Boehner gets standing ovation from Senate Rs  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) reports:  —  Speaker of the House John Boehner just quietly ventured over to the Senate side and dropped in on a closed lunch of Senate Republicans.  —  The lunch - pizza, again - was in the Strom Thurmond room.

Obama Approval Drops to New Low of 40%  —  Similar to his approval rating for handling the debt ceiling negotiations  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Obama's job approval rating is at a new low, averaging 40% in July 26-28 Gallup Daily tracking.  His prior low rating of 41% occurred several times, the last of which was in April.

Barack Obama Twitter Spams The Nation, Loses 10,000 Followers And Counting  —  You know that friend of yours who's always the first to get in on the hottest social media trends?  The one who had a Tumblr before everyone?  The one who first sent you a Google+ invite?

Weak growth raises concerns on economy  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. economy came perilously close to flat-lining in the first quarter and grew at a meager 1.3 percent annual rate in the April-June period as consumer spending barely rose.  —  The Commerce Department data on Friday also showed …

Democrats criticize Haley's checking of ‘white’ on voter registration application  —  COLUMBIA — What box should Gov. Nikki Haley check when it comes to her race?  —  The South Carolina Democratic Party tried Thursday to make Haley out as a liar for checking “white” as her race …

According to official letters obtained by The Daily Caller, the gay conservative group GOProud and the ultraconservative John Birch Society won't be co-sponsoring the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2012.  —  The decision was reached by a full vote of the American Conservative Union's …

The Centrist Cop-Out  —  The facts of the crisis over the debt ceiling aren't complicated.  Republicans have, in effect, taken America hostage, threatening to undermine the economy and disrupt the essential business of government unless they get policy concessions they would never have been able to enact through legislation.

Practically Delusional  —  Just minutes after President Obama urged the parties to come together and avert this default crisis, things are actually going backwards in the House.  And in pretty incredible fashion.  —  To secure enough votes from his own members for his plan …

The great divide  —  We're in the midst of a great four-year national debate on the size and reach of government, the future of the welfare state, indeed, the nature of the social contract between citizen and state.  The distinctive visions of the two parties — social-democratic vs. limited-government …

‘A self-inflicted wound of monumental stupidity’  —  There are, regrettably, plenty of prominent media voices who insist on characterizing the Republicans' debt-ceiling crisis as a disaster brought on by “both sides.”  Yes, David Gergen, I'm looking in your direction.

All Over the Map  —  The Republican foreign policy consensus has collapsed.  Which candidate's worldview will prevail?  —  Mitt Romney delivered a speech at the annual summer retreat of the American Enterprise Institute in Beaver Creek, Colorado.  To coincide with the address …