1.) POTUS pouts — Being president is hard, you guys! Sometimes, bad people won’t do what you say just because you say so. And the best way to show how presidential you are is to take your ball and go home. Be the adult in the room by stomping out of it. TheDC’s Amanda Carey reports: “President Barack Obama walked out of debt limit negotiations Wednesday. One Republican aide said the president quickly ended what was described as a ‘tense’ meeting with congressional leaders about a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Wednesday’s meeting came to a quick halt when Speaker of the House John Boehner responded negatively to spending cuts offered by the White House and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor offered to support two separate debt ceiling votes… ‘The Speaker challenged the President to offer real spending cuts,’ said the aide. ‘He said the gimmicks and accounting tricks that Washington has used for decades are not applicable here. When White House officials attempted to justify budgetary gimmicks, the speaker said pointedly, ‘We’re not doing that anymore.'” So Obama stormed out. He’s gone from “first-class temperament” to first-class temper tantrums. According to The Hill, Obama told Cantor, “Don’t call my bluff.” Which tells us two things: One, Obama’s bluffing. Two, he stinks at it. Note to President Genius: If you’re bluffing, try not to let on that you’re bluffing. That’s why it’s called bluffing. Hope that helps, champ!
2.) If you don’t think this is the most transparent administration ever, shut up — Another super-annoying thing about being president is that people ask you questions about stuff you’re doing. Even when you don’t want them to! Politico reports: “A long-running tiff between the White House press corps and the West Wing over presidential access flared anew today when press secretary Jay Carney faced off with reporters over the right to shout questions at the president during debt talks. Obama chafes at the time-honored practice of answering questions shouted at him during pooled, non-press conference events — and his staff has often opted for ‘stills sprays,’ excluding print reporters or TV cameras who might capture Obama in the less than flattering non-act of snubbing a query. When asked today why TV crews and print reporters were barred from the pool covering the White House meeting with congressional leaders on the deficit, Carney responded by pointing out that the administration has held two press conferences in the past two weeks and allowed TV cameras into the spray earlier this week. ‘People shouted questions at him,’ Carney said. He then added, ‘The purpose of the meeting is not to create a circus, but to negotiate, so today we’re doing stills only.'” His Highness is not amused. As if it’s not enough for these ungrateful reporters to be allowed to bask in Obama’s glory, they actually want to report stuff? That’ll be enough out of you, commoners.
3.) George Bush is the most unpopular president ever in the Arab world, except for Obama — It’s like Everybody Be Mean to Obama Day or something. TheDC’s Caroline May reports: “Most Arab countries have a less favorable view of America under President Barack Obama than they had at the end of the George W. Bush administration, according to a new report from the Arab American Institute (AAI). AAI reported that Arab world opinion of the U.S. and President Obama — the man long heralded as the one to heal the wounds that the Bush administration had allegedly inflicted upon the Arab world — has dropped to an all time low. AAI’s findings stand in stark contrast to the sentiment surrounding Obama’s 2008 election and his ‘Cairo speech,’ which famously doubled Arabs’ favorable attitudes toward the U.S. Just two years later, five out of six countries surveyed viewed the U.S. less favorably than Turkey, China, France, or even Iran.” Another bunch of ingrates who don’t realize how lucky they are to have Obama around.
4.) Rick Perry sued for praying in public — Atheists are smarter than everybody else. Just ask them. ABC News reports: “Texas Governor Rick Perry is facing a federal lawsuit as a state/church watchdog group consisting of atheists and agnostics attempts to block his involvement in the Day of Prayer and Fasting organized for Aug 6. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a watchdog group consisting of 16,600 members, filed a federal lawsuit in the Southern District Court of Texas to keep the religious event from occurring, arguing it violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The legal complaint says the plaintiffs are ‘nonbelievers who support the free exercise of religion, but strongly oppose the governmental establishment and endorsement of religion, including prayer and fasting, which are not only an ineffectual use of time and government resources, but which can be harmful or counterproductive as a substitute for reasoned action.'” If only Perry would convert to Islam. Then it would be racist to tell him not to pray whenever, wherever, and however he chose.
5.) Justin Timberlake vs. Sadie Hawkins — TheDC’s Alexa Linn Williams reports: “After Mila Kunis accepted a YouTube video invitation from Sgt. Scott Moore for a date to the Marine Corps Ball this fall, a female Marine is trying the approach. Cpl. Kelsey De Santis posted a video on YouTube in which she asks Justin Timberlake to be her date to her final Marine Corps Ball, People Magazine points out.” In the video, De Santis says: “So, Justin, you want to call out my girl Mila? Well, I’m gonna call you out and ask you to come to the Marine Corps Ball with me on Nov. 12 in Washington DC. And if you can’t go, all I can say is, cry me a river. Hit me up.” He should indeed hit her up. Not only is she a lovely young lady, but she’s been trained to kill. And it’ll put him one up on his colleague Mila Kunis, who is now backing out of going to the ball with that other Marine. Due to a “scheduling conflict.” Mm-hmm.
6.) Today’s words of wisdom from Alec Baldwin’s Twitter feed — “I collect much of my Starbucks plastic and bring it to the town recycling center in East Hampton.”
VIDEO: Rick Santelli says, “Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on! Bring it on!”