McConnell Sets The Stage
By Gary L. Bauer
Yesterday Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor and fired a broadside against Barack Obama. Here is a brief excerpt:
“An ideological commitment to big government has outweighed the White House’s commitment to find a meaningful compromise that does not damage our fragile economy in the process. …after years of discussions and months of negotiations, I have little question that as long as this President is in the Oval Office, a real solution is unattainable.” [Emphasis added.]

BREAKING NEWS: President Obama reportedly threatens to halt Social Security checks and perhaps even paychecks to our troops if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by August 2nd.
By Gary L. Bauer
In an interview scheduled to air tonight on CBS News, Obama reportedly tells anchor Scott Pelley, “I cannot guarantee that those checks go out on August 3rd if we haven’t resolved this issue. …this is not just a matter of Social Security checks. These are veterans’ checks, these are folks on disability and their checks.”

Boehner Embraces Cutting, Capping, and Balancing
By Erick Erickson
Many of us thought John Boehner would not turn back from the negotiating table. But he did. The media is a real tizzy trying to explain it. As is typical, they’re dumbing it down. Boehner backing away from the negotiating table (1) had nothing to do with tea party opposition, (2) nothing to do with fears of helping Barack Obama’s re-election, and (3) nothing to do with fear of crossing Grover Norquist and his tax pledge.

GOP: Debt vote is ‘shared sacrifice’
By David Rogers
Republicans dug in deeper against adding tax revenues to any deficit reduction package Monday, suggesting that just voting for a debt ceiling increase qualifies as “shared sacrifice” and even taunting President Barack Obama by saying that if he feels compelled to pay more taxes, “he can write a check anytime he wants.”

Boehner Backs Away From Bad Deal
By Gary L. Bauer
Thanks for taking action, friends! Speaker Boehner’s office was deluged with calls and emails Friday. He got the message — as did other members of Congress.

Don’t believe the anonymous chatter about a Perry-Bush feud
By Douglas MacKinnon
Let the exaggerated feud continue. As expected, some in the media and some in the sandbox of politics, are trying to make more out of some honest differences of opinion between Gov. Rick Perry and former President George W. Bush than really exist. Hey, everybody needs a hobby.

Operation Chaos
By Ben Howe
One might recall a recent contentious special election which took place in NY-26 in which an otherwise favored to lose candidate Jack Davis, pretended to be a tea party candidate and disrupted the otherwise bellwether election. In fact, the trickery in this election went so far as to create entire fake websites dedicated to spreading misinformation to the voters in the hopes of confusing them and getting them to vote the “right” way.

MassResistance interviewed in Bloomberg News on New York’s ‘gay marriage’ law – Telling the truth in the face of propaganda
Almost immediately after the New York Legislature passed the same-sex “marriage” bill the propaganda machine started. This next step was to convince people what a wonderful thing this was for New York.

Sunday Danger!
By Gary L. Bauer
There are disturbing hints that some GOP leaders are edging into a disastrous debt ceiling deal with Obama this Sunday. It would include massive cuts in our defense budget, possibly a trillion dollars in revenues to Washington’s bureaucrats and ephemeral spending cuts that will disappear over time.

Careful Study Finds Homeschool Advantage
By Dr. Brian D. Ray
Multiple studies over thirty years have consistently found positive things associated with homeschooling. Some critics, both of the research and of home-based education, claim that almost no research tells us anything significant about the academic achievement of the home educated.

What the Bush Aides Who Bash Perry Are Really Saying
By Conor Friedersdorf
Several weeks back, I mused on whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry, his cowboy hat, and his Lone Star State twang could win the GOP nomination, despite having an image problem: namely, that he reminds people of a certain ex-president. He’s criticized George W. Bush sparingly in the past. Is he going to do so again in order to highlight the many differences between the two men?

Palin, Perry: Friendship with a ’12 twist
By Christian Heinze
Two major names remain on the 2012 bench. Each has a giant persona, comes from a giant state, and has a giant following. Yes, it’s Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

I Think the Casey Anthony Verdict is a Good Thing
By Erick Erickson
I have prided myself on not talking about this trial. But I think it is a wonderful verdict. I don’t know whether the woman killed her daughter or not. I have not kept up. But the media certainly thinks she did. And a lot of spectators think she did.

When I Think of America
By Dr. David C. Gibbs, Jr.
When I think of America, I think of the word valor, an old French word (valour) that describes something or someone of value, worth, strength, or courage. In other words, valor is any courageous action done to protect something valuable or worthy.

President’s Speech – “Absolutely Disgraceful”
By John Cornyn
Yesterday, Senator Cornyn spoke on the Senate floor and challenged President Obama to do his job and finally offer a serious proposal to address our nation’s debt crisis.

21 California Republicans Legislators Urge Perry To Run
By Jon Fleischman
Finishing up a three day swing through the Golden State, yesterday Texas Governor Rick Perry paid a visit to California’s Capitol city of Sacramento where he met with a large number of Republican state legislators. Held at the offices of prominent California GOP fundraiser and consultant Jeff Miller, Perry clearly made a strong impression on those in attendance. We know this because immediately following the Governor’s remarks, 21 GOP state legislators all signed onto a letter urging the Governor of the Lone Star State to throw his boots into the race for the Presidency.

Republicans to push tough-to-sell balanced budget amendment
By Jake Sherman & Marin Cogan
Republicans have plenty of ways to push a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. One option contains hard spending caps and a two-thirds supermajority vote for any tax increases. This version is embraced by the right but has little chance of passing.

Justice ends 2nd review of CIA questioners – Probe will continue in 2 detainees’ deaths
By Eli Lake
The Justice Department on Thursday closed a second review into whether CIA interrogators mistreated detainees and recommended a criminal probe of the deaths of two captives under CIA custody.

EDITORIAL: Red-light-camera flop – IIHS junk-science claims won’t save deeply unpopular ticketing programs
By The Washington Times
The traffic-camera industry must be getting desperate. The Los Angeles Police Commission unanimously voted on June 7 to end the use of red-light cameras in America’s second-largest city. Voters in Houston last year amended the city charter to compel a reluctant city council to unplug the devices, which had been generating $10 million in annual revenue.

Michele Bachmann: Don’t Forget Obamacare – The clock is ticking and our options are shrinking
By Daniel Horowitz
The most effective proposal for dealing with the debt ceiling vote that has the backing of conservatives is the Cut, Cap, and Balance plan brought forth by the RSC. Accordingly, virtually every major conservative organization has coalesced around a pledge forcing all members of Congress to support the plan as a condition to raising the debt ceiling. The presidential candidates are also being recruited to sign the pledge, with Jim DeMint promising to support only those who sign to it.

If At First You Don’t Succeed
Posted by Erick Erickson
First off this morning, I hope you will call Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) today at (202) 224-5323 and tell him thank you for standing up to both Democrats and Republicans yesterday in a valiant attempt to force transparency on debt talks.

Obamanomics is shovel-ready – The failure of Keynesian economics is no laughing matter, Mr. President
By Dr. Milton R. Wolf
In 1932, President Hoover received a letter from a man in Illinois that read simply, “Vote for Roosevelt and make it unanimous.” Based on its recent floundering, it seems even the White House recognizes that Obamanomics has been a disaster. It’s nearly unanimous now.

Indiana fights injunction of law defunding abortion providers
By Ben Kusmer
Indiana’s attorney general on Tuesday appealed a judge’s ruling that blocked key aspects of a new state law that would cut public funding for Planned Parenthood’s general health services because the organization also provides abortions.

On Immorality
Posted by Erick Erickson
The Democrats, in particular Joe Biden and Barack Obama, are out to make the moral case for tax increases. They claim the Republican position is immoral. This is what happens when we debase morality in our American political culture.

The Immigration Policy of Absurdistan: Legal is Illegal; Illegal is Legal – The ACLU and Obama are doing the jobs that Americans won’t do
Posted by Daniel Horowitz
Imagine for a moment that a pack of strangers – ranging from hooligans to plain homeless – illegally entered your home and started raiding the pantry, stealing your possessions, stuffing up the toilets, and sleeping on your bed.When you call the police to come down and remove them, you are told they cannot assist you because they lack the power to profile the unwanted guests from other members of the household.As desperation sets in, you join with your neighbors to chase them out.Much to your chagrin, lawyers for the intruders impel the courts to issue a ‘cease and desist order,’ obstructing efforts to deny the intruders anything, including the twinkies in the pantry.Moreover, teams of advocates for these brazen burglars begin to record the contact information of those locals who desire to stop the illegal entries.

Tea Party Leaders Look to Bachmann, Paul and Perry
By Kate Zernike
Who is the Tea Party candidate for president? If a gathering of about 100 Tea Party leaders in Washington on Monday gives any indication, it’s Representative Michele Bachmann (who just announced her candidacy), with Representative Ron Paul and Gov. Rick Perry vying for a close second (and probably edging her out on fervency of support).

Obama embraces the seamy supply side – Presidential election pushes the One to take a peek at reality
By Tony Blankley
It is said there are no atheists in foxholes. In that context, the recent rise in oil prices seems to have turned the Obama administration into true believers (at least rhetorically) when it comes to the best method to keep gas prices down and the American economy growing.

Bachmann strives to make a mighty leap – House to White House no easy trip
By Seth McLaughlin
The hot new question in the Republican primary is whether Rep. Michele Bachmann, a three-term congresswoman who has rapidly leapfrogged from legislative back-bencher to tea party superstar, now can make the jump from the U.S. House to the White House — a gap that hasn’t been cleared since 1880.

Jim DeMint Brings His A Game To the Debt Vote
Posted by Erick Erickson
Finally. Conservatives are starting to fire up on the Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge and are deciding they must hold people accountable. Senator Jim DeMint appears to be one of them. He tells ABC News that “It would be the most toxic vote” for Republicans.

U.S. Prisons Manufacturing Jihadists
By Gary L. Bauer
Last week, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, held his second hearing on Islamic radicalization in America. The focus of this hearing was radicalization in our prison systems. Predictably, King was pilloried in the “mainstream” media and by left-wing activists for being a xenophobic, religious bigot. The critics claimed there was no evidence of a serious Islamic problem in the U.S. prison system. Unfortunately for the critics, reality intruded.

Boehner and Cantor: no new taxes for debt deal
by Jim Picht
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor led a Republican walk-out of debt ceiling negotiations with the Obama Administration Thursday.

Perry takes on the feds – Texas governor hits back at TSA, lightbulb bans, nanny-state laws
Editorial by The Washington Times
Rick Perry is having a good month. With all eyes on his possible bid for the Republican presidential nomination, the Texas governor is showing that his anti-Washington rhetoric is more than just talk. By vetoing feel-good, nanny-state regulations and thwarting of federal intervention in his state, he’s demonstrating the kind of leadership America needs.

Opting Out of Enduring Freedom – Political Expediency vs. National Security
By Mark Alexander
In opposition to the advice of military and intelligence advisers — but with the support of popular polls — Barack Hussein Obama is moving ahead with his plan to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan beginning this July. In other words, though the drawdown does not comport with the best interests of U.S. national security, it does conform to his 2012 political campaign agenda.

Soros and liberal groups seeking top election posts in battleground states
By Chuck Neubauer
A small tax-exempt political group with ties to wealthy liberals like billionaire financier George Soros has quietly helped elect 11 reform-minded progressive Democrats as secretaries of state to oversee the election process in battleground states and keep Republican “political operatives from deciding who can vote and how those votes are counted.”

Obama administration to let the oil flow
By Stephen Dinan
Seeking to cap summertime gas prices, the Obama administration said Thursday it will tap the country’s strategic oil stockpiles for a temporary boost.

The coming teacher-union offensive – Education lobby gathers big money to reconquer lost ground
By Don Soifer
Already, national political fundraising ma- chines are beginning to hum and s putter toward early targets in their quest to break another election cycle’s worth of spending records. The nation’s largest teachers union, the National Education Association (NEA), was the heaviest contributor to U.S. political campaigns in 2007-08, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Early indications show it is a front-runner to be so again. Along with its state affiliates, the NEA took in $1.5 billion in revenue in 2008-09, the Education Intelligence Agency notes. Nearly all of this revenue came from member dues, and most of the war chest will be spent seeking to increase spending and to block those school reforms deemed most threatening to union clout.

The Fall of Empires
By S. Michael Craven
A Study of History by Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975) is acknowledged as one of the “greatest achievements of modern scholarship.” Toynbee’s book, huge in scale, achieved wide prominence but he was more admired by the history reading public than by his fellow historians, who criticized him for contorting information to fit his alleged patterns of history. I suspect this criticism stems largely from the fact that Toynbee likely viewed the patterns of history through the redemptive theme of Scripture.

Barack Obama Wants These People To Handle Your Healthcare
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
Please take just two minutes to watch this video. This video, actually a news story, tells you everything you need to know about the government and bureaucrats.

The Fordham Foundation Yet Again Pretends to Lean Right to Attack Rick Perry From the Left
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
Yesterday on National Review Online, Checker Finn took one pot shot after another at the state of Texas and publicly displayed his hand-wringing over Texas Governor Rick Perry’s potential influence on national education policy. You see, Mr. Finn tries – quite unsuccessfully in my view – to target Texas “bravado” as the threat to a sound education policy. On the one hand, he attempts to criticize Governor Perry by lumping him in with George W. Bush’s efforts to push No Child Left Behind, despite Perry’s resistance to embrace it. Then he turns around and says now we will somehow suffer because Perry’s national policy prefers to leave education to the states (heaven forbid).

EDITORIAL: States challenge feds on guns – Ninth Circuit hears case to nullify federal intrastate firearm regulations
By the Washington Times
Eight states have thrown down the gauntlet and denied the federal government’s authority to regulate firearms that never cross state lines. In 2009, Montana became the first to enact a law declaring any gun manufactured and kept within the state’s borders was subject only to state rules. It’s now up to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether Montana – and by extension Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming – must yield to the whims of Uncle Sam.

The abortion industry’s war on choice – When women preserve their babies, abortionists don’t get paid
By Mailee Smith – The Washington Times
There is a new war on choice in this country, and the leaders are none other than the captains of the abortion industry. Their target: pregnancy care centers (PCCs). Their technique: Brand the centers with a “scarlet letter” and force them to advertise abortion. Their goal: disparage the centers and drive women to abortion clinics.

Watch out for Mama Grizzly Palin’s bite
By Charles Hurt – The Washington Times
You don’t exactly have to be Grizzly Adams to know that if you go out to shoot an Alaskan bear, there is one rule that rises above all others. Whatever you do, just don’t wound the bear.

Michele Bachmann wields national security credentials
By Jonathan Allen and Meredith Shiner
Just a few months ago, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s appointment to the intelligence committee drew mild resistance and private snickering from her Republican colleagues. Now, it’s becoming a central part of the narrative behind a presidential campaign that is quickly gaining steam.

Michele Bachmann steals the show at GOP debate
By Dana Milbank
“Assume the position!” CNN’s John King ordered the candidates as they approached their lecterns just before airtime for Monday night’s debate.

Bachmann, Gingrich, and Romney. Oh My! And Then There’s Rick Perry.
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
I think Mitt Romney did not just win the New Hampshire debate by holding his own, but legitimately won it with his answers and composure. He was unnecessarily defensive on the Afghan question, but largely showed his experience with Presidential debates.

EDITORIAL: Rick Perry vs. TSA – Texas governor’s call would force screeners to change perverted ways
By The Washington Times
It’s now up to Texas Gov. Rick Perry to rescue the nation’s travelers from the indignity of x-rated airport screening at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). On Tuesday, a state House of Representatives committee is scheduled to consider revised legislation holding blue-gloved bureaucrats criminally liable for grabbing the private parts of passengers without probable cause or consent. For the measure to proceed further, however, Mr. Perry would have to formally add it to the list of bills considered during the special session now under way.

Obama’s abortion extortion – Indiana’s Medicaid funds withheld on behalf of Planned Parenthood
By Emily Miller – The Washington Times
President Obama is holding $4 billion in Medicaid funding hostage in an effort to force Indiana taxpayers to underwrite the biggest threat to unborn life: abortion. On June 1, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) disapproved Indiana’s Medicaid State Plan over a new state law restricting taxpayer subsidies for abortion mills.

Newt Gingrich; Ames, Iowa; and Rick Perry. What It All Means.
Posted by Erick Erickson
Had you tuned in to my radio show two nights ago, you would have heard me tell the world that Newt Gingrich’s campaign was disintegrating. Had you jumped over to RedState yesterday at noon for my Presidential horserace post, you’d have seen again that sources were telling me Newt’s campaign was in complete meltdown and I did not expect him to survive.

Unapologetic Public School Officials Turning Children Into Good Little Comrades
Posted by LaborUnionReport
For decades, even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, stories of collectivist indoctrination of children to be “good” members of Soviet society had been reported. Vladimir Lenin, who stated, “Give us the child for 8 years and it will be a Bolshevik forever,” knew that indoctrination was the key to having a uniformly obedient collectivist society.

Unbelievable! NLRB’s Acting General Counsel Opposes Boeing Employees’ Legal Involvement
Posted by LaborUnionReport on RedState
Last week, three Boeing employees, whose jobs are at stake due to the National Labor Relations Board’s prosecution of their employer, filed to intervene in the case.

The Triumph of Politics
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
I am sure you will read a lot about Congressman Weiner and his scandal and morality and failed politicians and us versus them and David Vitter, Larry Craig and Ted Kennedy and what have you. I am sure you will. I am not sure you will read anything similar to my take on this, which is admittedly not as partisan as some other takes may be. But, I think it is the right take.

The Undefeated
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
Steve Bannon and the fine folks at CRC Public Relations sent me an advanced copy of The Undefeated to watch over this past weekend.

Democrats jump on ‘buyer’s remorse’
By Kara Rowland – The Washington Times
Elected last fall as part of a nationwide Republican sweep, Govs. John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Scott of Florida have seen their approval ratings tumble into the abysmal range — and Democrats are salivating over the prospect that they will be a drag on the GOP’s presidential and congressional candidates in both crucial battleground states in 2012.

Bipartisan Congress rebuffs Obama on Libya mission
By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times
Crossing party lines to deliver a stunning rebuke to the commander in chief, the vast majority of the House voted Friday for resolutions telling President Obama he has broken the constitutional chain of authority by committing U.S. troops to the international military mission in Libya.

NY Teachers’ Union & NAACP Fight to Keep African-American Kids in Failing Schools
Posted by LaborUnionReport on RedState
Let’s start with the problem: In Harlem (NY), according to the Wall Street Journal, at one elementary school, only 3% of the students perform at grade level English, and only 9% in Math. At the Columbus High School the graduation rate is an abysmal 40%, compared to a citywide average of 63%. These figures are from only two of 22 failing schools that need to be shut down.

A Republic, if you can keep it
Posted by Charlie Davis on RedState
When queried about the type of government the Constitutional Convention had just created, Benjamin Franklin famously replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”

Drifting from God’s Plan
By David Gibbs
Homosexual advocates continue to make gains in their efforts to legalize same-sex relationships. President Obama, who campaigned against gay marriage, has now changed his mind and will not defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act in court.

Catholic Education in America: Homeschooling is Not the Problem
By Jennifer Hartline – Catholic Online
The “Catholic schools vs. Homeschool” attitude is tragic. Those who insist that Catholic parents have an obligation to send their children to Catholic schools need to stop guilt-tripping parents and impugning their motives and deal with reality. We’re not the enemy of Catholic schools – we are Catholic schools.

After Irvington suspected neglect case, legislator reconsiders home-schooling laws
By Susan K. Livio – Statehouse Bureau
When Collingswood police found four brothers literally starving in their own home eight years ago, then-Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg proposed a law requiring other home-schooled children to get an annual physical and pass standardized tests.

EDITORIAL: The Democrats’ debt crisis – Despite debt limit, they have no plan for substantive reform
By The Washington Times
Democrats have yet to put forth any plan to deal with America’s fiscal crisis. The national debt is at $14.3 trillion and growing daily; this year’s budget deficit alone is projected to be $1.5 trillion. The nation is in danger of defaulting on its loans, and yet all President Obama has done is produce a speech, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has wasted his majority by voting against every budget that has come to the floor. Apparently, the only thing more bankrupt than the Treasury is the party in power.

Texas Governor Hints at G.O.P. Run for White House
By James C. McKinley Jr. – The New York Times
The ritual of reporters asking Gov. Rick Perry if he is running for president and getting a firm no has become so entrenched in Texas that jaws dropped Friday afternoon when Mr. Perry abruptly changed his tune — slightly — and hinted that he might run after all.

Report slams heavy focus on school testing – Says methods handcuff teachers, don’t boost learning
By Ben Wolfgang – The Washington Times
As Congress and the Obama administration weigh a major reform of education policy, the government should overhaul testing methods that have handcuffed teacher creativity and done little to boost student achievement, according to a new report from the National Research Council.

Judge Strikes Down Wisconsin Collective Bargaining Law
FoxNews.com
Even though a circuit court judge on Thursday struck down Wisconsin’s law stripping nearly all collective bargaining power from most public workers, she won’t have the final say in the union fight that has captivated the nation.

“Dirty Harry” Moves To Shut Out Pro-Gun Rand Paul Amendment
Posted by Michael Hammond on RedState
Remember the sleazy tactics used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to pass ObamaCare? The secret meetings? The refusal to let the American people see the language? The “amendment tree” used to block Republicans from offering amendments on the floor? The use of a House-passed bill as a vehicle to circumvent Senate procedures?

Will Rick Perry run for president in 2012?
By Chris Cillizza
In the aftermath of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ decision not to run for president in 2012 over the weekend, one name is drawing lots of attention as a possible late entrant who could fundamentally re-shape the Republican race: Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Off to the races with the horses we have
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
On Saturday, several thousand people showed up in the humid heat of Atlanta to hear Herman Cain announce his bid for the Presidency.

Five Year-Old Girl Can Speak 7 Languages, Play 6 Instruments
By NewsOneStaff
Mabou Loiseau, a five-year-old child prodigy who is home-schooled can speak seven languages, play six instruments, and scored in the 99th percentile on the test for gifted and talented schools in New York City.

Rick Perry Is Not Running for President. Mitch Daniels Is Running for President.
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
Rick Perry is not running for the Presidency. There is a lot of buzz about what Perry has recently said, but he is not running. His key people are helping Newt. Behind the scenes, many have been pestering him, but he has been swatting them away.

The Gang of Six Becomes Five. Coburn Bolts. Chambliss Stays.
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
The “Gang of Six”, which is the group in the Senate trying to come up with bipartisan tax increases and tax restructuring to implement the Deficit Commission’s plans, is collapsing. Late yesterday, Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn bolted from the group because the Democrats are unwilling to deal with restructuring entitlements in their quest to raise taxes.

Take Rick Perry seriously. Ignore Chris Christie and Paul Ryan.
By Jonathan Bernstein
The latest shuffling of GOP presidential contenders has produced another round of signs that Republicans wish they had another candidate, in the form of renewed speculation about Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, and Rick Perry. I’d take the prospect of a Perry candidacy very seriously. Christie and Ryan — not so much.

Perry performance fuels talk of 2012 draft – Texas governor stirs GOP interest in White House run
By Ralph Z. Hallow – The Washington Times
He’s not on the ballot for 2012, but Texas Gov. Rick Perry strongly impressed a gathering of top Republican officials here Tuesday, with many high-ranking GOP officials saying the governor would be their top choice if he entered the presidential race.

Gingrich’s spending call irritates his base – GOP hopeful urges more Alzheimer’s research
By Seth McLaughlin – The Washington Times
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich did something Monday that few of his potential Republican primary challengers have dared: He proposed new spending.

Mothers crying over raw milk – Supporters of Amish farmer rally at Capitol
By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times
Four weeks after the government moved to shut down Amish farmer Dan Allgyer for selling fresh, unpasteurized milk across state lines, angry moms who made up much of his customer base rallied on the Capitol’s grounds Monday to demand that Congress rein in the food police.

Natural Constituiences
Posted by Erick Erickson on RedState
I have thought a lot more about Mike Huckabee’s departure from the race on Saturday and then Newt Gingrich’s Meet the Press appearance Sunday. They raise a few questions in my mind that I want to explore here. Admittedly, a post like this pulls from my own biases in how I see the candidates, but I’m going to do my best to be as objective as possible, even when dealing with a guy like Huntsman.

Obama’s Oil Drilling Subterfuge – We’ve been here before.
Posted by Daniel Horowitz on RedState
Many liberals in the media are expressing shock over Obama’s apparent willingness to increase oil production. We all know that he is full of …, I mean ethanol, and they do too.

Blotting out oil reality – Obama’s energy policy and the octopus strategy
By Mackubin Thomas Owens – The Washington Times
The last time gasoline prices were as high as they are today was in 2008, and Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for president, made it clear that one of his major policy goals was to make fossil fuels expensive, so that “alternative” and “green” sources of energy would be more economically competitive. Three months before he was confirmed as secretary of energy, Steven Chu confirmed in an interview that “somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe.”

EDITORIAL: Securing the border with semantics – Administration wants credit for halting theoretical illegals
The Washington Times
President Obama made a run for the border yesterday to shore up his credentials on the immigration issue. Speaking from Chamizal National Memorial in El Paso, Mr. Obama defended his strategy as if it were working. “They’ll never be satisfied,” he said, lashing out at critics. “The truth is, the measures we’ve put in place are getting results.”

Bin Laden’s death likely to shatter al Qaeda – Officials note relentless attacks, doubts about a unifying leader
By Bill Gertz – The Washington Times
U.S. security and intelligence officials say al Qaeda is severely weakened after losing Osama bin Laden, and some analysts go further, noting cautiously that the terrorist group may be in its death throes from the relentless U.S. and allied campaign to kill and capture its leaders and members.

The Big Energy Lie, Revisited – The truth behind all that ‘The U.S. has only 2% of the world’s oil reserves’ malarkey.
Posted by Steve Maley – RedState
Your President has been telling you things that simply aren’t true. Things like “We can’t drill our way out of our energy problems.” Or “Oil and gas are the fuels of the past.” Or, perhaps worst of all, “The U.S. consumes 25% of the world’s oil, but controls only 2% of the world’s reserves.”

The Strategic Wisdom of Barack Obama – yet another gutsy call
Posted by streiff – RedState
The killing of Osama bin Laden has been characterized by two distinct phases. In Phase I the White House simply could not tell us what happened during the raid and eventually just decided to stop talking about it. Phase II has been a demeaning and unseemly grubbling for credit on the part of the administration under the guise of Obama having made a “gutsy call.” Not only has the administration actively promoted this notion in press conferences but they are actively planting these stories in the tame and housebroken media that has become a hallmark of this administration.

Accountability for Planned Parenthood – Obama should order books opened and high salaries revealed
By Joel Hesch – The Washington Times
Planned Parenthood receives more than $350 million a year in government grants and contracts, which is one-third of its entire income. Although technically it cannot use this money to perform abortions, it clearly relies heavily on public funds to run the entire organization, which pays high salaries to doctors performing abortions. If taxpayers are largely funding Planned Parenthood, shouldn’t we be allowed to know how much it spends on salaries paid to those working for it, including doctors who perform abortions and key executives?

Boehner: Spending cuts must outweigh debt increase
By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times
Drawing a line on how far Republicans are willing to go in raising the nation’s debt limit, House Speaker John A. Boehner said Monday that any increase must be accompanied by an even bigger cut in spending.

Retired general warns of ‘rush’ to end ‘don’t ask’
By Shaun Waterman – The Washington Times
The newly retired commander of Army forces in the Pacific says the Obama administration’s “rush to repeal” the ban on openly gay men and women serving in the military “is moving way too fast” and risks damaging the armed forces’ fighting ability.