Obama's Enablers  —  Meet the mainstream media.  —  As a rule, the press is the scourge of presidents.  They're expected to endure unending scrutiny, mistrust, and badgering—plus hostility if they're Republicans—by a hectoring herd of reporters and commentators in the mainstream media.

Why won't America embrace the left?  —  In two centuries, the movement's history in America is plagued by failure.  An expert explains why  —  What has the left really accomplished over the past two centuries?  FDR's New Deal remains one of the great American success stories.

Rikers Island Prisoners Left Behind to Face Irene  —  “We are not evacuating Rikers Island,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference Friday.  Bloomberg annouced a host of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene …

BREAKING: Perry Says He Hasn't ‘Backed Off Anything’ In His Book, Still Thinks Social Security Is Unconstitutional  —  ThinkProgress filed this report from Des Moines, IA.  —  During a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa today, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) reaffirmed all the views expressed in his book Fed Up! …

Cheney book: Bush authorized leak on Iraq  —  Dick Cheney writes in his forthcoming book, “In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir,” that he was surprised to learn that President George W. Bush had personally authorized a leak about Iraq strategy to a Washington Post columnist …

Old Letter Sheds New Light on Joe Hill Murder Case  —  At Woodstock, Joan Baez sang a famous folk ballad celebrating Joe Hill, the itinerant miner, songwriter and union activist who was executed by a Utah firing squad in 1915.  “I never died, said he” is the song's refrain.

Gaddafi 'seen in Zimbabwe on Mugabe's private jet' as Libya rebels march on dictator's home town  —  Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has fled Libya to Zimbabwe on a jet provided by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, it was claimed today, as rebels began the march on his home town.

A Poll Tax by Another Name  —  Correction Appended  —  AS we celebrate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, we reflect on the life and legacy of this great man.  But recent legislation on voting reminds us that there is still work to do.  Since January, a majority of state legislatures …

Man Accused of Stalking via Twitter Claims Free Speech  —  Even the Buddha of compassion might have been distressed to be on the receiving end of the diatribes that William Lawrence Cassidy is accused of posting on Twitter.  —  They certainly rattled Alyce Zeoli, a Buddhist leader based in Maryland.