obama has given up on bipartisanship, at least for the foreseeable future.  —  The White House just released prepared text of his economic speech to the City Club of Cleveland.

Court Sides With C.I.A. on Seizure of Terror Suspects  —  WASHINGTON - A sharply divided federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit involving the Central Intelligence Agency's practice of seizing terrorism suspects and transferring them to other countries for imprisonment and interrogation.

This Is Where We Begin to Say No  —  On the Ground Zero mosque, Americans reject the opinion elites that empower the Islamists.  —  A tectonic shift is in motion: How fitting that its focal point is Ground Zero, the inevitable fault line between Islam and the West.

“Middle Class” Tax Cuts  —  I know I saw this on some of the other wonky progressive blogs last week (or maybe the week before) but it didn't really hit home until I saw it again.  The point is that when we talk about a distinction between the “Bush tax cuts for the rich” and the …

Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore'  —  There were many odd things about my recent Havana stopover (apart from the dolphin show, which I'll get to shortly), but one of the most unusual was Fidel Castro's level of self-reflection.  I only have limited experience with Communist autocrats …

Time for Emergency Economic Reform  —  How about a payroll tax holiday, funded by a federal spending, hiring and pay freeze?  —  Ronald Reagan enjoyed telling of the elderly Blitz victim rescued from her demolished London flat in World War II.  A fireman found a bottle of brandy under …

CNN/Time Poll: Heated battle for Florida Senate  —  Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek are part of a close three way race for Senate in Florida.  —  (CNN) - A new poll indicates that the three way-battle for Florida's open Senate seat, arguably the most fascinating Senate contest this year, is deadlocked at the top.

Tri-C students recruited to fill the seats for Obama's appearance  —  PARMA, Ohio - With less than an hour before President Obama's scheduled speech, 75 seats remained empty in the recreation center at Cuyahoga Community College's Western Campus.  —  So organizers went around campus and recruited more students to fill the seats.

Michael Joseph Gross Responds to Criticism of His Article on Sarah Palin  —  It has been only a few days since the appearance of my Vanity Fair article “Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury,” and the response, to put it mildly, has been considerable.  I won't address simple differences …

Why aren't politicians speaking out against the would-be Quran-burner who's endangering our troops? … Like This Story Follow Slate's Politics … - Dickerson: Democrats Finally Get the Feisty, Fired-Up Obama They Want- The Flirty Repartee of the New Parker Spitzer Rom-Com- You're Not Responsible for Quran Burners.

Climate lobby shop shutters  —  Climate advocates stung by defeat in the Senate are folding one of their big umbrella lobbying groups.  —  Clean Energy Works, a coalition of 80 environmental, religious, veteran and labor groups, will phase out its operations this fall as Democratic congressional …

Why did Barack Obama do health care first?  —  Joe Romm says that “future generations are likely to view Obama's choice of health care over energy and climate legislation as a blunder of historic proportions,” which is certainly possible.  But like Matthew Yglesias, I don't think it was a choice at all.

Don't that beat all: Andy sinks in polls  —  Andy Griffith has been a beloved figure in North Carolina for years, but his ad to pitch the new health care law may have soured public opinion.  —  politics |  state  —  How bad is it for Democrats in North Carolina?  Even Sheriff Andy Taylor is taking a beating in the polls.

Sheriffs want lists of patients using painkillers  —  Sheriffs in North Carolina want access to state computer records identifying anyone with prescriptions for powerful painkillers and other controlled substances.  —  The state sheriff's association pushed the idea Tuesday …

Health Insurers Plan Hikes  —  Rate Increases Are Blamed on Health-Care Overhaul; White House Questions Logic  —  Health insurers say they plan to raise premiums for some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul in coming weeks, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet …