• In discussing how President Obama uses children to shield himself from criticism, I broke my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates. The children of public figures should be left on the sidelines. It was a stupid mistake and I apologize–and as a dad I should have known better.
• Glenn Beck • In an apology posted to his Web site this morning. What was it about? Well … he basically used Obama’s daughter Malia to criticize Obama, playing off a question she asked the president. Using “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?” as a starting point, Beck asked a bunch of questions in that style, reaching a head with “Daddy…why do you hate black people so much?” Yeah. Malia’s going to be scarred for life because of this torrent of in-bad-taste commentary from Glenn Beck. Or not. source

• Every man and woman in uniform is a vitally important part of this review. We need to hear from you and your families so that we can make these judgments in the most informed and effective manner. So please let us know how to do this right.
• Defense Secretary Robert Gates • In a video regarding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal, a bill which is currently making its way through Congress. Eventually, if and when it passes (which is likely), Gates is going to have to have his people deal with it directly. There is a big compromise involved here. The bill basically says, “OK, military, you guys decide if this makes sense for you,” and then they’ll decide. Which means the weight’s on Gates and the rest of the military. source

• DUDE. Do you not remember what happened last week? Despite, well, the 14th Amendment, Paul thinks that denying citizenship to children of illegal immigrants is a good thing. “We shouldn’t provide an easy route to citizenship,” he said. “We’re the only country that I know that allows people to come in illegally, have a baby, and then that baby becomes a citizen. And I think that should stop.” It’s an amendment man, AN AMENDMENT. He’s already said things offensive towards blacks and latinos. Who’s next? source

• We cannot sustain this level of deficit financing and debt without losing our influence, without being constrained in the tough decisions we have to make … [it’s time to] make the national security case about reducing the deficit and getting the debt under control.
• Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • Making an argument that the national debt could be handled better with a smaller U.S. military presence around the world. Her argument? The high level of national debt and deficit could be even more dangerous than having a weak military. Clinton is suggesting we work with other emerging countries to help lift the military burden off of the U.S. Will this work? Good question. source

• one Our boy Rahm Emanuel was the guy who was trying to push the idea.
• two The position was unpaid so that he would keep his seat in the House.
• three Emanuel had BILL CLINTON ask Sestak if he was interested. source

• Having flown over this disaster, I can tell you it greater than anyone can ever imagine. My constituents are watching a slow-motion tragedy unfold in front of them. Our culture is threatened, our coastal economy is threatened, and everything I know and love is at risk.
• Rep. Charlie Melancon • In a House Energy subcommittee meeting. After saying this, Melancon excused himself because his emotions got the best of him. Melancon is a Democrat, by the way. Democratic strategist James Carville has also taken Obama to task for a perceived slow federal response to the oil spill. This is why Obama is headed to the Gulf today and is going out of his way to get involved in this mess. Because if he doesn’t, this could be worse for him than Katrina was for Bush.  source

• Now the oil spill has kinked Obama’s armor. It’ll be tough to come back from an ad like this, guys. source

• If you’ve ever used the internet, you could’ve seen this coming from a while away. After House Republicans launched a site looking for democratic input on their new agenda, the site got overloaded with comments that perhaps didn’t show the GOP’s decision-making process in the best light. A few samples to nosh on:

• one“Require all Muslims in the U.S. to wear ankle bracelet transponders so we know where the terrorists are at all times.”
• two“Consensual bestiality should not be illegal. No, I am not joking. Everything I’ve said is logically sound.”
• three “End the idea of Net Neutrality. American’s do not need the government censoring our websites for us.”

And the best answer goes to …

• We need to train an army of Ninja Cats. Cats are natural born hunters and predators, and it is known that they indeed have 9 lives, many more than the typical human life (being one).
• An absolute genius • Saying everything that needs to be said about this endeavor. It’s absolutely perfect in its conceit – the world needs stronger counter-terror measures, and how much stronger could you get than ninja cats? You know, seriously. source