TSA airport screeners gone wild in San Diego- again  —  In what can only be described as TSA handlers gone wild, the San Diego Harbor Police arrested an area resident for refusal to complete the screening/security process yesterday.  This is the same airport that created the TSA security catch phrase “don't touch my junk.”

Could She Reach the Top in 2012?  You Betcha  —  “THE perception I had, anyway, was that we were on top of the world,” Sarah Palin said at the climax of last Sunday's premiere of her new television series, “Sarah Palin's Alaska.”  At that point our fearless heroine had just completed a perilous rock climb …

Deposition: Countrywide Never Sent Mortgage Notes to Trust; Mortgage-Backed Securities in Question  —  Christine at Foreclosure Industry gives her 10 reasons why the MERS problem cannot be fixed by legislation, and it's a pretty good list.  I would add that it's simply not the only problem …

Clinton: I'd Avoid Airport Pat-Down if Possible  —  Secretary of State Says Limiting Number of Travelers Asked to Undergo Enhanced Security Should Be Considered  —  (CBS) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would not want to submit to an airport security pat-down, one of the new …

Carter: Fox commentators have ‘deliberately distorted’ news  —  Jimmy Carter said Sunday that Fox News commentators including Glenn Beck have “deliberately distorted” the news.  —  Speaking on CNN's “Reliable Sources” Sunday, the former Democratic president took aim at the cable news channel climate …

The Impact Today and Tomorrow of Chalmers Johnson  —  Next week, Foreign Policy magazine and its editor-in-chief Susan Glasser will be releasing its 2nd annual roster of the world's greatest thinkers and doers in foreign policy.  I have seen the list — and it's impressively creative and eclectic.

A Forecast That Obama Could Love  —  THINGS are looking up for Barack Obama.  —  You might not think so, given the flow of news lately.  His foreign policy has met with limited success, at best.  And, back home, unemployment is mired at 9.6 percent.  Earlier this month, in a major political blow …

Mullen: Marines will comply with 'don't ask, don't tell' repeal  —  Washington (CNN) — The head of the U.S. Marine Corps will fully cooperate with a repeal of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy barring openly gay and lesbian soldiers from the military, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Sunday.

Buffett Tells ABC Rich Americans Should Be Paying ‘A Lot’ More in Taxes  —  Billionaire Warren Buffett said that rich people should pay more in taxes and that Bush-era tax cuts for top earners should be allowed to expire at the end of December.  —  “If anything, taxes for the lower …

Gingrich: No debates moderated by Olbermann or Matthews  —  Newt Gingrich, a potential 2012 Republican presidential contender, said Sunday that he would not participate in a debate moderated by Keith Olbermann or Chris Matthews.  —  “There's no possibility that I would ever go to a debate …

FDR, Reagan, and Obama  —  Some readers may recall that back during the Democratic primary Barack Obama shocked many progressives by praising Ronald Reagan as someone who brought America a “sense of dynamism and entrepreneurship that had been missing.”  I was among those who found this deeply troubling …

AN UNLIKELY VORACIOUS READER.... The New York Times' Sunday magazine has a lengthy piece from Robert Draper today on a certain former half-term governor.  The piece covers quite a bit of ground — and should probably dispel any lingering doubts about Sarah Palin's national ambitions — but a couple of things stood out.

Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction  —  REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — On the eve of a pivotal academic year in Vishal Singh's life, he faces a stark choice on his bedroom desk: book or computer?  —  Your Brain on Computers  —  Staying on Task  —  Articles in this series examine how a deluge …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Top political scientist: U.S. voters are ‘pretty damn stupid’  —  Political reporters often rely on University of Wisconsin political scientist Charles Franklin for expertise.  In just the past few months, his insights have appeared in articles in the New York Times …

Europe Welcomes Irish Request for Assistance  —  DUBLIN — After months of trying to persuade bond investors and Europe as a whole that it could survive its financial crisis without outside aid, Ireland buckled on Sunday and formally applied to the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund …