Mitt Romney outlines his governing plan to POLITICO  —  POWELL, Ohio — Mitt Romney conceded President Barack Obama has succeeded in making him a less likable person, but he offered a defiant retort to those hoping he will open up this week: “I am who I am.”

Republican Talking Points  —  Here are the official Republican talking points, being circulated to surrogates speaking on behalf of the party here:  —  Surrogate Message Points:  —  2012 Republican National Convention - A Better Future  —  Top Line Message Points:

Chris Matthews Calls Out GOP: You Are Playing The ‘Race Card’  —  Political observers have noted for a while that Mitt Romney's claim that President Obama gutted the work requirement in the 1996 welfare reform law is false.  But few in the mainstream media have have gone so far as to accuse Republicans of playing the ‘race card.’

Rove compares Biden, Obama charity to $2 underwear  —  TAMPA — Karl Rove dinged President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for not contributing enough to charity, comparing their giving to Hillary Clinton's infamous $2 underwear donation to charity.  —  “I do pay a higher effective tax rate than President Obama.

Crist to speak at Democratic National Convention  —  Florida's former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist will be a speaker at the Democratic National Convention.  —  An official with President Barack Obama's campaign said Sunday that Crist will speak at next week's convention in Charlotte, N.C., but the day hasn't been worked out.

Christie chose NJ over Mitt's VP role due to fears that they'd lose: sources  —  Gov. Chris Christie wasn't willing to give up the New Jersey statehouse to be Mitt Romney's running mate because he doubted they'd win, The Post has learned.  —  Romney's top aides had demanded Christie step …

Taliban beheads 17 Afghan partygoers; 2 NATO troops killed  —  KABUL — Taliban insurgents beheaded 17 Afghans in a rebel-controlled area of southern Afghanistan, officials said Monday, and two NATO troops were killed by an Afghan soldier in the eastern part of the country.

From Antislavery Lawyer to Chief Justice: The Remarkable But Forgotten Career of Salmon P. Chase  —  Abstract:  —  Salmon P. Chase was as responsible as any single person for the abolition of chattel slavery in the United States.  Yet his name is barely known and his career is largely forgotten.

Republicans Worry About Keeping Factions Reined In  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney arrives here this week to accept his nomination from the increasingly disparate coalition of factions known as the Republican Party, confronting the challenge of unifying them behind him and — should he win …

Romney's Son In New Ad: “My Grandfather George Was Born In Mexico”  —  A pitch to Hispanics, and an echo of the birther debate.  —  Image by Mary Altaffer / AP  —  TAMPA — Mitt Romney's youngest son Craig Romney has cut a Spanish-language ad for his father's campaign, emphasizing family values …

What the *#@% Is Wrong With Republicans?!  —  It's not just Akin.  By pushing some of the most invasive state policies in modern history, the men of the GOP are driving their party off a cliff.  —  Blame it on the “idea cloud”—that cumulus cartoon bubble that dumps the same idea on diverse populations at once.

Welcome To Freshman Disorientation  —  Student opinion at elite schools is showing ‘diversity.’ The faculty is another matter.  —  Four years ago at the beginning of Harvard's school term, I was going over an assignment with a freshman when she confessed that she was feeling guilty—because she was working for the Obama campaign.

Making the Election About Race  —  The Republican ticket is flooding the airwaves with commercials that develop two themes designed to turn the presidential contest into a racially freighted resource competition pitting middle class white voters against the minority poor.

CHART: How Ending The High End Bush Tax Cuts Saves Nearly $1 Trillion  —  President Obama has promised to end the Bush tax cuts on income in excess of $250,000 when they expire at the end of the year, with his aides saying that he is “100 percent committed” to preventing another extension.