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.

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.

“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.

Midterms Give Parties Chance for Sweeping Control of States  —  LAS VEGAS — It was over 100 degrees here the other evening, but inside a buzzing office tucked away on a stretch of gun stores and pornography shops, Democrats were staring into computer screens and talking urgently into cellphones.

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 …

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.

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 …

New Video Shows The U.S. Military Dropping Humanitarian Aid In Iraq  —  Video released Sunday evening by the U.S. military shows an airdrop into northern Iraq from the day before.  —  Video released by the Pentagon shows an airdrop on Aug. 9 with humanitarian aid, mostly food and water.

A Nascar Star's Deadly Run-In on a Dirt Track  —  Tony Stewart, a three-time Nascar champion, was moonlighting Saturday night.  He had gone back to his racing roots for a few hours, competing in a local dirt-track event at Canandaigua Motorsports Park in upstate New York …