Above All Else, Eastern Quake Rattles Nerves  —  Of all the things there are to worry about, earthquakes are fairly low on the list for those on the East Coast.  So it was startling, just as the lunch hour was ending Tuesday and workers in a broad area of North America were settling back into their cubicles …

How to make Sarah Palin disappear  —  The safe bet remains that Sarah Palin is simply engaged in a long and tiresome tease.  Every few weeks comes some new sign of her supposedly imminent entry into the GOP presidential race, but nothing ever seems to happen.

Conservatives Can't Decide If Obama Was Too Busy Golfing Or Biking To Stop The Earthquake  —  Following the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the D.C. region this afternoon, conservative media figures have responded the only way they know how: by twisting it into an attack on Obama's vacation in Martha's Vineyard.

Here's Why Bank Of America's Stock Is Collapsing Again  —  It's deja vu all over again.  —  The stock of a humongous American bank, Bank of America (BAC), is collapsing.  —  This is stoking fears that Bank of America will go bust, taking the whole economy down with it.  —  Why is Bank of America's stock tanking?

Jeb Bush warns 2012ers on hitting Obama  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush warned the Republican presidential hopefuls against ideological intransigence and knee-jerk opposition to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, saying they risk turning off middle-of-the-road voters.

Obama Golfing in Martha's Vineyard When Earthquake Hit  —  ABC News' Stephanie Smith and David Kerley (@david_kerley) report:  —  Talk about early warning.  The majority of the White House press corps, camped out at a hotel at Martha's Vineyard, was keeping a close eye on our computers and emails.

CantorQuake: Trembling at the Heart of GOP Claims We Don't Need Government  —  Back in March, after the Japanese earthquake, Eric Cantor defended Republican plans to cut funding from the USGS and warning systems to help in case of a disaster.  —  This is the epicenter of the freak 5.9 Richter earthquake that just hit Virginia.

Guy Benson  —  BREAKING: Obama Administratrion Clarifies Biden Remarks, “Strongly Opposes” China's One-Child Policy  —  As I mentioned in my previous post, I contacted the White House this afternoon for an explanation of Vice President Biden's stunning remarks regarding China's odious one-child policy.

Perry campaign distances him from book's call for repeal of 16th Amendment  —  Rick Perry's campaign is now distancing him from another controversial claim in his book: That we should repeal the 16th Amendment and replace it with a “Fair Tax,” a radical idea that's still rattling around in some precincts on the right.

CNN Reports: Some Stones Loose At Washington Monument After Quake  —  The U.S. Capitol Police reports that the Washington Monument has been damaged after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the nation's capital.  There are also reports that the Washington Monument is “tilting” from ABC News affiliate WABC.

Study: 8 in 10 lawmakers lack education in economics  —  Almost 80 percent of lawmakers might need to crack open an economics textbook before the congressional recess ends, a new study on Tuesday suggests.  —  The vast majority of members lack an academic background in business or economics …

KBR Requests That Losing Rape Claimant Pay Company's Legal Fees  —  The skirmishing has not yet subsided in the high-profile suit brought by Jamie Leigh Jones, the Houston woman who claimed that she was raped while working in Iraq for defense contractor KBR.

Beware the tea party, Jesse Jackson, Frederica Wilson and black Democrats say at jobs meeting  —  Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus are in Miami Tuesday to host a jobs fair, part of their five-city tour to draw attention to high unemployment, particularly in the black community.

Michelle Obama shows up her husband in tiny purple bike shorts as the President lags behind in jeans  —  Michelle Obama showed off her enviably toned thighs as she powered past the President in tiny purple cycling shorts on the first family's bike ride on Martha's Vineyard today.

New Jersey School District Yanks Lesbian Sex Book From Required Summer Reading List  —  A New Jersey school district has apologized to parents after requiring high school students to read books that include graphic depictions of lesbian sex and a homosexual orgy.

Conservative elites pine for 2012 hero  —  It's a tough time to be a conservative intellectual.  —  From the Weekly Standard to the Wall Street Journal, on the pages of policy periodicals and opinion sections, the egghead right's longing for a presidential candidate of ideas …

Combet accuses Abbott of climate change racism  —  Federal Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of having a racist climate change policy.  —  Mr Abbott has warned that Australian businesses buying carbon permits under an emissions trading scheme …

US should raise taxes to help fix deficits, say business economists  —  US deficit-taming strategy should include boosting tax revenue, say a big majority of 250 business economists in the private sector.  Their views, per a new survey, are at odds with GOP's position.