Dan Calabrese

Obama: OK, fine, the 'optics' of playing golf after the Foley beheading weren't great

Quick FYI from Stephen Hawking: 'God particle' could destroy the universe

And you thought losing to Buffalo in overtime was a bummer. Stephen Hawking can always take the ruination of your day to new depths.

Hey, sorry! Government accidentally withholds $2.4 million from payments to veterans

As government administrative screwups go, this is far from the most egregious, and it looks like they're already close to resolving it. And of course, given the recent history of the VA, this doesn't even come close to the bottom of their own list. But it still seems like the sort of thing that any small business of middling competence would easily avoid simply by using fairly basic quality controls.

Obama approval rating sinks to 38 percent

The trend line suggests it will go even lower, possibly as soon as today, since the 38 percent represents a rolling three-day average. But it seems a good a point as any at which to stop and stare at the wreck. Gallup illustrates the change in Obama's approval since the day he took office, and while it didn't take look for him to sink from the mid-60s height of the early days, he's entering somewhat new territory in the 30s:

Kerry: We're big Bible readers at the State Dept., Tells us to protect Muslims from global warming

I'm in favor of everyone reading the Bible, but sometimes I think Democrats ought be supervised when they read it - especially the ones who dive in not to search for God's truth, but rather to find words they can twist to justify their left-wing agendas.

BREAKING: D.C. Circuit to re-hear case that threw out ObamaCare subsidies

No details yet, but Zoe Tillman of the National Law Journal has tweeted that the U.S. Circuit Court for the D.C. Circuit will rehear that Halbig case in which the original ruling of a three-judge panel threw out ObamaCare subsidies in states that do not have their own state-run exchanges.

Russians: How are we supposed to end this crisis if Ukraine joins NATO?

You almost have to admire Vladimir Putin's nerve, but you shouldn't because that's when you start losing sight of the mayhem he's perpetrating. Putin knows how to parse language: To "end a crisis" in his vernacular means to make sure Russia gets everything it wants and the rest of the world backs off and accepts it.

Obama: That's it, we're going to 'degrade and destroy' ISIS

The words sound right:

ISIS 'apologizes': Hey, sorry, we released that beheading video a little early

Apparently even murderous terrorist outfits recognize the importance of news embargoes, and they feel just terrible that they let the world see them slicing off Steven Sotloff's head before the agreed-upon release time.

ABC asks Phil Robertson if he's a 'homophobe,' gets greatest answer of all time

Via NewsBusters, this was not even supposed to be an interview about Phil Robertson's faith or his social views. But reporter Ryan Owens can't help himself, so Robertson is once again confronted with the dopey media inquisition that demands he answer for being a "homophobe." Robertson gives the perfect answer:

ISIS releases new video that apparently shows beheading of Steven Sotloff

How many journalists have to die before the media demands that Obama come up with a strategy, since hundreds of Christians weren't enough to get their attention?

I got stuck on a Detroit overpass yesterday, because of Joe Biden

So my family and I are driving through downtown Detroit yesterday, when suddenly we find out that all traffic is being stopped as it approaches an overpass traversing I-94. What's up? We're not sure but a Detroit cop is giving the signal that no one can pass.

Russia now marching full-bore into Ukraine

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is full-speed ahead these days, as Vladimir Putin seeks to establish a "land bridge" between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula that will eliminate the need to supply Russians in Crimea by air. But don't worry! The New York Times reassures us that Barack Obama is downplaying the whole thing and is on top of the crucial task of managing our expectations that he will do a damn thing about it.

Obama: 'We don't have a strategy yet' for defeating ISIS

Why would you get all hot and bothered to develop a strategy for defeating the JV team? Come on, y'all. It's annoying to the president when "folks are getting a little further ahead of what we're at than we currently are"

VIDEO: Little boy not too excited about mom having new baby

Hey, you can see his point. He's apparently the oldest and he's clearly already had to give up some of the attention to the little sister sitting to his left. Now . . . another baby? What did you expect, Mom? A medal?

Which senator told Kirsten Gillibrand: 'Don't lose too much weight now; I like my girls chubby'?

I have to admit I feel a tinge of skepticism about the whole story, but only a tinge. Kirsten Gillibrand has never struck me as the type of politician who would make up complete crap just so she could paint herself as a victim, and the way she's telling the story seems to imply that these idiotic comments came mainly from other Democrats - older, um, "gentlemen" who are a little too used to doing things the Old Boys' way.

VIDEO: Veteran group not too impressed as Obama lectures them about cynicism

Via the Weekly Standard, I'm guessing one of Obama's least favorite things about being president is that he has to make speeches to groups like this. When you're the commander in chief, you can't exclusively set yourself in front of hand-picked throngs of adoring left-wingers and Democratic Party operatives (although you can certainly try). Sometimes veterans' groups demand an audience with the president, although in this case they don't appear too thrilled to have gotten it:

Foley rescue plan was ready, but Obama delayed authorization for 30 days

I don't think it would be fair to say that James Foley's death is on Obama for this. Foley's death is on ISIS, period.

U.S. OKs surveillance flights over Syria in advance of possible airstrikes

It's actually the right move, albeit way too late. And of course, knowing Obama, you can probably count on the likelihood that he won't go all out against ISIS out of concern for some peripheral issue like not wanting to help Bashar Assad in any way. In fact, Assad wants the U.S. to coordinate with him in launching the attacks, lest we be guilty of violating Syria's sovereign territory and he has to explain it.

Let me tell you about my hero, the man who beat ALS

A lot of people were surprised when this Ice Bucket Challenge thing started because I wasn’t really that jazzed about doing it – and it’s not because I care about the ice water.