Rebel Yell  —  A close aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) who co-wrote the senator's 2011 book spent years working as a pro-secessionist radio pundit and neo-Confederate activist, raising questions about whether Paul will be able to transcend the same fringe-figure associations that dogged his father's political career.

Democrats Plan Challenge to G.O.P.'s Filibuster Use  —  WASHINGTON — In a move that could bring to a head six months of smoldering tensions over a Republican blockade of certain presidential nominees, Senate Democrats are preparing to force confirmation votes on a series of President Obama's …

Spitzer Redux  —  There will always be candidates for public office who are ethically compromised, temperamentally unsuitable and politically incompetent, but if they insist on running anyway, who has the right to tell them not to?  Campaigns sort out the good public servants from the bad.

Kill the Bill  —  We are conservatives who have differed in the past on immigration reform, with Kristol favorably disposed toward it and Lowry skeptical.  But the Gang of Eight has brought us into full agreement: Their bill, passed out of the Senate, is a comprehensive mistake.

White House Has Known For Months Obamacare Implementation Wouldn't Work  —  Last week, it scaled back several required provisions.  They aren't the first.  And probably won't be the last.  —  If you've been reading all the Obamacare stories lately, you might get the impression …

Obama is faulted on leadership  —  Supporters and critics of President Obama are looking for leadership on many pressing issues from the White House, but many believe they are not getting it.  —  On Monday, Obama held a Cabinet meeting and spoke about his effort to modernize government databases.

Michael McConnell: Obama Suspends the Law  —  Like King James II, the president decides not to enforce laws he doesn't like.  That's an abuse of power.  —  President Obama's decision last week to suspend the employer mandate of the Affordable Care Act may be welcome relief to businesses affected …

Eric Cantor plans anti-IRS push  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Tuesday will tell House Republicans that he plans floor votes before the August recess on a slew of bills in response to the IRS controversies.  —  The most intriguing: a bill to allow Americans …

U.S. Considers Faster Pullout In Afghanistan  —  WASHINGTON — Increasingly frustrated by his dealings with President Hamid Karzai, President Obama is giving serious consideration to speeding up the withdrawal of United States forces from Afghanistan and to a “zero option” …

Florida Accidentally Banned All Computers, Smart Phones In The State Through Internet Cafe Ban: Lawsuit  —  When Florida lawmakers recently voted to ban all Internet cafes, they worded the bill so poorly that they effectively outlawed every computer in the state, according to a recent lawsuit.

Santorum to jump into Texas abortion ban battle  —  (CNN) - Rick Santorum's heading to Texas to put his support behind a controversial bill that would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.  —  According to a press release obtained by CNN that will be sent later Tuesday …

SC Gov. Nikki Haley says she was abused as a child  —  GREENVILLE, SC — SC Gov. Nikki Haley on Monday said she was physically abused as a girl by a child-care provider, offering a rare, personal disclosure that she said was meant to underscore the challenge any community faces in protecting its children.

Comey: Waterboarding is torture, illegal  —  President Obama's nominee to become the next director of the FBI on Tuesday said that he believes waterboarding is torture and illegal and that he had fought to block the practice while serving in the Bush administration.

Rent-a-Paramilitaries Freak Out Wisconsin  —  Here's a fascinating little story.  There's been a battle royale up in Wisconsin over an effort to establish a big iron mining operation near Lake Superior, to be owned and operated by a company called Gogebic Taconite.

Spitzer Tries to Cry: ‘A Lot of Pain.  A Lot of Pain.’  —  On MSNBC this morning, Eliot Spitzer, who's trying to reemerge on the New York political scene, said that he's gone through “A lot of pain.  A lot of pain.”  He then tried to cry:  —  The MSNBC host asked, “So as personally …

Rush Limbaugh tells caller not to watch Fox  —  Rush Limbaugh had a message for one of his callers: Stop watching Fox News.  —  “Tony from Tampa” called into Limbaugh's radio show on Monday to complain about the lack of outrage from the right over President Barack Obama's policies …

US agency baffled by modern technology, destroys mice to get rid of viruses  —  $170,000 of PCs, printers, keyboards, cameras, and mice destroyed in gross overreaction.  —  The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the Department of Commerce that promotes economic development …

What The Texas GOP Hopes No One Will Say Out Loud: Proposed Bills Weaken Inspections and Requirements Currently Kick In At 16-weeks  —  Austin has become center stage for the religious conservative effort to reverse Roe v Wade.  Many Texans, like Rep. Greg Bonnen (R), insist that they support …

Detroit's Greek tragedy  —  Liberal economists have a ready response to conservatives who fret that U.S. debt might spiral out of control, a la Southern Europe: “America is not Greece.”  —  It's true.  Greece has much more public debt than does the United States, relative to economic output.

The Secular Society  —  I might as well tell you upfront that this column is a book report.  Since 2007, when it was published, academics have been raving to me about Charles Taylor's “A Secular Age.”  Courses, conferences and symposia have been organized around it, but it is almost invisible outside …

Russian's tweet on Snowden asylum OK quickly deleted  —  A Russian lawmaker caused a diplomatic stir Tuesday by briefly tweeting — then deleting — news that NSA leaker Edward Snowden had accepted Venezuela's offer of asylum.  —  Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian parliament's foreign affairs committee …

A.C.L.U. Lawsuit Aims to Overturn Pennsylvania's Ban on Gay Marriage  —  The Supreme Court returned the battle over same-sex marriage to the states last month, and Deb and Susan Whitewood are among the first to pick up the fight.  —  A couple for 22 years with two teenage daughters …