White House unloads anger over criticism by ‘professional left’  —  The White House is simmering with anger at criticism from liberals who say President Obama is more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity.  —  During an interview with The Hill in his West Wing office …

THAT WAS NO TEACHER... Unhinged Leftist Who Confronted Palin Is a Singer in a Drag Queen Band (Photo)  —  The poor little unhinged leftists had their panties in a bunch today after Sarah Palin confronted a far left loon for her rude and aggressive sign in Homer, Alaska.

Plane with 8 on board crashes off Dillingham  —  5 good Samaritans reportedly on scene as weather hampers rescue  —  Severe weather has hampered the rescue operation for eight people believed to be on board a GCI-owned aircraft that crashed near Dillingham on Monday night with possible fatalities …

Gay Bar at Ground Zero  —  This is kind of a jerk move.  But it's a brilliant jerk move.  I am hoping that at least one person will attempt to explain why we should support the mosque near Ground Zero, but not the gay bar next to the mosque near Ground Zero.  I would find that very entertaining.

Fed-Up Flight Attendant Makes Sliding Exit  —  It has been a long time since flight attendant was a glamorous job title.  The hours are long.  Passengers with feelings of entitlement bump up against new no-frills policies.  Babies scream.  Security precautions grate but must be enforced.

Fed Will Meet With Concerns on Deflation Rising  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve will meet on Tuesday faced with a pivotal decision about whether to abandon its presumption that the economy is gradually picking up steam and begin to consider new steps to keep the recovery from sputtering out.

GOP Maintains Lead on Generic Ballot for Congress  —  Second week in a row favorable to Republicans  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans have a 49% to 43% lead over Democrats among registered voters in Gallup's generic ballot for Congress for the week of Aug. 2-8, the second straight week …

Newt Gingrich: The Indispensable Republican  —  In the twelve years since he resigned in defeat and disgrace, he has been carefully plotting his return to power.  As 2012 approaches, he has raised as much money as all of his potential rivals combined and sits atop the polls for the Republican presidential nomination.

Levi Johnston for mayor. . . really  —  Reality show follows Palin player's bid for office  —  Levi Johnston is setting his sights on the dysfunctional family business.  —  Johnston will run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska — yes, the same job that propelled Sarah Palin to governor of that state …

Conservapedia: E=mc2 Is A Liberal Conspiracy  —  To many conservatives, almost everything is a secret liberal plot: from fluoride in the water to medicare reimbursements for end-of-life planning with your doctor to efforts to teach evolution in schools.  But Conservapedia founder …

Are Americans Bigots?  —  Attacking the motives of those who disagree with elite opinion has become all too common.  —  When in 1983 Ronald Reagan characterized the Soviet Union as an “evil empire,” the reaction from his betters was swift.  Writing in the New York Times, Anthony Lewis called it …

WikiLeaks' blow to the surge  —  WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has made clear that his objective in releasing tens of thousands of classified documents was to “end the war in Afghanistan” and “oppose an unjust [war] plan before it reaches implementation.”  He may well achieve his goal.

From Google and Verizon, a path to an open Internet  —  We have spent much of the past year trying to resolve our differences over the thorny issue of “network neutrality.”  This hasn't been an easy process, and Google and Verizon are neither regulators nor legislators.

Happy Hour Roundup: Rand Paul campaign threatens GQ mag  —  UPDATE: The Rand Paul campaign is now threatening legal action against GQ magazine over its much-discussed report quoting an anonymous woman claiming Paul kidnapped her in college and forced her to take bong hits.

Hillary for Vice President?  —  The movement is gaining traction.  —  As President Obama sinks in the polls, Democrats and liberal pundits inevitably are searching for a scapegoat.  The most likely victim appears to be gaffe-prone Vice President Joe Biden, who has become the focus …

Pentagon to cut thousands of jobs, defense secretary says  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that the Pentagon will cut thousands of jobs, including a substantial chunk of its private contractors and a major military command based in Norfolk, as part of an ongoing effort …

GOP To Introduce Lame-Duck Prohibition Resolution, Citing Browner's Remarks On Energy Bill  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  House Republicans are going forward with plans to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to prohibit the House of Representatives from assembling during the two-month period following the November elections.