Republicans Against Science  —  Jon Huntsman Jr., a former Utah governor and ambassador to China, isn't a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination.  And that's too bad, because Mr. Hunstman has been willing to say the unsayable about the G.O.P. — namely, that it is becoming the “anti-science party.”

Labor Economist to Fill Key Post  —  President Barack Obama on Monday plans to nominate Princeton University's Alan Krueger to be chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, a White House official said.  —  If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Krueger, a labor economist …

A Hurricane of Hype  —  Irene fell far short of the media's dire warnings even before it was downgraded.  Howard Kurtz on the scaremongering by television and local officials.

CNN Exclusive: Lockerbie bomber comatose, near death, family says  —  Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi is comatose, near death and likely to take secrets of the attack on Pan Am Flight 103 to his grave.  —  CNN found al-Megrahi under the care of his family …

Is Rick Perry dumb?  —  Another Texas governor who drops his “g's” and scorns elites is running for president and the whispers are the same: Lightweight, incurious, instinctual.  —  Strip away the euphemisms, and Rick Perry is confronting an unavoidable question: is he dumb - or just misunderestimated?

George Will Slams Dick Cheney For Not Apologizing For Iraq  —  Damn it, I hate it when this happens.  I actually agree with George Will.  As I reel from worlds colliding, let's look at the astonishing admission of wrongness on behalf of a Republican to which George Will wants an apology:

Ugly?  You May Have a Case  —  Daniel S. Hamermesh, a professor of economics at the University of Texas, Austin, is the author of “Beauty Pays,” published this month.  —  BEING good-looking is useful in so many ways.  —  In addition to whatever personal pleasure it gives you …

Michele Bachmann rally draws over 1,000 in Sarasota, but some prefer Rick Perry  —  SARASOTA — Hurricane Irene bypassed the state and spared Michele Bachmann's first campaign foray in Florida this weekend, but now she has to contend with Hurricane Perry.  —  Even as the Minnesota congresswoman …

Abbas: We won't recognize Israel as Jewish state  —  Palestinian leader defiant ahead of UN statehood bid, urges international community to back off; 'Don't order us to recognize Jewish state,' he says.  Foreign Minister says world must tell Abbas state cannot come at Israel's expense  —  Elior Levy

Postal Service paying fewer workers to do nothing  —  The U.S. Postal Service, expecting $7 billion in losses this year amid slumping mail volume, is still paying thousands of its workers millions of dollars each year to do nothing.  —  But it's paying tens of millions of dollars less for …

Irene leaves damaging floods, widespread destruction  —  Brattleboro, Vermont (CNN) — The torment from Irene isn't over as parts of the Northeast grapple with dangerous floodwaters, widespread power outages and stranded residents.  —  At least 21 deaths across eight states were blamed on Irene …

Yoshihiko Noda wins Japan leadership race  —  The BBC's Roland Buerk says Mr Noda will need to reach out to the opposition  —  Japan's governing Democratic Party (DPJ) has chosen Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its leader, lining him up to become the country's sixth prime minister in five years.

Perry back to ‘Ponzi scheme,’ ‘monstrous lie’ on Social Security  —  Rick Perry's spokesman Ray Sullivan told the Wall Street Journal recently that the views in his book “Fed Up!”  - such as his description of Social Security as an “illegal Ponzi scheme” - don't necessarily reflect how he feels now.

Deval Patrick laments ‘tragedy,’ fails to take action  —  My guess is that Hurricane Irene is going to kill a lot fewer Americans in Massachusetts this year than illegal aliens are.  But don't tell that to Gov. Deval Patrick — he doesn't want to talk about dead Americans and the drunk Ecuadorians who killed them.

Colin Powell undecided on 2012 choice  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says there are some “interesting” presidential candidates for the 2012 Republican nomination - but that he's not sure yet who he'll be voting for.  —  Powell, who served under former …