White House: S&P downgrade is why Obama ‘pushed for grand bargain’  —  The White House reacted to the Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. credit rating by calling for more bipartisan compromise to “put our nation on a stronger fiscal footing.”  —  But the administration didn't miss the chance to say, in essence, “I told you so.”

Copter Downed by Taliban Fire; Elite U.S. Unit Among Dead  —  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 30 Americans, including some Navy Seal commandos …

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 …

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.

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. …

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.

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.