President Obama addresses the nation tonight at 8pm to talk about the end of combat operations in Iraq.
You can watch he address in it's entirety on FiOS1News.
The President told U.S. troops today that the end of combat operations in Iraq is "not going to be a victory lap," not a cause for celebration.
"There's still a lot of work that we've got to do to make sure
that Iraq is an effective partner with us," he said just hours
before addressing the nation on the end of the U.S. combat role in
Iraq.
Obama spoke with troops at a dining hall on this Army base in El
Paso. The base has been central to the war effort. The soldiers
were among those combat troops recently returned from Iraq.
"Welcome home," Obama said to shouts of "hooh-uh."
Obama flew to the base to thank the troops for their sacrifice
in the long and unpopular war, one he had opposed.
"Congratulations on a job well done. The country appreciates
you," Obama said.
"Iraq has an opportunity to create a better future for itself
and the U.S. is more secure" because of that mission, Obama said.
Of his upcoming speech, Obama said, "It's not going to be a
victory lap. It's not going to be self-congratulatory."
Obama noted that there remained "a tough fight ahead in
Afghanistan...a tough slog."
Following his remarks, Obama shook hands with each of the
soldiers and family members gathered in the base dining hall,
asking where they or their loved ones had served.
As he exited the room, Obama said, "Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to share this time with you and see all of you face to
face. Just know that we're all thinking about you and all praying
for your families."
To those who will face future missions in Iraq and Afghanistan,
Obama said, "We will be relentless in making sure you have what
you need to come home safely."

The latest NEWSWEEK Poll tells a disturbing story. Obama’s approval rating is 47 percent, slightly better than in the spring and not terrible for a president facing disturbing economic news. (Ronald Reagan touched bottom with 41 percent approval during the 1982–83 recession.) The problem is that some of the lies about Obama are gathering strength. In 2008, 13 percent of Americans were under the misimpression that he was a Muslim. Now the figure is 24 percent. One explanation may be that Obama’s connection to his Chicago church was fresher in the public mind then. But the deeper problem is a growing number of people who think the president is not just disappointing or wrongheaded but dangerous. More than half of Republicans surveyed (52 percent) think it’s “definitely true” or “probably true” that Obama “sympathizes with the goals of fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world.” This says more about the mindset of the GOP than about Obama.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Glenn Beck says it's just a coincidence his
Restoring Honor rally on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial will take
place on the anniversary and at the site of Martin Luther King
Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. But he's hardly apologizing
for the connection.
"This is going to be a moment that you'll never be able to
paint people as haters, racists, none of it," he says. "This is a
moment, quite honestly, that I think we reclaim the civil rights
movement."
Some civil rights veterans are skeptical.
"When we heard about Glenn Beck, it was puzzling," the Rev. Al
Sharpton said. "Because if you read Dr. King's speech, it just
doesn't gel with what Mr. Beck or Mrs. Palin are representing."
Beck, a popular figure among tea party activists and a
polarizing Fox News Channel personality, is headlining the event,
and Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee and
a potential 2012 president candidate, will be a featured speaker.
But Beck says it's not about politics.
The event's website says the rally is to pay tribute to
America's military personnel and others "who embody our nation's
founding principles of integrity, truth and honor." It also is to
promote the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides
scholarships and services to family members of military members.
The website urges citizens to attend and "help us restore the
values that founded this great nation."
The rally, on the 47th anniversary of King's plea for racial
equality is drawing a strong reaction - and several counter-rallies
- as the nation looks toward November's elections.
Beck is known for his strong opinions, including his statement
that President Barack Obama is a racist. But organizers of
Saturday's rally are telling attendees not to bring signs, "as
they may deter from the peaceful message we are bringing to
Washington."
Signs at some tea party events have included pictures of Obama
embellished with a Hitler-style mustache, racial epithets and
threats to Democratic officials. Such posters have given tea party
critics grounds to claim the loose organization of activists is
motivated by racism against the nation's first black president.

CLEVELAND (AP) - House Republican leader John Boehner says
President Barack Obama should support an extension of the Bush tax
cuts. In a speech in Cleveland, Boehner said Obama should also fire
his key economic advisers. Vice President Joe Biden says Boehner
and Republicans "ran this economy and the middle class into the
ground" for eight years.

Should the Mosque Be Moved?

TIME MAGAZINE:
You don't have to be prejudiced against Islam to believe, as many Americans do, that the area around Ground Zero is a sacred place. But sadly, in an election season, such sentiments have been stoked into a political issue. As the debate has grown more heated, Park51, as the proposed Muslim cultural center and mosque two blocks from Ground Zero is called, has become a litmus test for everything from private-property rights to religious tolerance. But it is plain that many of Park51's opponents are motivated by deep-seated Islamophobia.

Read More:

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011798,00.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens has
been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids
and growth hormone. Clemens adamantly denied using the substances
in testimony he gave in 2008. His former trainer contradicted
Clemens about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens has
been indicted for allegedly lying to Congress about using steroids
and growth hormone. Clemens adamantly denied using the substances
in testimony he gave in 2008. His former trainer contradicted
Clemens about his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq says
Iraqi police and military are up to the task of keeping the country
secure after U.S. troops end their combat mission next week.
Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza adds that the sooner the Iraqi
government is seated, the calmer the country will be.
Lanza told CBS' "The Early Show" that Iraqi security forces
have shown professionalism and the will to improve and have made
strong progress since 2003.
Lanza said that fewer than 6,000 U.S. troops are set to leave
Iraq by the Aug. 31 deadline set by President Barack Obama as part
of an end to all unilateral combat missions.
The 50,000 U.S. troops that will remain in Iraq will focus on
training Iraqi security forces.

From Rand Paul to Sharon Angle, the Tea Party has quickly gained political clout with the GOP. To some they reflect the anger of American voters but to others they are a fringe group fouling GOP elections and using race to scare the country.

(AP) - A White House spokesman says politics wasn't a factor in President Barack Obama's remarks about building a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in
New York City.
Deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton said it was "not politics" but Obama's feeling that he had the obligation as president to "make sure people are treated equally" under the Constitution.
Obama has said that religious freedom allows the mosque to be built, but without commenting on the wisdom of building one two blocks from ground zero. Republicans have pounded him for his comments, making it a prime midterm election issue.
Burton said Obama "felt it was his obligation as president to address this." Obama was on the way to Wisconsin for fundraising.

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) - A lesbian cadet asked to resign from the
U.S. Military Academy because she said she can no longer lie about
her sexuality and was troubled by the anti-gay attitudes of some
around her.
Katherine Miller of Findlay, Ohio, also said she wants to fight
for repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law, a subject she was
studying and writing about as a sociology major at West Point.
"I intend for my resignation to offer a concrete example of the
consequences of a failed law and social policy," she wrote in her
resignation letter on Monday, referring to the law against gays
serving openly in the military.
Miller wrote proudly of her accomplishments as a student,
athlete and soldier and said that she had not been pressured by
anyone to resign. But she wrote of being "coerced into ignoring
derogatory comments towards homosexuals for fear of being alienated
for my viewpoint" and that she "endured sexual harassment for
fear of being accused as a lesbian."
Miller said by e-mail that she wasn't immediately available to
speak with The Associated Press on Thursday, but she confirmed the
resignation letter.

President Obama promised 'hope and change'. In 18 Months, he's passed healthcare, financial reform, economists say his policies stoppped a second Great Depression. The same Repubicans who call him a socialist and say he does too much turn around and in the next breath say he is not doing enough.

Taxes for the Rich? The Economy? Immigration? Sound off.

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) -- Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner made a case Wednesday for letting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans lapse as a step toward getting the nation's fiscal house in order.

"Borrowing to finance tax cuts for the top 2% would be a $700 billion fiscal mistake," Geithner said before the Center for American Progress in Washington, alongside deficit hawk Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum. "It's not the prescription the economy needs right now, and the country can't afford it."

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A black man who went on a shooting
rampage at a beer distributor calmly told a 911 operator that it
was "a racist place" and that he "handled the problem" but
wished he had shot more people.
Omar Thornton called 911 after shooting 10 co-workers - eight
fatally - on Tuesday morning at Hartford Distributors Inc. He
introduced himself as "the shooter over in Manchester" and said
he was hiding in the building, but he would not say where.
"You probably want to know the reason why I shot this place
up," he said, his voice steady. "This place is a racist place.
They're treating me bad over here. And treat all other black
employees bad over here, too. So I took it to my own hands and
handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people."
Authorities say thornton stashed the weapon and ammunition
in his lunchbox. They say he had least five guns registered to him.
On the 911 tapes, Thornton answered questions, such as the type of
gun he was using -- an SR9 Ruger -- and when Taylor asked if it was
an automatic weapon, Thornton told him it was a pistol and said,
"I like pistols, they are my favorite." At one point, Thornton
seemed to be trying to count how many bullets he had left before
saying "enough left to take care of business."

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - If the California ban on gay marriage ever
gets to the U.S. Supreme Court, it could force the justices to
confront the question of whether gays have a constitutional right
to wed. A federal judge struck down California's voter-approved ban
yesterday, and supporters of Proposition 8 promise an appeal. One
supporter says laws in 45 other states could fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Leading Republicans are joining a push to
reconsider the constitutional amendment that grants automatic
citizenship to people born in the United States.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said
Tuesday he supports holding hearings on the 14th Amendment right,
although he emphasized that Washington's immigration focus should
remain on border security.
His comments came as other Republicans in recent days have
questioned or challenged birthright citizenship, embracing a cause
that had largely been confined to the far right.
The senators include Arizona's John McCain, the party's 2008
presidential nominee; Arizona's Jon Kyl, the GOP whip; Alabama's
Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a leading negotiator on
immigration legislation.
"I'm not sure exactly what the drafters of the (14th) amendment
had in mind, but I doubt it was that somebody could fly in from
Brazil and have a child and fly back home with that child, and that
child is forever an American citizen," Sessions said.

NEW YORK (AP) - Mayor Michael Bloomberg is praising the decision
by the city's landmarks commission clearing the way for a mosque to
be developed near ground zero.
He joined City Council Chair Christine Quinn and several
religious leaders to reiterate his support for the mosque, which
has drawn criticism from some Republicans and family members of
those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.
Bloomberg said the firefighters and other first responders who
died in the attacks had done so to protect religious freedom.
He acknowledged the emotional debate around the matter but said
it would settle once the mosque is built.
He said the city had not been torn apart by the controversy and
would be stronger for it.

WASHINGTON (AP) - No fewer than 65 House seats across the
country - an overwhelming majority held by Democrats - are at risk
of changing political hands this fall, enough to bolster Republican
hopes of regaining power and stoke fears in President Barack
Obama's party of losing it.
Even more races from California to New York could become
competitive by November as voters look to blame someone for the
sluggish economic recovery and take out their frustration on the
Democrats who run the government. As of now, enough seats are in
play that Republicans could gain the 39 they need to reclaim the
House, dealing a blow to Obama in the first midterm elections of
his presidency.
Primary outcomes and national polls show a restless electorate
and energized Republicans. Independents who propelled the Democrats
to power in 2006 and 2008 in scores of swing districts are leaning
toward the GOP, expressing concerns about excessive spending,
government overreach and the spiraling national debt.