Why Is Israel Losing a War It's Winning?  —  Six reasons why Israel is on the back foot even as it wins the battle against rockets and tunnels  —  Things change, of course—the only constant in the Middle East is sudden and dramatic change—but as I write it seems as if Israel is losing the war in Gaza …

Michelle Nunn's Campaign Plan  —  Michelle Nunn can come across as a “lightweight,” “too liberal,” not a “real Georgian.”  While she served as CEO for the Points of Light Foundation, the organization gave service awards to “inmates” and “terrorists.”  And her Senate campaign must feature images …

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Virginia Same-Sex Marriage Ban  —  “[I]nertia and apprehension are not legitimate bases for denying same-sex couples due process and equal protection of the laws.”  [ Update: Fallout already seen in North Carolina as state's attorney announces state will no longer defend its marriage ban. ]

Laura Ingraham, Tea Party Giant Killer, Eyes Her Next Scalp  —  SHE has adopted a daughter from Guate­mala and was a speechwriter under President Reagan, who introduced an “amnesty” for three million illegal immigrants in the 1980s.  —  With her striking good looks and her status …

D.C. seeks stay of gun ruling  —  A federal judge's ruling barring enforcement of a key District of Columbia gun law seems likely to be put on hold, after lawyers for the district asked that the decision be delayed and the plaintiffs in the case signaled they're amenable to a 90-day delay.

Maliciousness.  Not Incompetence.  —  For the longest time I have chosen to chalk our President's stumbles, bumbles, and disasters up to incompetence.  He is in over his head.  He is inexperienced.  He is out of his league.  It is hard to accept otherwise.  —  But it is clearer and clearer that is not true.

Dangerous Game  —  US officials are “fuming” in the AP's words at the barrage of Israeli criticism of Secretary of States John Kerry.  But as Chemi Shalev notes in Haaretz, there's a deeper backstory.  Nothing gets the Obama administration's ire up like the perception (very often grounded in reality) …

WATCH: Topless Texans Spar With Open Carry Activists: ‘Boobs For Peace!’  —  Two topless women verbally sparred with an open-carry advocacy group over gun rights Saturday in downtown Austin.  —  Come and Take It Texas, the open carry group, posted two videos of the tense exchange on its Facebook page …

Nine Months in, First Look is Still Very Much a Startup  —  It's been some time since I've shared what we're working on at First Look Media and I wanted to provide an update.  Many of you may have seen the video we produced earlier this year in which I described the broad goals of our organization.

New Generic Ballot Surveys Don't Show Signs of Republican Wave  —  One of the big questions of this election cycle is whether it will turn out to be a “wave” election, like the one in 2010, when an upswell of anti-Democratic sentiment carried Democrats out of the House.

Exclusive: GOP Senate Candidate Caught Saying States Can Nullify Laws  —  Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee in Iowa, doesn't want “federal legislators” to pass laws that “states are considering nullifying,” like Obamacare.  —  Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Iowa …

News Sites Get Duped By Satire About Bachmann ‘Americanization’ Camps  —  Several news outlets and liberal blogs were fooled this weekend by a faux-news item that claimed Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) had advocated “Americanization” camps for undocumented migrant children.

Poll: Hillary Clinton Does Better With White Voters Than Any Democrat Since 1976  —  Long ago, before the God of Narratives decided that Hillary Clinton was an out-of-touch elitist, she was seen as a fearsome 2016 contender.  As the theory went, she could outpoll Barack Obama with white voters while winning nonwhite voters.

Huge blaze out of control in Tripoli battle as Libya slides into chaos  —  (Reuters) - A huge fuel depot in Libya's capital burned out of control on Monday, set ablaze in fighting between rival militias that has driven the country to chaos three years after the NATO-backed revolt that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.

The Absurd Impeachment Feedback Loop  —  Impeachment is the final fantasy for obsessive hyper-partisans.  But some Democrats are exploiting the craziness as a fundraising call to arms.  —  Silly season has started - and both parties are trying to fundraise off the fringe.

Republicans Looking for a New Way to Win Over Hispanics  —  GOP officials are hoping that the party's renewed focus on economic mobility will resonate with immigrant communities.  —  If Sen. Marco Rubio's economic message resonates with Hispanics, it could change the GOP's long-term fortunes.