On the State of the Republican Party:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities." — Gov. Sarah Palin at the 2008 Republican National Convention, as quoted by Frank Rich in today's New York Times, analyzing the state of the Republican Party now that the Alaskan governor has quit her job in order to go fishing with her husband and to devote more time to cash in on her media popularity.

Super Secret CIA Program Might Be Revealed:

Paul Kane and Joby Warrick report in today's Washington Post on the Dick Cheney inspired super secret CIA program put into place but never completely administered in the days following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. CIA Director Leon Panetta apparently canceled the program shortly after taking office this year. According to Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, "There was an order given to not inform Congress" about any aspect of the program or even of its existance. Presumably, that order came from Tricky Dick Cheney.