memeorandum: With CIA help, NYPD moves covertly in Muslim areas (Adam Goldman/Associated Press)

8:00 PM ET, August 24, 2011

Top Items:

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination — Leads Romney by 29% to 17% — PRINCETON, NJ — Shortly after announcing his official candidacy, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has emerged as rank-and-file Republicans' current favorite for their party's 2012 presidential nomination.

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:

Perry leads nationally — In PPP's first national poll since Rick Perry's official entry into the Presidential race he's jumped out to a double digit advantage. Perry's at 33% to 20% for Mitt Romney, 16% for Michele Bachmann, 8% for Newt Gingrich, 6% for Herman Cain and Ron Paul, 4% for Rick Santorum, and 3% for Jon Huntsman.

Discussion: GOP 12, Outside the Beltway, The New Republic and Gallup

Ian Swanson / Ballot Box: Obama effort to woo independents derailed by debt-ceiling deal

Josh Gerstein / The Politico:

Norman Rockwell painting sends rare White House message on race — President Barack Obama has taken a decidedly low-key approach to racial issues since he became America's first black president two years ago. But in a hallway outside the Oval Office he has placed a head-turning painting depicting …

Discussion: CNN, Gallup, Salon, Associated Press, The Greenroom, Weasel Zippers, Booman Tribune, The Daily Caller and Reuters

Tamara Abraham / Daily Mail:

Expensive massages, top shelf vodka and five-star hotels: First Lady accused of spending $10m in public money on her vacations — The Obamas' summer break in Martha's Vineyard has already been branded a PR disaster after the couple arrived four hours apart on separate government jets.

Discussion: Power Line, Proof Positive, The Lonely Conservative, The Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and UrbanGrounds

Devin Dwyer / ABCNEWS:
Obama Hobnobs With Friends on Vineyard Family Vacation

Discussion: The Note

Mark Benjamin / Swampland:

Perry Compared Homosexuality to Alcoholism in 2008 Book — The origin of homosexuality has become something of a political litmus test for presidential candidates, almost akin to their stance on abortion. Candidates are now expected to explain whether or not they believe homosexuality is a hard-wired predisposition.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Towleroad News #gay and New York Magazine

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
Perry equates homosexuality with alcoholism

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
Perry's problem: His extreme views are right there in black and white

Discussion: Daily Kos, TPMDC, Juanita Jean's, Politics and The Raw Story

Maggie Haberman / The Politico:
Rick Perry/Barack Obama comparison in Twitter picture

Discussion: Hullabaloo and National Review

Todd J. Gillman / Trail Blazers Blog:
Obama team scouts for anti-Perry Texans

Discussion: Campaign 2012

Brad Plumer / Washington Post:
Despite Rick Perry, consensus on climate change keeps strengthening

Discussion: Grist, The New Republic, Centre Daily Times, Washington Monthly and ThinkProgress

Travis Waldron / ThinkProgress:

Tea Partier Tells Rep. Lujan, Life-Long American, To ‘Get Out Of Politics And Make Room For An American’ — The Tea Party continues to claim that racism, ethnocentrism, and xenophobia are not driving forces in its movement, but the actions of its members continues to belie those claims.

Chuck Slothower / Farmington Daily Times:
Face time: Tea Party protesters greet Lujan

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Paul Krugman:

Identity Theft — Well, this is interesting. I hear that the not-so-good people at National Review are attacking me over something I said on my Google+ page. Except, I don't have a Google+ page. — This is the third incident I'm aware of — there may well be more — in which people are claiming to be me.

Discussion: Big Government, NewsBusters.org blogs, Campaign 2012, americanthinker.com and Hit & Run

Campaign Fix:

Paul Krugman's Google+ Account is Fake, I Know because I Created It — Approximately a month ago, having been laid off and having too much time on my hands, I finally decided to create my own personal account on Google+. I found it to be extremely boring, mostly because no one I knew …

Discussion: Slate, Doug Ross, Poynter, IMAO, The Mahablog, Mediaite, Campaign 2012, FrumForum, New York Magazine, National Review, LewRockwell.com Blog, Sky Dancing and Outside the Beltway

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
Krugman(?): If only the earthquake had done more damage, the economy would have gotten a boost; Update: Not Krugman

Discussion: Paul Krugman, The TrogloPundit, rubber hose, Pajamas Media, Man Are We Screwed, Paul Krugman, Michelle Malkin, Outside the Beltway, Campaign 2012, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Weasel Zippers, William K. Wolfrum Chronicles, National Review and Ricochet Conversation Feed

CBO's Latest 10 Documents:

BUDGET AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK: AN UPDATE — Text-only. — The United States is facing profound budgetary and economic challenges. At 8.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the $1.3 trillion budget deficit that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects for 2011 …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Director's Blog, Real Time Economics, Washington Post, Hit & Run, Don Surber, SFGate, The Heritage Foundation, Hot Air, AmSpecBlog, Campaign 2012, Politics, National Review and The Glittering Eye

Brian Beutler / TPMDC:
Worse Than It Looks: CBO Says Economic Outlook More Dire Than Reported

Discussion: Daily Kos

Seung Min Kim / Reuters:
CBO warns of ‘profound’ challenges

Discussion: USA Today and Speaker

Business Wire:

Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple — Tim Cook Named CEO and Jobs Elected Chairman of the Board — CUPERTINO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Apple's Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook …

Discussion: Reuters, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, DealBook, The Wire, Outside the Beltway and The Raw Story, more at Techmeme »

Shira Ovide / Deal Journal:
Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO

Discussion: Boing Boing, more at Techmeme »

Tim Mak / The Politico:

Cheney kept secret resignation letter — Dick Cheney kept a secret resignation letter locked away in a safe in case he were ever to be incapacitated, the former vice president reveals in his new book. — The letter, which Cheney signed in March of 2001, was written because of the vice president's health.

Discussion: The Note, Media Decoder, News Desk and Mediaite

Halboedeker / The TV Guy:
Dick Cheney tells NBC: My letter of resignation was ready if needed

Discussion: emptywheel

Matt Cover / CNSNews:

Flashback: Obama in 2008: Adding $4 Trillion to National Debt ‘Unpatriotic’ — (CNSNews.com) - Although the national debt under President Barack Obama has increased $4 trillion since he took office in 2009, as a presidential candidate in 2008 Obama criticized then-President George W. Bush …

Discussion: Sister Toldjah and Pajamas Media

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Flashback: Obama calls adding $4 trillion to national debt “unpatriotic”

Discussion: Pajamas Media, Michelle Malkin, Moe Lane, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze.com and TPMDC

Damien Gayle / Daily Mail:

Fears for Nancy Reagan, 90, as she slips and falls on way in to watch speech by Tea Party favourite Marco Rubio — Nancy Reagan last night lost her balance and fell as she arrived to watch a speech by Republican freshman senator and Tea Party darling Marco Rubio

Discussion: Sister Toldjah, Don Surber, Top of the Ticket, The Lonely Conservative and NewsBusters.org blogs

Igor Volsky / ThinkProgress:
Marco Rubio: Medicare, Social Security ‘Weakened Us As People’, Made Us Lazy

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Atlantic Online, The New Republic, TPMDC and Daily Kos

Adam Goldman / Associated Press:

With CIA help, NYPD moves covertly in Muslim areas — NEW YORK (AP) — In New Brunswick, N.J., a building superintendent opened the door to apartment No. 1076 one balmy Tuesday and discovered an alarming scene: terrorist literature strewn about the table and computer and surveillance equipment set up in the next room.

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, TalkLeft, Daily Kos, Weasel Zippers, emptywheel, Booman Tribune, New York Magazine, Outside the Beltway and Gothamist

Michael Howard Saul / Wall Street Journal:

9/11 Exclusion Spurs Outrage — Religious leaders are calling on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to reverse course and offer clergy a role in the ceremony commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. — Rudy Washington, a deputy mayor in former Mayor Rudolph …

Discussion: New York Magazine and Gothamist

Leary / nation.foxnews.com:
Bloomberg Bans Clergy From 9/11 Ceremony but Ground Zero Mosque OK

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, PolitickerNY and Pajamas Media

Robert J. Barro / Wall Street Journal:

Keynesian Economics vs. Regular Economics — Food stamps and other transfers aren't necessarily bad ideas, but there's no evidence they spur growth. — Keynesian economics—the go-to theory for those who like government at the controls of the economy—is in the forefront of the ongoing debate on fiscal-stimulus packages.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, Washington Post and Ricochet Conversation Feed

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

Obama, Tiger, Golf and Politics — Despite the carping by critics, I'm glad the president went on vacation because one of the most useful things he could do right now is play golf — a lot of golf — but not that friendly foursome thing with his aides that he usually does.

Discussion: JustOneMinute, The New Republic, Hullabaloo, ThinkProgress, Weasel Zippers, JammieWearingFool and Rumproast

Jim Treacher / The Daily Caller:

If you're a famous guy with a head full of deep thoughts and nobody to tell you when it might be in your own best interest not to express them, Twitter is the best thing ever. As long as you've got your iPhone in hand, you can give the whole world instant, unfiltered access to your keenest insights …

Discussion: Ben Smith's Blog, Pajamas Media, New York Magazine, The Other McCain and nation.foxnews.com

nationalzoo.si.edu:

National Zoo Animals React to the Earthquake … Great Apes — The earthquake hit the Great Ape House and Think Tank Exhibit during afternoon feeding time. — About five to ten seconds before the quake, many of the apes, including Kyle (an orangutan) and Kojo (a Western lowland gorilla) …

Discussion: News Desk and New York Magazine

Walter Shapiro / The New Republic:

Rick Perry: The God-Fearing, Know-Nothing, Pistol-Packing Embodiment of Liberals' Worst Nightmares — What Rick Perry has achieved in his inaugural strut on the political stage is unprecedented in the annals of modern conservative history from Barry Goldwater to Sarah Palin.

Discussion: Taylor Marsh, The Note, Wake up America, Weekly Standard and Betsy's Page

Ali Gharib / ThinkProgress:

Leaked Cable: McCain Promised Qaddafi To Help Secure Military Equipment From U.S. — For all the braying by the Senate's top three hawks about how the U.S. wasn't doing enough to oust Libyan dictator Col. Muammar Qaddafi from power, one might be surprised to learn that exactly two years ago …

Discussion: The Business Insider, Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Daily Kos

G-A-Y / Good As You:

NOM's featured press conference speaker: ‘There is a direct connection between earthquakes and homosexuality’ — At a recent press conference on the steps of the State Capitol in Albany, the National Organization For Marriage opened up their coalition to include one Rabbi Yehuda Levin.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars, Hatewatch, Towleroad News #gay, Joe. My. God. and Shakesville

Ezra Klein / Washington Post:

It's the household debt, stupid — Ken Rogoff wants to call our economic malaise “the Great Contraction.” Richard Posner wants us to at least call it “a depression.” I tend to dismiss arguments over semantics, but in this case, I agree. If it were up to me, we would call what we're in a …

Discussion: Rortybomb, FT Alphaville, Eschaton, ThinkProgress and The Glittering Eye