GOP Convention, Romney Speech Evoke Lukewarm Reactions  —  Speech gets lowest ratings of any Gallup has measured since 1996  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Last week's Republican National Convention had a minimal impact on Americans' self-reported voting intentions, with just about as many saying …

LET'S BE FRIENDS … - SPORTS - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - ANDY BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY

Obama Team Readjusts On ‘Are You Better Off?’  —  After either saying “no” or refusing to give a straight yes or no answer to Sunday show anchors when asked if Americans are better off today than they were four years ago, officials from Team Obama this morning changed their answers and enthusiastically offered a capital-Y “Yes.”

Rosie Ruiz Republicans  —  Remember Rosie Ruiz?  In 1980 she was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon — except it turned out that she hadn't actually run most of the race, that she sneaked onto the course around a mile from the end.

New N.C. poll gives Romney small lead in presidential race  —  It puts GOP candidate 4 percentage points ahead of Obama  —  CHARLOTTE, N.C. Republican Mitt Romney appears to have gotten his bounce from his party's national convention - at least in the state hosting the Democratic convention, according to a poll released Sunday.

Joe Biden Isn't Finished  —  The Paul Ryan selection shone a spotlight on the vice-president.  He's ready for it—no matter what just came out of his mouth.  —  Jesus Christ!  " Joe Biden barks, pitching forward in the captain's chair in his cabin aboard Air Force Two.

Monday is National Empty Chair Day; Updated with photos  —  What better way to commemorate the Labor Day holiday than to send a message to the AWOL campaign-in-chief — and support Clint Eastwood, to boot!  —  Twitchy has the story of the latest Eastwood-inspired social media phenomenon.

John Cusack Interviews Law Professor Jonathan Turley About Obama Administration's War On the Constitution  —  I wrote this a while back after Romney got the nom.  In light of the blizzard of bulls**t coming at us in the next few months I thought I would put it out now.

In the Los Angeles Area, Bans Are Hot  —  LOS ANGELES — “Whatever it is, I'm against it!”  Groucho Marx sang in a 1932 picture filmed on the Paramount lot here.  —  Today's Southern Californians seem to agree.  —  Once known for its sunny, freewheeling disposition …

Credulous fact-checkers fall for 20% scam … “To anyone who spends any amount of time dog-paddling through the scum-slicked waters of our political culture, I'd suggest that if you don't become a committed cynic, then you're just not paying close enough attention.”  Updated: Aug. 21, 2012 more

RNC Viewership Down vs. 2008?  —  It is interesting to note two conflicting reports - Mitt Romney's acceptance speech according to some reports was down by 8.6 million viewers in comparison to the acceptance speech by John McCain four years earlier.  Yet there are many reports …

Rev. Moon, Times founder, dies at 92  —  The Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, the leader of the Unification Church and founder of The Washington Times, died early Monday morning in South Korea.  He was 92.  —  He passed away just before 2 a.m. local time (12:54 p.m. EDT Sunday) …