Cheney Says He Urged Bush to Bomb Syria in '07  —  WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says in a new memoir that he urged President George W. Bush to bomb a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site in June 2007.  But, he wrote, Mr. Bush opted for a diplomatic approach after other advisers …

Perry Surges in Polls, Testing Romney's Strategy  —  Primary polls can be erratic, so the rule is not to get too worked up about any one set of numbers.  But now there have been five surveys conducted since Rick Perry announced his presidential campaign — one each from Gallup …

American Businessman  —  As the news of Steve Jobs's resignation made the rounds Wednesday night, the world lit its votive candles.  Jobs's biography was quickly turned into hagiography.  His irascible perfectionism, his company's obsessive protectionism, and his devotion to secrecy were forgotten.

In the ruins of Gadhafi's lair, rebels find album filled with photos of his ‘darling’ Condoleezza Rice  —  The ransacking of Moammar Gadhafi's compound is turning up some bizarre loot.  Following on from the Libyan leader's eccentric fashion accessories and his daughter's golden mermaid couch …

Rick Perry/Barack Obama comparison in Twitter picture  —  David Limbaugh, the conservative author and brother of Rush, tweets an image you're likely to see again.  —  A spokesman for Rick Perry didn't respond to a request for comment on the photo, the origin of which is unknown.

U.S. May Back Refinance Plan for Mortgages  —  The Obama administration is considering further actions to strengthen the housing market, but the bar is high: plans must help a broad swath of homeowners, stimulate the economy and cost next to nothing.  —  One proposal would allow millions …

Contours of Obama jobs package coming into focus  —  (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is finalizing a jobs package that could include a program to refurbish school buildings nationwide and tax breaks to encourage firms to hire workers.  —  The package, to be unveiled in early September …

Libya: SAS leads hunt for Gaddafi  —  British special forces are on the ground in Libya helping to spearhead the hunt for Col Muammar Gaddafi, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.  —  Jomana Karadsheh and Matthew Chance from CNN are evacuated by the International Red Cross from the Rixos hotel in Tripoli

Expect a Third-Party Candidate in 2012  —  Ross Perot in 1992 and John Anderson in 1980 garnered exceptionally high levels of support.  —  The United States is in the midst of what we would both call a prerevolutionary moment, and there is widespread support for fundamental change in the system.

Ex-Senate leader: Law is here to stay  —  Repeal unlikely, Frist tells Avera crowd  —  The health care reform law will survive even if the Supreme Court declares the individual mandate unconstitutional, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Wednesday in Sioux Falls.  —  “It's going to survive.

AP-GfK poll: Views on economy, Obama role sour  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' views on the economy have dimmed this summer.  But so far, the growing pessimism doesn't seem to be taking a toll on President Barack Obama's re-election prospects.  —  More people now believe the country …

Germany fires cannon shot across Europe's bows  —  German President Christian Wulff has accused the European Central Bank of violating its treaty mandate with the mass purchase of southern European bonds.  —  There is widespread concerns in Germany that ECB intervention in the Italian …

On the Vineyard, Obama fever is no longer raging  —  Islanders point to stalled economy, partisan deadlock for disaffection  —  VINEYARD HAVEN - When President Obama took his first trip to Martha's Vineyard after taking office, the excitement among locals here was palpable …

Weekly Claims Above Key Mark Thanks to Verizon Strike  —  New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, lifted by striking Verizon Communications workers, a government report showed on Thursday.  —  Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 5,000 …

France introduces new tax on high incomes  —  Liliane Bettencourt was among those offering up some of her wealth  —  The French government is to impose an extra tax of 3% on annual income above 500,000 euros (£440,000; $721,000).  —  It is part of a package of measures to try to cut …

Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith  —  If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him?  Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows?

Junior Bankers Feel Disappointment With Pay  —  Junior investment bankers to Wall Street: Take this job and shove it.  —  While young bankers said they enjoy their jobs, most are dissatisfied with pay and hope to leave the field, with almost 60 percent saying they want to work in private equity …

Kate Marshall expresses support for Israel, says “useful” to do so because “timely topic”  —  You don't see this too often: A campaign puts out a statement by a candidate on an issue she has never talked about and then helpfully explains the political strategy at play at the end.

Slate lays off four, including Jack Shafer  —  In the occasionally prickly world of media reporting, it's hard to find anyone who does not love, respect and, yes, slightly fear Jack Shafer.  —  So widespread is the love that American Journalism Review published a valentine to him earlier today …

What Happened to Howard Dean, Anti-War Champion?  —  Now that his party is in power, the former DNC chair is praising a war that transgresses against values he once touted  —  Although he spent 12 years as governor of Vermont, Howard Dean gained national attention during George W. Bush's …

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 continue to belie those claims.

Sit down and shut up  —  Yesterday the No Labels group put out a study showing that politicians of both parties are failing to hold Townhalls this August in the face of confrontational citizens.  That's really sad.  But it isn't stopping the people from turning out in droves to those that are —