“They Won't Magically Turn You Into A Lustful Cockmonster”: Chris Kluwe Explains Gay Marriage To The Politician Who Is Offended By An NFL Player Supporting It  —  Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has spoken out in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative that would legalize gay marriage.

Obama Bounces Up to 52% Approval, 48% to 45% Over Romney  —  President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party look as if they are getting at least a preliminary bounce from their convention.  Today's (Friday, Sept. 7) Gallup Daily tracking update puts Obama's job approval rating at 52% …

Romney On Omitting U.S. Troops From RNC Speech: ‘You Talk About Things You Think Are Important’  —  Romney giving his speech to the Republican National Convention  —  In an interview with Fox News this afternoon, Mitt Romney shot back at critics who complained that he didn't mention Afghanistan …

Ann Romney: birth control, gay marriage not “what this election is going to be about”  —  DAVENPORT, Iowa - Ann Romney told KWQC TV6 news Friday that birth control and gay marriage are issues that “distract from what the real voting issue is going to be at this election.”

An Open Letter to Wikipedia  —  I am Philip Roth.  I had reason recently to read for the first time the Wikipedia entry discussing my novel “The Human Stain.”  The entry contains a serious misstatement that I would like to ask to have removed.  This item entered Wikipedia not from the world …

Romney Endorses Ultraconservative Congressman  —  Rep. Steve King takes a hard line on issues like abortion and Islam.  The Obama campaign seizes opportunity to cast Romney as extreme on social issues.  —  Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney …

Eastwood says his convention appearance was ‘mission accomplished’  —  AFTER A week as topic No. 1 in American politics, former Carmel Mayor Clint Eastwood said the outpouring of criticism from left-wing reporters and liberal politicians after his appearance at the Republican National Convention …

Closing Night of Democratic National Convention Draws 35.7 million Viewers  —  An estimated 35.7 million people watched the third and final night of the 2012 Democratic National Convention on Thursday, September 6.  The closing night of the DNC was carried live from Charlotte …

White House to miss deadline for report on ‘fiscal cliff’ budget cuts  —  The White House on Friday said it will miss the legal deadline for delivering a report to Congress on the spending cuts from sequestration that are scheduled to take effect in 2013.  —  Spokesman Jay Carney told reporters …

The awful, awful August jobs report  —  This was not the employment report either American workers or the Obama campaign were hoping for.  A huge miss. It shows the U.S. labor market remains in a deep depression, generating few jobs and little if no income growth.  As IHS Global Insight puts it:

Rep. Jackson leaves Mayo Clinic … WASHINGTON — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., has left the Mayo Clinic and is at home in the nation's capital with his family, an aide said today.  —  “He's home with his wife and children and he's convalescing,” Rick Bryant, his chief of staff in suburban Chicago, told the Chicago Tribune.

Obama's Message Breaks Through In Swing State Newspapers  —  An emphasis on the path forward.  Lukewarm reception to his speech from pundits doesn't make the headlines.  —  Andrew Kaczynski  —  an hour ago  —  22 responses

It's Uncanny!  Obama Copied Jimmy Carter's Convention Acceptance Speech from 1980  —  RUSH: We also have done something.  It's amazing, by the way, when you hear it, how similar Obama's speech last night was to Jimmy Carter's in 1980.  It really is kind of stunning.

ANDREW KLAVAN: Obamanomics 101, Understanding How the Obama Economy Works.  —  UPDATE: Reader Vince Watkins notes another amusing Drudgetaposition:  —  The extent of Matt Drudge's artistry is underappreciated.

Tampa mayor: Crist an ‘opportunist’  —  In the Tampa Bay Times, a sharp elbow at Charlie Crist from the popular Democratic mayor of Tampa: … As Maggie and I wrote earlier this week, there's ambivalence among Democrats about Crist going from convention speaker to gubernatorial candidate.

Paul Ryan Faces Scrutiny Over Marathon and Mountain Claims  —  COLORADO SPRINGS — Flying high above the Rocky Mountains on Wednesday, Representative Paul D. Ryan and his brother Tobin jogged their memories to complete a list of the 14,000-foot summits below them that the vice-presidential nominee had climbed.

Even Fox News Is Fed Up With Romney Failing To Provide Details Of His Tax Plan  —  The Romney campaign has so far refused to clarify which tax deductions and loopholes it would eliminate in order to make its huge proposed tax cut for the rich revenue neutral.

Separatism threatens the future of Spain  —  Canadian regional elections seldom set the international pulse racing but this week's victory in Quebec of the separatist Parti Québécois was closely watched in Spain, now facing a revival of Basque and Catalan independence demands.