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.

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 …

Obama tops Perry  —  Rick Perry is looking increasingly like the Republican favorite for President- he led in the Iowa poll we released this morning and he leads by double digits in the national poll we'll release tomorrow.  The biggest beneficiary of Perry's rise?  It might be Barack Obama.

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.

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.

JP Morgan May Take Over Bank Of America  —  There is a rumor circulated on Wall St. that JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) will take over Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) within the week.  The government will support the deal with a $100 billion investment in preferred shares issued by the combined entity.

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.

Defiant Gaddafi ‘vows to fight’  —  The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes in Tripoli: “The city erupted in gunfire”  —  Col Muammar Gaddafi has vowed death or victory in the fight against “aggression”, reports say, after Libyan rebels seized his Tripoli compound.

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.

People on twitter might be joking, but in all seriousness, we would see a bigger boost in spending and hence economic growth if the earthquake had done more damage.

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.

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.

Sprint to Get iPhone 5  —  Sprint Nextel Corp. will begin selling the new version of the Apple iPhone in mid-October, people familiar with the matter said, filling a huge hole in the No. 3 U.S. carrier's lineup and giving Apple Inc. another sales channel for its popular gadget.

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.

The reluctant war president  —  Once again, there will be no flight suit photo-op or “Mission Accomplished” banner for Barack Obama.  —  The ouster of Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi represents yet another military victory for a president long cast as a gun-shy liberal uncomfortable with the use of force.

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 …

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.

Top politically themed earthquake tweets  —  After Washington DC realized that the earthquake was nothing to worry about, they took to Twitter to joke about the cause.  Some of the best ones below:  —  @TPCarney: Krugman says it wasn't big enough.  —  @comradescott: Evidently the quake occurred …