Coincidences don't happen in presidential politics.  Ever.  —  U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about a clean extension of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization which expires in mid-September in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, August 31, 2011.

Sarah Palin Appearance at Tea Party Rally in Iowa ‘No Longer Confirmed’  —  This post has been corrected.  —  Sarah Palin's Saturday appearance at a tea party rally in Indianola, Iowa, is on hold, a person close to the former Alaska governor told The Wall Street Journal.

Solyndra Filing a Disaster for Obama  —  U.S. President Barack Obama heads inside to deliver a speech after meeting with construction workers building a new Solyndra solar panel factory May 26, 2010 in Fremont, California.  President Obama toured Solyndra Inc., a growing solar power equipment facility …

Huntsman Proposes New Taxes On Seniors And Veterans To Pay For Tax Cut For The Richest 0.1 Percent  —  Our guest blogger is Seth Hanlon, director of Fiscal Reform for the Doing What Works project at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.  —  2012 GOP presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman …

Cantor finds himself in a tricky spot on hurricane disaster aid  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's insistence that federal disaster aid be offset elsewhere in the budget runs directly counter to his position in the past when the money went to help his Virginia district.

Did Stimulus Dollars Hire the Unemployed?  —  Answers to Questions about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act  —  In an effort to boost hiring and job creation and to invest in a variety of domestic infrastructure programs, Congress passed and the president signed the American Recovery …

Rick Perry is no libertarian  —  A s my Post colleague Perry Bacon reported in detail this week, Rick Perry has jettisoned the “compassion” that sometimes leavened the conservatism of his predecessor in the Texas governor's mansion.  —  If Perry's style resembles anybody's in George W. Bush's White House …

Perry Jumps To The Top Of GOP Pack, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Perry, Romney Each Run Neck And Neck With Obama  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry has zoomed to the front of the line of GOP presidential candidates with a 24 - 18 percent lead over former Massachusetts …

U.S. Files Antitrust Complaint to Block AT&T, T-Mobile Merger  —  The U.S. government sued to block AT&T Inc.'s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc., saying the deal would “substantially lessen competition” in the wireless market.  —  The Justice Department complaint was filed today in federal court in Washington.

Choi Trial Put on Hold After Judge Allows “Vindictive Prosecution” Defense  —  With reporting from court by John Riley.  —  The third day of the U.S. government's trial of former Lt. Dan Choi ended with a 10-day delay for the government to seek an order from a higher court stopping the decision …

Former GOP Senator Chuck Hagel: Republican Party Has ‘An Astounding Lack Of Responsible Leadership’  —  Former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel (NE) can't muster any praise for his Republican colleagues' behavior in Congress over the past few months.  In an interview with the Financial Times …

State Rep. Deborah Mell has legal gay marriage in Iowa  —  Christin Baker and State Rep. Deborah Mell reveal they got married recently in Iowa.  Tuesday, August 30, 2011 |  Brian Jackson~Sun-Times  —  State Rep. Deborah Mell (D-Chicago) quietly made Illinois history last week.  —  She got married.

The GOP War on Voting  —  In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year  —  As the nation gears up for the 2012 presidential election, Republican officials have launched an unprecedented, centrally coordinated campaign …

Iran's Wet Blankets Put a Damper on Water-Park Fun  —  Fearful of Facebook and Frolicking Youths, Regime Cracks Down on Squirt-Gun Fights  —  Authorities in authoritarian Iran have determined the latest threat to the Islamic Republic: squirt guns.  —  Agents of the regime fanned …