Obama Rejects Obamaism  —  I'm a sap, a specific kind of sap.  I'm an Obama Sap.  —  When the president said the unemployed couldn't wait 14 more months for help and we had to do something right away, I believed him.  When administration officials called around saying that the possibility …

Perry Looks Better Against Romney Than Against Obama  —  Leads Romney by 10 points in “narrow down” but trails Obama  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Rick Perry leads Mitt Romney by 31% to 24% in a new USA Today/Gallup poll of Republican presidential nomination preferences.

A future for drones: Automated killing  —  One afternoon last fall at Fort Benning, Ga., two model-size planes took off, climbed to 800 and 1,000 feet, and began criss-crossing the military base in search of an orange, green and blue tarp.  —  The automated, unpiloted planes worked on their own …

Ralph Nader praises Sarah Palin  —  Ralph Nader hearts Sarah Palin?  —  We decided to call the longtime left crusader about a speech Palin gave in Iowa earlier this month, one which seemed to mark the transformation of Palin from a standard-issue movement conservative to something more independent and more reformist.

House Dems outraise Republicans for Aug.  —  The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) outraised the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) in August and narrowly leads it in overall fundraising for the year to date.  —  The DCCC raised $3.6 million last month to the NRCC's $3 million.

Day No. 972: President Obama unveils a deficit reduction plan … Barack Obama took office Jan. 20, 2009.  That was 972 days ago this morning, almost to the hour when he finally offered his newest full-blown deficit reduction plan.  (See full Obama text below.)  —  Or as he put it, “Good morning, everybody.

Greek Crisis Exacts the Cruelest Toll  —  HERAKLION, Greece—The first time he despaired of his debts, Vaggelis Petrakis drank a poisonous brew of beer and gasoline.  —  A note he left didn't mention the financial woes of his fruit and vegetable business, of which his family was well aware.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio Assigns ‘Cold Case Posse’ To Investigate Obama's Birth Certificate  —  Hey, remember the birthers?  —  Infamous Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio does — which is why he announced a five-person “Cold Case Posse” that will delve into the issue of President Obama's birth certificate.

Anti-Gay NOM Activist Maggie Gallagher Attends Staged Broadway Benefit for Team Challenging Proposition 8  —  So, I attended last night's wonderful staged reading to a packed house of Dustin Lance Black's ‘8’, the dramatization of the federal case in California against Proposition 8 …

The Qwikster and the Dead  —  This morning I found an apology-laden missive in my inbox from Reed Hastings of Netflix, explaining that they'd really messed up the transition when they announced the end of free streaming, and that in order to fix it, they had . . . decided to more decisively split their DVD and streaming services.

Get the Energy Sector off the Dole  —  Why ending all government subsidies for  —  fuel production will lead to a cleaner energy future—and why Obama has a rare chance  —  to make it happen.  —  ast September, President Obama promised that the cornerstone of his legislative program …

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal: Navy Lt. Gary Ross, Partner Dan Swezy Wed As Military's Gay Ban Formally Ends … DUXBURY, Vt. — Just as the formal repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy took effect, Navy Lt. Gary Ross and his partner were married before a small group of family and friends.

Man announces intent to run against Boehner  —  WEST CHESTER TWP.  — A Batavia resident announced Monday his intent to run against U.S. House Speaker John Boehner in the primary election for 8th Congressional District.  —  Lewis said if he wins the primary against Boehner, R-West Chester Twp. …

Apology Adds An Epilogue To Kelo Case  —  Supreme Court Justice's Startling Apology Adds Human Context To Tough Ruling  —  Though she lost the eminent domain case against New London and her home, Susette Kelo, seen at an eminent domain protest at the Capitol in 2006, became a compelling figure in the property rights movement.

ONE DRUG ARREST EVERY 19 SECONDS IN THE U.S.  —  New FBI Numbers Reveal Failure of “War on Drugs”  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new FBI report released today shows that there is a drug arrest every 19 seconds in the U.S. A group of police and judges who have been campaigning to legalize …

No Extra Credit  —  What if everything that is happening in Washington right now is just meaningless noise?  —  What if the Obama jobs plan, the coming deliberations of the supercommittee, the debate over taxing millionaires — what if none of it is likely to make a whit of positive difference for the economy?

Just how important is Ohio in 2012?  Very!  —  (CNN) - How important is Ohio to the Obama White House?  Vice President Joe Biden heads there Tuesday, the fourth visit to the crucial battleground state by President Barack Obama or Biden since Labor Day.  And Obama will be there again on Thursday to lobby for his jobs package.

Italy's sovereign debt rating cut by S&P on growth fear  —  The timing of this ratings cut could not be worse for the eurozone  —  Italy has had the rating of its creditworthiness cut, the latest move in the European debt crisis.  —  Standard and Poor's cut its rating by one level to A from A+.

U.S. Probes Rating-Cut Trades  —  Regulators Subpoena Hedge Funds, Others Over Actions Ahead of S&P Downgrade  —  Securities regulators have sent subpoenas to hedge funds, specialized trading shops and other firms as they probe possible insider trading before the U.S. government's long-term credit rating …

Bill O'Reilly's Civil War  —  The Fox News host thinks America is in dire straits—and what it needs is a history lesson.  In this week's Newsweek, he tells Peter J. Boyer about his new book and why he likes Obama.