[President Barack Obama looks for his ball in the woods today at the Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. Image via Getty]

Barack Obama is on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, with his family, his dog, and the traveling press corps. This is terrible news for that island's struggling community.

• Lindsay Lohan's troubles continue: Last week, the cell phone she left behind at a bodega in NYC prompted her to call the cops; now the police in LA are investigating a break-in at her Hollywood Hills home, which her family now says may have been an inside job. [People, TMZ, NYP]
• David Blaine's magic skills have turned a bit rusty. Although he was told not to go swimming in the ocean on account of Hurricane Bill, he jumped in the water at Necox Beach in Watermill anyway. And instead of magically transporting himself to safety, a couple of lifeguards had to go and rescue him and a few of his friends. [NYP]
• Ryan Jenkins, the reality show contestant wanted for murdering (and dismembering) his ex-wife, Playboy model Jasmine Fiore, was found dead of an apparent suicide yesterday. [AP, TMZ]

Recent reports about "mock executions" and other incendiary interrogation tactics have given the CIA a bad, bad name. Thus, President Obama and his White House are taking things into their own hands. But what does that mean?

President Barack Obama recorded a celebratory message to Muslims all over for the beginning of Ramadan, the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the prophet Mohammad. There are people who will find this terrifyingly worrisome.

President Obama used his weekly YouTube address to talk about the debate on health care, naturally. This time, however, he set out to take down some of the more ridiculous things circulated by opponents of reform, calling them "outrageous myths."

Walrus-creature and war-monger John Bolton used to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Guess what the new folks found when they moved into his old office? A dank and moist dungeon, that's what.

It's August 20th: our RSS feeds have slowed to a crawl and everyone else is at the beach. But the political-media outrage machine carries on. ABC's Jake Tapper, MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan, Touré and Malcom X all need a vacation.

Last time we checked in with brilliant political thinker and former assistant US Attorney Andy McCarthy, he was writing Obama/Ahmadinejad slashfic. Today he is writing about fashion!

When a video of Barney Frank rhetorically picking apart a woman who accused him of being a Nazi gets traction, what do the bunch at Fox & Friends do? They recut the tape so he's attacking the poor lass.

When there aren't elections going on, the only thing pollsters can poll is "how fucking nuts is everyone, anyway?" Hey, look, a new Birthers poll!

We are pretty sure the Washington Post is just trolling us, with this Michael Shear and Ceci Connolly story on how shocked the White House is that the liberals are pissed at them for fucking up health care.

Unalloyed xenophobic rage presents a challenge similar to one posed by habitual lying—just as it's hard to keep up with one's own falsehoods, it's difficult to remember whether shouting "Heil Hitler!" at a Jew is good or bad.

Barack Obama backing off (or maybe not?) the public option is either the death of health care reform or yet another of this month's distractions from what is actually still a very viable bill. We lay out both cases, below.

You know those posters of Obama looking like the Joker from Batman with the word "socialism" underneath? The creator of that creepy image has emerged, and it's not some "real" American from a red state. Far from it.

Another proud American has shown up at Barack Obama town hall openly carrying a gun. This time it's in Arizona, and he's carrying an assault rifle and a pistol, which is fucking legal!?!?!

Everyone sold off their stock this morning. Everyone, that is, except for people who own shares in health insurers. They're thrilled that Obama's health care plan is being watered down so that it won't include government-run health plans.

The White House is changing its procedures for sending out mass e-mails after hundreds of outraged conservatives received David Axelrod's healthcare reform pitch last week, Politico reports.

Today, in the New York Times awesome profile on Rahm Emanuel, some great stories. Chief among them: Rahm not getting invited to Camp David, Rahm nixing Sidney Blumenthal's role in Hilary Clinton's office, and Rahm the "pile driver." But why?

Yesterday, David Axelrod sent out a long and boring "viral" email about health care to the White House's email list. Or did he? We're getting a lot of tipsters saying they got it but never signed up for Obama emails.