Midday Blog Roundup

FROM THE BLOGS:

Used and abused - Vic Matus, The Weekly Standard
CBPP: State budget deficits put recovery at risk - Paul Rosenberg, Open Left
Biggest stumbling block for Republicans ... is that they are Republicans - Daily Kos
Chavez's reign of legal terror widens - Ray Walser, The Foundry
Why the RNC blank check to the Tea Party? - David Frum, The Daily Dish
Dems lied, transparency died - Michelle Malkin
A big effing deal - David Kurtz, TPM
Specter on Kagan: 'she did just enough' - Michael Memoli, The Swamp
Please, please, please don't tell me we're serious about our fiscal problems - Matt Welch, Hit & Run
Americans really don't miss President Bush - Amanda Terkel, Think Progress
Reid: GOP rooting for failure! - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Petraeus power - Joe Klein, Swampland
EMP cult of crazy is concerned - Jason Sigger, Crooks & Liars
Puff goes the magic flat tax dragon dream - Jerry K. Remmers, The Moderate Voice
Waste and stimulus - Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

Financial overhaul passes key procedural hurdle - The Hill
Romney holds wide lead in PAC money over procedural contenders - The Hill
BP says cap is repaired and cutoff test can proceed - New York Times
Iranian nuclear scientist paid $5 million by the CIA - Washington Post

FROM THE BLOGS:
Retail sales drop in June - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Scoundrels do their thing in Utah - Meteor Blades, Daily Kos
Britain's tax grab backfires - Michelle Malkin
Stephen Walt's even less informed than I thought - Jonathan Chait
Obscenity v. freedom of speech - Hit & Run
Conservatives don't care about the deficit - Matthew Yglesias
Grandma knocks Reid in her own obit - Mary Katharine Ham, Weekly Standard
Religion and politics combining in unhealthy ways - S. Benen, Political Animal
Pitfalls of government news subsidies - Logan Penza, The Moderate Voice
U.S. not buying big gov't and more spending - Kathryn Nix, The Foundry
The Joe Manchin commemorative special election - David Dayden, FDL
Gray: Washington threw seniors under the bus - Newsmax
Bartlett on Kyl: 'More starve the beast nonsense' - Ezra Klein
Time for a chief executive? - Jennifer Rubin, contentions
Deflation is coming - Kevin Drum, Mother Jones

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Pelosi plots BP response with senior Dems - The Hill
Timing on oil well uncertain, says BP - New York Times
Greek crisis just the beginning? - Washington Post

FROM THE BLOGS:
Spencer Abraham's lights out - Daniel Halper, Weekly Standard
Harry Reid said what?!?! - Michelle Malkin
Ben Nelson playing president again - David Dayden, firedoglake
Immigration reform outlook bleak - Joan McCarter, Daily Kos
I hate polls and the reporting of polls - Pete Abel, The Moderate Voice
Giannoulias, Fisher go abroad for money - Moe Lane, RedState
Leverage meets real life - John Cole, Ballon Juice
GOP surge in Calif, with a caveat - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
Bachmann up nine in reelection effort - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Jon Kyl commits near-honesty - Jonathan Chait
Cloak and dagger is the new black - David Kurtz, TalkingPointsMemo
Commission should focus on Social Security - Kathryn Nix, The Foundry
Chutzpah watch - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Nice to hear from you again, Jesse - Rick Moran, Right Wing Nut House
CEO perks continue to shine - Chris in Paris, AMERICAblog

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
White House extends olive branch to Verizon CEO - The Hill
BP set to test new oil cap - New York Times
Obama taps Lew as OMB director - Washington Post
Steinbrenner dead at 80 - ESPN

FROM THE BLOGS:
It's still the economy, stupid - Derek Thompson, The Atlantic
Let the devil take the hindmost - Meteor Blades, Daily Kos
Meekly giving up - paradox, The Left Coaster
A thousand words - Mary Katharine Ham, Weekly Standard
Not to be ignored - Jennifer Rubin, contentions
Kyl drops the pretense of seriousness - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Wasn't O'Malley supposed to be a frontrunner? - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
NAACP considers condemning Tea Party - Nina Bhattacharya, ThinkProgress
What Palin's haul says - Reid Wilson, Hotline OnCall
Gov't attorney: environment trumps jobs - Ernest Istook, The Foundry
We can still blame black people, though - DougJ, Balloon Juice
The restful president - Bill S, RedState
Buying land in Jerusalem - Matthew Yglesias
The U.S. department of social justice - Michelle Malkin
Morning reads: contenders - Adam Sorensen, Swampland

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Poll: Obama hits new low on the economy - The Hill
Swiss reject U.S. request to extradite Polanski - New York Times
Twin blasts kill World Cup viewers in Uganda - Washington Post

FROM THE BLOGS:
Poll: Californians narrowly oppose legalizing marijuana - Chris Good, The Atlantic 
Rick Scott complains about campaign finance law - Eric Lach, TPMDC 
The SarahPAC ad - TrogloPundit, Right Wing News 
Inflection points - Atrios, Eschaton  
Blunt-talking, seasoned Marine to lead military in Mideast - Dorian De Wind, Moderate Voice 
GOP congressman condemns Republicans - Jed Lewison, Daily Kos 
Huckabee hits back at Frum - FrumForum 
Right wing tries to score points on LeBron - Scott Keyes, Think Progress 
Obama on the trail - Steve Benen, Political Animal 
Palin's new video - Jay Newton-Small, Swampland 
Obama admin. loses drilling ban appeal - Daniel Foster, The Corner 
The First Amendment right to carry a gun - Jacob Sullum, Reason 
Holder sticks to his guns - Jennifer Rubin, contentions 
Sharron Angle's radical abortion stance - John Amato, Crooks and Liars 
June Democracy Corps poll: Doom - Moe Lane, RedState 

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Biden takes on role as campaigner in chief - The Hill 
Cold War-like spy swap completed in Vienna - Washington Post 
On the stump, Obama offers reassurance on economy - New York Times 
LeBron James inflicts needless pain on us - Cleveland Plain Dealer 

FROM THE BLOGS:
A chart of unemployment since 1995 - Neil Stevens, RedState
Don't look frumpy, get your Palin wig - Jennifer Rubin, contentions
The education renaissance of Katrina - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The daily grind - Mary Katharine Ham, Weekly Standard
The year of 'mama grizzlies' - Michelle Malkin
I want to live in Willie Nelson's America* - Nick Gillespie, Hit & Run
He's back - Katie Pavlich, Townhall
Needlessly complicating the cyber debate - Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic
Short of the minimum on fiscal credibility - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Terror suspects arrested in Europe - Matthew Yglesias
Randism and the new radical chic - digby, Hullabaloo
The NRSC's questionable bet - Joan McCarter, Daily Kos
Will anti-nuke activists buy Washington again? - Jonathan Chait
Jindal's Louisiana: Go to church, shoot someone - Scarecrow, firedoglake
From the Senate delay case files - Dylan Matthews, (Ezra Klein)

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama visit could be mixed for Reid - The Hill
Norway announces three arrests in terror plot - New York Times
Mixed bag for U.S. retail sales - Wall Street Journal

FROM THE BLOGS:
Scenes from the ideas festival - Jonathan Chait
Obama to appoint Berwick to run CMS - Peter Suderman, Hit & Run
Corporations sit on $1.8T until they get their way - karoli, Crooks & Liars
TSA reverses policy on 'controversial opinion' sites - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Loan delinquincies rising again - Chris in Paris, AMERICAblog
Open society and its enemy, WikiLeaks - Gabriel Schoenfeld, Weekly Standard
Lingle vetoes civil unions bill - Dante Atkins, Daily Kos
The rationer-in-chief - Conn Carroll, The Foundry
Alvin Greene has a jobs idea - Steve Benen, Political Animal
The economic cake is baked - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
The cost of heat - Matthew Yglesias
Experts: 'Ridiculous' suit won't nix Ariz. law - David Patten, Newsmax
Lingle vetoes state civil unions bill - David Dayden, firedoglake
The man Holder let off the hook - Meredith Jessup, Townhall
A summer of discontent - Michael Reagan, The Moderate Voice

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Manchin supports Nov. election to fill Byrd seat - The Hill
British panel clears climate scientsts - New York Times
Obama bypasses Senate for new CMS chief - Associated Press

FROM THE BLOGS:
India versus China - Ezra Klein
When states can't pay their bills - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Will Obama make Israel apologize to Turkey? - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Remember the Gulf - Rory Cooper, The Foundry
What happened on the war supplemental - David Waldman, Daily Kos
Obama's first awful poll of the week - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
Preservation and density - Matthew Yglesias
Now air conditioners are bad? - William Teach, Right Wing News
Oil spill tar balls reach Texas - Chris in Paris, AMERICAblog
Tax-exempt status only for groups agreeing with WH - J. Podhoretz, contentions
Pretense of progress in Obama-Netanyahu meeting - Siun, firedoglake
Where NASA traveled in 48 years - Jim Prevor, Weekly Standard
The reliability of human ignorance - P.M. Carpenter, BuzzFlash
Off-week campaigning - Jillian Bandes, Townhall
Misadventures in public diplomacy - Jeffrey Goldberg

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Climate activists replace Iran president with Palin in ads - The Hill
Tax-exempt funds aid settlements in West Bank - New York Times
A show of unity with Israel - Washington Post
BP won't issue equity to cover spill costs - Wall Street Journal

FROM THE BLOGS:

A letter to Michael Steele - William Kristol, The Weekly Standard
Jobs numbers are impossible to spin - Chris Bowers, Open Left
SCOTUS: Hatch, NRA oppose Kagan - Joan McCarter, Daily Kos
Time to go global with greater economic freedom - Anthony B. Kim, The Foundry
The tea party as secular fundamentalism - Andrew Sullivan, The Daily Dish
Report reveals gulf cleanup deception and incompetence - Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin
Research 2000 president has two degrees in recreation - Justin Elliott, TPM
Washington spins the unemployment report - Michael Memoli, The Swamp
Can't repeal ObamaCar? Defund it. - Peter Suderman, Hit & Run
RNC chairman converts into anti-war protester - Alex Seitz-Wald, Think Progress
Obama: we're headed in the right direction! - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
The politics of LeBron James - Michael Crowley, Swampland
Karl Rove says a lot of Tea Partiers ... miss President Bush - David Neiwert, Crooks & Liars
Political blame game on unemployment benefits - Logan Penza, The Moderate Voice
Math and genetic tests - Matthew Yglesias

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:

RNC chairman: Obama pursued Afghan war "trying to be cute" - The Hill
Dems blast GOP for blocking benefits - The Hill
Unemployment rate in Europe holds steady - New York Times
A tart tongue turns on tea party - Washington Post

FROM THE BLOGS:
It's the security arrangements, stupid - Evelyn Gordon, contentions
Unemployment bill fails to beat filibuster - Ezra Klein
PBS: Obama blocking media access to Gulf - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Do not Obey - Jonathan Chait
Perfect storm on killing tax cuts? - Moe Lane, RedState
Scarborough stands by accusation of Boehner - Faiz Shakir, ThinkProgress
RGA: Raising Greenbacks Abundantly - Jim Geraghty, Campaign Spot
This is how Republicans would govern - brooklynbadboy, Daily Kos
Chavez's socialism: beg, borrow or steal - Ray Walser, The Foundry
Palin's Ann Curry problem - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Republican iPad frenzy - Meghann Olshefski, techRepublican
CMH for the living - John Cole, Balloon Juice
The gathering storm - Gabriel Schoenfeld, Weekly Standard
Does Rand Paul want to abandon NATO? - Nathan Empsall, MyDD
Which countries are best weathering the recession? - J. Gandelman, TMV

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Budget document kicks tough choices down the road - The Hill
Top U.S. civilians face tricky future after Afghan shift - New York Times
Growth slows across U.S. economy - Wall Street Journal