Let the midterm battles commence  —  In modern politics, Congress' August recess is the starting line for a 90-day drive to midterm elections.  —  The coming contests will feature one key race and three intriguing trends to watch.  —  The key race is the Senate election in Louisiana between incumbent …

Clinton blames Islamic militants rise on Obama policies AFP 34 mins ago  —  Washington (AFP) - Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton blamed the rise of Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria on failures of US policy under President Barack Obama, in an interview published Sunday.

Iraqi troops and tanks surge into Baghdad amid political turmoil  —  (CNN) — Iraqi troops, security forces and tanks surged into Baghdad on Sunday as political turmoil deepened over who should lead the country.  —  Military tanks were deployed to several neighborhoods in central Baghdad, two Iraqi police officials told CNN.

“Liberal” Is Just A Synonym For “Smug”  —  SHARES  —  It's astonishing that an ideology which such an unbroken track record of failure has adherents who are so incredibly pleased with themselves.  It's like a soda pop executive whose proudest achievement was thinking up New Coke.

Obama's ‘lid’ theory of conflict in Iraq  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL BARACK OBAMA IRAQ  —  There's one word President Obama uses a lot in his argument for tightly limiting U.S. military action in Iraq.  The word is “lid.”  —  “Our military is so effective that we can keep a lid on problems wherever we are …

Democrats' 2014 strategy: Run like a Republican  —  It's one thing for Democrats running in red parts of the country to sound like Republicans on the campaign trail.  It's another when Democrats running in purple or even blue territory try to do so.  —  Yet that's what's happening in race after race this season.

Moneyed interests call the tune for liberal Democrats: Examiner Editorial  —  EDITORIAL LABOR UNIONS LABOR REPUBLICAN PARTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAMPAIGN FINANCE CONSERVATISM LIBERALISM TRIAL LAWYERS  —  Several years ago, the Washington Examiner published a special report whose title posed this question …

The New Racism  —  This is how the civil rights movement ends  —  Long before he became the most powerful man in the Alabama Senate, before he controlled billions of dollars in state money and had lobbyists, governors, and future presidents seeking his favor, Hank Sanders used newspapers and magazines as bathroom tissue.

Turkey's Premier Is Proclaimed Winner of Presidential Election  —  ISTANBUL — Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has led Turkey for more than a decade, is set to become the country's first popularly elected president, cruising to what seemed to be an easy victory on Sunday that positioned …

50 Million New Reasons BuzzFeed Wants to Take Its Content Far Beyond Lists  —  Here are three completely crazy insights about BuzzFeed, the viral content start-up:  —  1. BuzzFeed is a web traffic sensation that draws 150 million average monthly viewers.  —  2. Numbered lists, like this one …

Ending presidents' second-term curse  —  Disillusionment with Washington has rarely run higher.  Congress is unable to act even in areas where there is widespread agreement that measures are necessary, such as immigration, infrastructure spending and business tax reform.

Iraq crisis: ‘It is death valley.  Up to 70 per cent of them are dead’  —  On board Iraqi army helicopter delivering aid to the trapped Yazidis, Jonathan Krohn sees a hellish sight  —  By Jonathan Krohn, aboard an Iraqi Army helicopter on Mount Sinjar  —  Mount Sinjar stinks of death.