The ‘bribe’ to silence Wright  —  When sermons of Obama's Chicago pastor, Jeremiah Wright, surfaced during the Iowa primaries, it threatened to derail Obama's campaign.  ABC aired one where Wright screamed, “Goddamn America!”  Edward Klein interviewed Wright, who told him Obama's team tried to buy his silence.

Is This Something?  Obama Stump Speech in Reno Draws Dozens  —  Hmmm.  Probably not.  I'll call it “more Saturday Stupid.” … It would depend I suppose on the timing, and the pre-announcing or something.  If it were completely spontaneous I can sort of understand the low numbers.. it's a neighborhood after all.

U.S. May Scrap Costly Efforts to Train Iraqi Police  —  BAGHDAD — In the face of spiraling costs and Iraqi officials who say they never wanted it in the first place, the State Department has slashed — and may jettison entirely by the end of the year — a multibillion-dollar police training program …

War not necessary to ‘destroy’ Israel - Ahmadinejad  —  Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that there is no need for war in order to destroy Israel.  He stated that if Israel's neighbors severed ties with the country it would bring the Jewish state to its knees.

Newsweek Cover: ‘The First Gay President’  —  The May 21, 2012, issue of Newsweek (used with permission of the publisher).  —  “'Let the games begin,” Tina Brown said last week after Time Magazine released its controversial breastfeeding cover.  —  Brown, whose tenure as editor at Newsweek …

TIME TO PANIC?:  ROMNEY TAKES EIGHT POINT LEAD OVER OBAMA  —  Yesterday, Rasmussen had Governor Romney up 7 points over Obama, 50-43.  Today, the poll's rolling three-day average has increased Romney's lead to 8, 50-42.  —  Any way you slice it, this is horrible news for a sitting incumbent.

Democratic Party chairman resigns, then unresigns  —  ROB CHRISTENSEN - RCHRISTENSEN@NEWSOBSERVER.COM  —  GREENSBORO — David Parker, the besieged state Democratic Party chairman, said Saturday that he would remain in his post after the party's ruling committee voted not to accept his resignation.

Dimon On Whether JP Morgan's $2 Billion Loss Proves Banks Are Still Too Risky: 'I Don't Think So'  —  JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon this week announced that the bank he heads lost $2 billion making risky trade under the guise of “hedging” (which is meant to reduce risk).

Cranbrook and Romney  —  I went to Cranbrook, the boys' prep school outside Detroit that Mitt Romney attended, about seven years before he did; I graduated in 1958.  It was one of the most beautiful campuses in America.  In 1984, the Metropolitan Museum had an important exhibition …

Sen. Feinstein: Leak in new underwear bomb case must be prosecuted  —  Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that those responsible for leaking information this week on a thwarted attempt to bring down an American airplane using an undetectable underwear bomb must be prosecuted.

On The Lamb  —  Ah, a nice, leisurely weekend of working in the garden — Actually, even in the suburbs, I have discovered that there is a fine line between gardening and farming, and I think I just pole-vaulted over it — and perusing backed-up editorials in the Times.