Bombing the Moon  —  Following up on my GOP mind games post, Ezra Klein makes a smart observation in this morning's Wonkbook on how the GOP transformed tax increases from a important, necessary option in the deficit debate into something evil and extremist.  To prove his point …

Their Temper Tantrum  —  Congressional Republicans, who played a major role in piling up the government's unsustainable debt in the first place, have thrown a tantrum and walked out of the debt limit talks.  This bit of grandstanding has brought the nation closer to the financial crisis that Republicans have been threatening for weeks.

New York Conservative Party Chairman Predicts Passage of Same Sex Marriage Bill  —  Mike Long, the chairman of the New York Conservative Party and a leading opponent of the bill to institue same sex marriage in New York, tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the bill will likely pass “by the end of the night.”

N.Y. State Senate to Vote on Same-Sex Marriage  —  ALBANY — The State Senate will vote on same-sex marriage, the Senate majority leader said Friday afternoon, setting the stage for a final decision on the most closely watched issue facing the Legislature as it wraps up its annual session.

President ‘becoming an absolute monarch’ on war powers, Dem says  —  A House Democrat warned Friday that the U.S. president is becoming an “absolute monarch” on matters related to the authority to start a war.  —  Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Congress must act to limit funding …

Terror by any other name: Osama eyed name change  —  WASHINGTON - As Osama bin Laden watched his terrorist organization get picked apart, he lamented in his final writings that al-Qaida was suffering from a marketing problem.  His group was killing too many Muslims and that was bad for business.