Robin Williams Lived Intensely  —  Robin Williams is dead at 63.  The comedian carried insecurity and self-doubt with contagious intensity.  He was so grandiose and wild that it would've irritated audiences to their cores had his eyes not betrayed an insatiable melancholy, imploring, please, I just want to be liked.

Iran backs choice of new Iraq PM, top official says AFP 31 mins ago  —  Tehran (AFP) - Iran, a key ally of Iraq's sidelined Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, said Tuesday it backed the legal process which led to him being replaced, following the nomination of Haidar al-Abadi as premier.

Exclusive: Obama Told Lawmakers Criticism of His Syria Policy is ‘Horsesh*t’  —  Hillary Clinton and Congressmen alike have called on Obama to arm Syria's rebels.  But the President fumed at lawmakers in a private meeting for suggesting he should've done more.

More lost emails — When will Democrats have enough?  —  Twenty different Obama administration officials have lost or destroyed a portion of their email traffic.  Email traffic that was, in some cases, under subpoena or in others requested as part of a larger inquiry into the conduct of the executive branch.

Obama's standing among voters is hurting Democrats, poll finds  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is dragging down his party and hurting the prospects of fellow Democrats as they head into midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress, according to a new McClatchy-Marist poll.

Sen. Rand Paul Responds to Flip-Flopping Criticism  —  CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. (WBKO) —  Sen. Rand Paul seems to be everywhere these days, including Iowa where he was just last week.  —  Most recently, he's come under criticism from some for flip-flopping on foreign policy when it comes to aid to Israel.

Dana Milbank: Obama vacations as the world burns  —  President Obama must really be teed off.  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton, his once-loyal secretary of state and his likeliest successor, has gone rogue, criticizing his foreign policy as too timid.  —  Dana Milbank writes about political theater in the nation's capital.

David Gregory's flight to nowhere  —  David Gregory wasn't supposed to host “Meet The Press” on Sunday.  He was on a planned vacation in Nantucket, where, the night before, he had hosted a special presentation of the Boston Pops, sponsored by Coastal Living and Real Simple.

America's Left Slides Down A Slippery Slope In Iraq  —  Two “leading national security organizations” — that's their own designation, in case you're wondering — have condemned President Obama's “return to the battlefield in Iraq.”  —  Their names are a mouthful — the Council for a Livable World …

Can the G.O.P. Ever Attract Black Voters?  —  STORRS, Conn. — ON the morning of March 6, 1989, students began to gather at a flagpole on the campus of Howard University.  Then they entered the administration building, chained doors shut, locked arms and announced that they would not leave until key demands were met.

When Obama Beat Hillary, We All Lost  —  For journalists, the dog days of August are the worst.  Nothing happens because Congress and the rest of you are all on vacation.  So now is the time for whatever quirky column has been niggling at the back of one's mind, waiting for a break in the news cycle.

GOP gets hip with Uber  —  Uber, Lyft and Airbnb have become mascots for a Republican Party looking to promote a new brand of free market conservatism while making inroads with young voters.  —  Though the companies were engineered in the Democratic bastion of Silicon Valley …