Standard & Poor's has been wrong before.  But they're right now.  —  Standard Poor's decision to downgrade the United States has led to a lot of criticism of Standard Poor's.  The White House called their performance, which included a miscalculation of about $2 trillion, “amateur hour.”

31 Americans Killed as Taliban Shoot Down a Copter  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — In the deadliest day for American forces in the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan, insurgents shot down a Chinook transport helicopter on Saturday, killing 31 Americans and 7 Afghan commandos on board, American and Afghan officials said.

China tells U.S. “good old days” of borrowing are over  —  (Reuters) - China bluntly criticized the United States on Saturday one day after the superpower's credit rating was downgraded, saying the “good old days” of borrowing were over.  —  Standard & Poor's cut the U.S. long-term credit rating …

The Tea Party, Take Two  —  In the four months since I began writing an Op-Ed column, the thing that has most surprised me is how darned liberal I sound sometimes.  I know that seems like a strange thing to say, so let me explain.  —  Growing up in heavily Democratic Providence, R.I. …

Perry prays for the U.S.  —  HOUSTON — Texas Gov. Rick Perry prayed with more than 20,000 worshipers at an all-day Christian gathering here — and while he talked about God, not the Oval Office, he repeatedly hit on the themes that would drive his potential presidential campaign.

Widener Law School goes Soviet, demands law professor undergo psychiatric evaluation  —  Lawrence Connell is a tenured law professor at Widener Law School in Delaware.  I have noted in prior posts that Connell was accused of a wide range of racist and sexist conduct directed at students …

Obama and the Narcissism of Big Differences  —  ‘He becomes visibly agitated. . . . He does not like to be challenged on policy grounds,’ says the House majority leader of the president.  —  New York  —  Whatever the rhetoric that preceded this week's deal, the debt-ceiling debate was never really about the debt at all.

Mystery Romney supporter reveals himself after calls for investigation  —  Edward Conrad, a former executive at Bain Capital, has revealed himself as the mystery donor who gave a $1 million corporate contribution to a special political action committee supporting Mitt Romney.