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 …

Steve Jobs: America's Greatest Failure  —  Steve Jobs's announcement that he is stepping down as CEO of Apple is not surprising.  He's a very sick man; and running the world's largest market-cap technology firm can't be easy for someone with pancreatic cancer and who-knows-what other ailments.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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

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 …

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.

Obama and the ‘Competency Crisis’  —  Like many Americans who supported him, I long for a triple-A president to run a triple-A country.  —  The rising impatience with the leadership of President Obama was epitomized on Aug. 8 in the middle of one of the now-habitual Wall Street roller coasters.

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 …

AP-GfK poll: Views on economy, Obama role sour  —  WASHINGTON - 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 is headed …

Kinky for Perry  —  Kinky Friedman once ran against Rick Perry for the Texas governorship.  So would the singer and writer vote for him for president?  Hell, yes!  The world's most famous Jewish cowboy on why he wants to live in Rick Perry's America.

Majority of NJ voters say Obama doesn't deserve reelection  —  The majority of voters in New Jersey say President Obama does not deserve a second term, according to a new Rutgers poll.  —  Only 43 percent of New Jersey voters in the poll said Obama deserves to be reelected, while 47 percent said he deserves to be voted out of office.

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 …

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 …

Market crash ‘could hit within weeks’, warn bankers  —  A more severe crash than the one triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers could be on the way, according to alarm signals in the credit markets.  —  The cost of insuring RBS bonds is now higher than before the taxpayer was forced to step in and rescue the bank in October 2008

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 —

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?

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 …

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 …

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.

Iranian Armed Forces: Grounds Ready for Victory over Quds Occupiers  —  TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian Armed Forces' Headquarters in a statement said that ongoing revolutions and popular uprisings in the region have prepared the grounds for the creation of a comprehensive Muslim front to clinch …