Why the Chicago teachers strike is bad news for President Obama  —  For the first time in nearly three decades, Chicago public school teachers went on strike this morning.  At first glance, you might be tempted to think that what happens in Chicago has little to no effect on the politics of Washington and the presidential race.

With GOP jittery, Romney faces test of resolve  —  Mitt Romney and his top aides are running an essentially faith-based campaign.  Whatever the polls say at the moment, whatever the pundits say, whatever some nervous Republicans say, Team Romney simply does not believe President Obama can win re-election in today's terrible economy.

Op-Ed Contributor: The Bush White House Was Deaf to 9/11 Warnings  —  IT was perhaps the most famous presidential briefing in history.  —  On Aug. 6, 2001, President George W. Bush received a classified review of the threats posed by Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaeda.

The Most Anti-Gay Piece Of Political Mail This Year  —  There is still time, but a mailer first reported by Politico and prepared in the name of “The Committee To Save The Erie County Republican Party” in New York was never sent — but has set a mighty low bar.

Scott Van Duzer, the Obama hugger: Shop facing boycott  —  The owner of a Florida pizza shop says people are boycotting his business because he bear-hugged President Barack Obama on Sunday.  —  “People are saying a lot of bad things and boycotting my restaurant,” Scott Van Duzer, 46, told POLITICO.

Romney Campaign Appears To Copy Text From Obama Website  —  You didn't write that!  Donation instructions for Romney's new “Victory Wallet” taken from Obama's “Quick Donate” feature.  The Obama version went up in March.  —  Source: donate.barackobama.com  —  Source: mittromney.com

The Ghost of George W. Bush  —  Why Dubya will decide the winner this fall.  —  The conventions are over, but the individual who will determine the 2012 election didn't attend either of them.  His name is George W. Bush.  —  LM Otero / AP  —  Conventional wisdom holds that elections are about the future.

Arizona's Birtherpalooza Canceled Over Low Ticket Sales  —  Not even the promise of crooner Pat Boone singing oldies from a spinning stage could save what was intended to be the premier birther event of the year later this month in Arizona.  —  Organizers of the gala, which would have …

Why is Obama skipping more than half of his daily intelligence meetings?  —  President Obama is touting his foreign policy experience on the campaign trail, but startling new statistics suggest that national security has not necessarily been the personal priority the president makes it out to be.

Pat Robertson: Since 'We Don't Condone Wife-Beating These Days' Husband Should ‘Move to Saudi Arabia’ to Beat Her  —  Mitt Romney this weekend stumped alongside televangelist Pat Robertson, not minding Robertson's legacy of incendiary, insensitive, heartless and apocalyptic rhetoric that has gotten him in trouble in the past.

Liberal group targets Ann Romney in new ads  —  A liberal political group is criticizing Ann Romney's comment that she and her husband “have not had a financial struggle in our lives.”  —  The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is launching online ads, first set to run in Ohio …

Maryland Democrat quits congressional race amid vote fraud allegations  —  A Maryland Democratic candidate quit her congressional race Monday after her own party told state officials that she had committed fraud by voting in both Maryland and Florida in recent elections.

GOP Senator: ‘Bomb Everybody Tomorrow’ Is ‘Typical’ Republican Policy  —  Between calls from leading Republicans to get ready for war with Iran, remain in Afghanistan and Iraq, and intervening militarily in Syria, it's no surprise that some on the left might label the GOP's approach to foreign policy “bomb everyone tomorrow.”

Akin, returning to Capitol, says he's ‘totally in’ Missouri race  —  Washington (CNN) - U.S. Rep. Todd Akin returned to Capitol Hill Monday for the first time since his comments about “legitimate rape” caused widespread condemnation from fellow Republicans, some of whom called on Akin to drop his bid for Missouri's U.S. Senate seat.

Insight: GM's Volt - The ugly math of low sales, high costs  —  (Reuters) - General Motors Co sold a record number of Chevrolet Volt sedans in August — but that probably isn't a good thing for the automaker's bottom line.  —  Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid …

NEWS FLASH  —  ROMNEY DOG-WHISTLES TO TENTHER EXTREMISTS: 'I'M AS CONSERVATIVE AS THE CONSTITUTION' |  During his interview yesterday with Meet the Press, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney made the rather odd statement he is “as conservative as the Constitution” …

Birther Control  —  Chris Matthews dressed down RNC Chair Reince Priebus last week for Romney's playing the race card with the birther joke, and the party doing it with the false welfare ads, constantly bringing up that he's a “European-style socialist,” etc.

President Obama to Bob Woodward: ‘Mistake’ to Dress Down Paul Ryan to His Face in Budget Speech  —  President Obama told author Bob Woodward that he didn't know Rep. Paul Ryan was going to attend at a major speech he delivered last year on spending and debt, and says in retrospect that it was …

GoDaddy Outage Takes Down Millions Of Sites, Anonymous Member Claims Responsibility  —  According to many customers, sites hosted by major web host and domain registrar GoDaddy are down.  According to the official GoDaddy Twitter account the company is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it.