Questions about why the Obama administration pretended the attacks on our Embassy in Libya were a spontaneous reaction to a video rather than a coordinated terrorist attack are gaining steam.

Yet another case of breathless media reporting on academic research findings.

A wonderfully descriptive story in the New York Times Style section that’s almost surely mere anecdote being touted as trend.

The NYT stages an interesting debate on “Which Language Rules to Flout. Or Flaunt?”

My latest for The New Republic, “America’s Scandalous Drone War Goes Unmentioned in the Campaign,” is out.

So, it’s been a quarter of a century since “Star Trek: The Next Generation” made its debut. As if I didn’t feel old already.

So Ron Fugelseth decided it would be cool to send his son’s toy train into space. Turns out, it was.

My latest for The National Interest, “Insanity on the Iran Question,” posted last evening.

Mitt Romney’s 2011 tax return has “USA” in the space for “Foreign country name.” Requests for his birth certificate will surely follow.

The notion that Megan McArdle is some sort of “Republican Party activist” is just nuts.

A lot more people than expected are likely to be hit by the ObamaCare individual mandate tax penalty than previously thought.

John Scalzi knows that you want to be a better commenter because, “You’re a fine upstanding human being, not some feculent jackass with a keyboard, an internet connection and a blistering sense of personal inferiority that is indistinguishable from common sociopathy.”

The home of the Wayback Machine now has every major news program since 2009 archived.

A Pirate Party leader has been policing illegal downloads of her copyrighted book.

Michael Lewis has a long feature in Vanity Fair titled “Obama’s Way,” based on six months with the president.

Seth Mnookin laments a series of embarrassing failures in science writing in recent months but rejoices in the rich dialog that followed.

The Dos Equis guy is fundraising for Obama.

President Obama gave an honest, nuanced answer to a complex question. So, of course, he’s taking it back.

A PAO named Larry Schwartz issued yesterday’s infamous statement against the explicit orders of his superiors.

My latest for The Atlantic, “What Would Romney’s Foreign Policy Look Like?” has posted.

My latest for The National Interest, “Freedom of Speech and Religion in Egypt and Libya,” has posted.

TSA agents detained a woman for having the audacity to drink her water rather than hand it over for testing.

6% of Ohio voters think Mitt Romney deserves more credit than the commander-in-chief for killing Osama bin Laden.

Jimmy Carter’s ex-presidency has lasted the equivalent of 26 Iranian hostage crises.

Spiegel has a photo gallery of novel ways to graphically illustrate the Euro crisis. My favorite:

Shannon Eastin has become the first woman to officiate an NFL game, thanks to the lockout of the regular referees.

The Defense of Marriage Act is under challenge through a unique angle: estate taxes.

Shepard Fairey, the artist who turned a generic AP photo of Barack Obama into an iconic painting, got a hefty punishment for lying to government investigators.

The President Obama lost his cool with Speaker Boehner on debt negotiations is not nearly as important as the underlying reason a deal couldn’t be reached.

A POLITICO analysis finds that “Obama and his top campaign aides have engaged far more frequently in character attacks and personal insults than the Romney campaign.”

Tom Brokaw was rushed to the hospital after feeling light-headed on “Morning Joe.”

It’s Obama’s race to lose, not a coin toss.

The American public doesn’t think we can afford to cut any category of government spending, even imaginary ones.

Andrew Ross Sorkin says Facebook’s IPO was a debacle. Mark Cuban says this misunderstands the purpose of an IPO.

Challenge the ideas of those with whom you disagree, not their patriotism, decency, or integrity.

John Nagl, who became famous as a leading counterinsurgency theorist and practitioner, is taking on a new challenge: grooming young boys for life.

The front page of Sunday’s NYT profiled Valerie Jarrett, the power behind the throne at the Obama White House.

President Obama says he’s a huge Clint Eastwood fan and wasn’t offended by his performance at the RNC.

“Growing up in California, it was illegal for Asians to marry whites. How times have changed. I married a white DUDE.”

In a radio interview last week, Paul Ryan claimed to have run a sub-3 hour marathon. He did no such thing.

My latest for The Atlantic, “Stop Feeling Sorry for American Veterans, has posted.

After three days of buildup to a “mystery speaker,” the closing night of the Republican convention featured a rambling performance by Clint Eastwood and an empty chair.

The real story of Bain Capital is impressive. Mitt Romney chose instead to present an origin story that’s utter horseshit.

Lindsey Graham: “We’re not generating enough angry white guys to stay in business for the long term.”

Chamake Mauriene reveals America’s secret to world domination in Pravda.

Paul Ryan pointed to a shuttered GM plant in his hometown as proof of Obama’s failed policies. The truth will make your head hurt.

An Atlantic story on veterans returning to college is both poignant and miscast.

Mississippi is more conservative than Massachusetts is liberal.

A graph on public debt making the rounds is being used to misdirect rather than clarify.