From the Department of Things That Actually Happened: Rick Perry called on a mannequin with its hand raised to ask him a question. [Wonkette]

Did President Barack Obama give up on diplomacy too soon when it came to Iran? [The Economist]

Surely we’re not the only folks excited to see how many millions of dollars Newt Gingrich has wasted on jewels and shiz. [Politico]

Rick Perry says it’s just a kid mistake for Marines to urinate on Afghan corpses. Yep, just a kid mistake and not a nightmare for diplomacy. [CNN]

What does Ron Paul want out of this presidential race stunt thing he’s got going on? [The Hill]

You are super-excited that Kentucky’s public universities are bracing for cuts and performance-based funding. As Jim Ramsey rakes in millions and Shirley Q rakes in just as much. [Ryan Alessi]

A record 84 percent of Americans say they disapprove of the way the Congress is doing its job compared with just 13 percent who approve of how things are going, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. [Reuters]

Cutting-edge text analytics are helping the Obama campaign determine voters’ hopes and fears. [Slate]

Indiana issued the nation’s first LGBT license plate. Faux Family Foundation folks are freaking out. [The Bilerico Project]

On Thursday, Jamie Comer will attend a press conference to introduce industrial hemp legislation with Richard Henderson. On Friday night, he’ll eat porkchops in Bowling Green. [Press Release]

The weather was crazy today, it was 60 degrees and there were all kinds of tornaders. Just like Frankfort. [H-L]

People are still freaking out over First Lady Michelle Obama’s “angry black woman” remark because they’re afraid to deal with race. [The Hill]

President Barack Obama is getting ready to pitch to gay voters. Will they catch? [Politico]

Will Katie Stine run for Geoff Davis’ seat in the KY-04 Congressional district? That’d further divide the teabaggers and the Davis people with Massie and Webb-Edgington. [Deep KY-04 Thoughts]

A year ago we wrote about the Douglas Fir-lough Tree spotted around Frankfort. Hasn’t anyone seen it this year? [Page One Flashback]

Budget battles and a stagnant economy greet America’s soldiers as they return from Iraq and Afghanistan. [The Economist]

This happened a few days ago but it illustrates perfectly how teabaggers refuse to understand anything that’s common sense for most. [Politico]

Poverty of children demands attention. Unfortunately, neither Warshington nor Frankfort want to pay the matter any attention at all. [The Hill]

The government is running late with rules for disclosing drug company payments to doctors. So late, in fact, that they conveniently won’t even apply until well after the upcoming election. [Pro Publica]

Brazil’s forest policy could undermine its climate goals and the rest of the world has to pay the damn price. [WaPo]

Owsley Brown Frazier just threw a $25 million cash donation to the University of Louisville. It’ll be used to improve academic, research and athletic programs. [H-L]

We’d just like to remind you that Greg Fischer is allowing Bud Schardein, the guy responsible for the nightmare at Louisville’s Metro Sewer District, to remain on until “retirement.” Even after that scathing audit. All so he can get a sweet payday. [WFPL]

People still believe orange man John Boehner should be trusted with anything. That blows our minds. [Wonkette]

Michele Bachmann and her big ole gurl of a husband were confronted by gay rights supporters in Iowa. [HuffPo]

So here you go…

East Room

2:50 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, everybody. Please be seated. Thank you, Chaplain Kibben. Good afternoon, everyone. And on behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House.

It’s been said that “where there is a brave man, in the thickest of the fight, there is the post of honor.” Today, we pay tribute to an American who placed himself in the thick of the fight — again and again and again. In so doing, he has earned our nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor. And we are extraordinarily proud of Sergeant Dakota Meyer. (Applause.)

Today is only the third time during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that a recipient of the Medal of Honor has been able to accept it in person. And we are honored to be joined by one of the two other recipients — Sergeant First Class Leroy Petry, who is here.

I would point out something else — of all the Medal of Honor recipients in recent decades, Dakota is also one of the youngest. He’s 23 years old. And he performed the extraordinary actions for which he is being recognized today when he was just 21 years old.

Despite all this, I have to say Dakota is one of the most down-to-Earth guys that you will ever meet. In fact, when my staff first tried to arrange the phone call so I could tell him that I’d approved this medal, Dakota was at work, at his new civilian job, on a construction site. He felt he couldn’t take the call right then, because he said, “If I don’t work, I don’t get paid.” (Laughter.) So we arranged to make sure he got the call during his lunch break. (Laughter.) I told him the news, and then he went right back to work. (Laughter.) That’s the kind of guy he is. He also asked to have a beer with me, which we were able to execute yesterday.

Read the rest after the jump…

Dakota is the kind of guy who gets the job done. And I do appreciate, Dakota, you taking my call. (Laughter.) The Medal of Honor reflects the gratitude of the entire nation. So we’re joined here by members of Congress, including somebody from your home state, the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell. We are joined here by leaders from across my administration, including Secretary of Veterans Affairs Ric Shinseki and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and leaders from across our Armed Forces, including the Commandant of the Marine Corps General James Amos.

We’re honored to welcome Dakota’s father, Mike, who’s here; his extraordinary grandparents; and more than 120 of Dakota’s family and friends, many from his home state of Kentucky. I want to welcome Dakota’s comrades from the Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, and we are humbled by the presence of the members of the Medal of Honor Society.

Dakota, I realize the past two years have not been easy for you, retelling the story of that day and standing here today. You’re a very modest young man. But, as you’ve said, you do it for a simple reason — retelling the story — because it helps you to honor those who didn’t come home, and to remind your fellow Americans that our men and women in uniform are over there fighting every single day.

So that’s how we’ll do this today. It’s fitting that we do so this week, having just marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks that took our nation to war. Because in Sergeant Dakota Meyer, we see the best of a generation that has served with distinction through a decade of war.

Let me tell the story. I want you to imagine it’s September 8, 2009, just before dawn. A patrol of Afghan forces and their American trainers is on foot, making their way up a narrow valley, heading into a village to meet with elders. And suddenly, all over the village, the lights go out. And that’s when it happens. About a mile away, Dakota, who was then a corporal, and Staff Sergeant Juan Rodriguez-Chavez, could hear the ambush over the radio. It was as if the whole valley was exploding. Taliban fighters were unleashing a firestorm from the hills, from the stone houses, even from the local school.

And soon, the patrol was pinned down, taking ferocious fire from three sides. Men were being wounded and killed, and four Americans — Dakota’s friends — were surrounded. Four times, Dakota and Juan asked permission to go in; four times they were denied. It was, they were told, too dangerous. But one of the teachers in his high school once said, “When you tell Dakota he can’t do something, he’s is going to do it.” (Laughter.) And as Dakota said of his trapped teammates, “Those were my brothers, and I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”

The story of what Dakota did next will be told for generations. He told Juan they were going in. Juan jumped into a Humvee and took the wheel; Dakota climbed into the turret and manned the gun. They were defying orders, but they were doing what they thought was right. So they drove straight into a killing zone, Dakota’s upper body and head exposed to a blizzard of fire from AK-47s and machine guns, from mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.

Coming upon wounded Afghan soldiers, Dakota jumped out and loaded each of the wounded into the Humvee, each time exposing himself to all that enemy fire. They turned around and drove those wounded back to safety. Those who were there called it the most intense combat they’d ever seen. Dakota and Juan would have been forgiven for not going back in. But as Dakota says, you don’t leave anyone behind.

For a second time, they went back — back into the inferno; Juan at the wheel, swerving to avoid the explosions all around them; Dakota up in the turret — when one gun jammed, grabbing another, going through gun after gun. Again they came across wounded Afghans. Again Dakota jumped out, loaded them up and brought them back to safety.

For a third time, they went back — insurgents running right up to the Humvee, Dakota fighting them off. Up ahead, a group of Americans, some wounded, were desperately trying to escape the bullets raining down. Juan wedged the Humvee right into the line of fire, using the vehicle as a shield. With Dakota on the guns, they helped those Americans back to safety as well.

For a fourth time, they went back. Dakota was now wounded in the arm. Their vehicle was riddled with bullets and shrapnel. Dakota later confessed, “I didn’t think I was going to die. I knew I was.” But still they pushed on, finding the wounded, delivering them to safety.

And then, for a fifth time, they went back — into the fury of that village, under fire that seemed to come from every window, every doorway, every alley. And when they finally got to those trapped Americans, Dakota jumped out. And he ran toward them. Drawing all those enemy guns on himself. Bullets kicking up the dirt all around him. He kept going until he came upon those four Americans, laying where they fell, together as one team.

Dakota and the others who had joined him knelt down, picked up their comrades and — through all those bullets, all the smoke, all the chaos — carried them out, one by one. Because, as Dakota says, “That’s what you do for a brother.”

Dakota says he’ll accept this medal in their name. So today, we remember the husband who loved the outdoors –Lieutenant Michael Johnson. The husband and father they called “Gunny J” — Gunnery Sergeant Edwin Johnson. The determined Marine who fought to get on that team — Staff Sergeant Aaron Kenefick. The medic who gave his life tending to his teammates — Hospitalman Third Class James Layton. And a soldier wounded in that battle who never recovered — Sergeant First Class Kenneth Westbrook.

Dakota, I know that you’ve grappled with the grief of that day; that you’ve said your efforts were somehow a “failure” because your teammates didn’t come home. But as your Commander-in-Chief, and on behalf of everyone here today and all Americans, I want you to know it’s quite the opposite. You did your duty, above and beyond, and you kept the faith with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps that you love.

Because of your Honor, 36 men are alive today. Because of your Courage, four fallen American heroes came home, and — in the words of James Layton’s mom — they could lay their sons to rest with dignity. Because of your Commitment — in the thick of the fight, hour after hour — a former Marine who read about your story said that you showed how “in the most desperate, final hours…our brothers and God will not forsake us.” And because of your humble example, our kids — especially back in Columbia, Kentucky, in small towns all across America — they’ll know that no matter who you are or where you come from, you can do great things as a citizen and as a member of the American family.

Therein lies the greatest lesson of that day in the valley, and the truth that our men and women in uniform live out every day. “I was part of something bigger,” Dakota has said, part of a team “that worked together, lifting each other up and working toward a common goal. Every member of our team was as important as the other.” So in keeping with Dakota’s wishes for this day, I want to conclude by asking now-Gunnery Sergeant Rodriguez-Chavez and all those who served with Dakota — the Marines, Army, Navy — to stand and accept thanks of a grateful nation. (Applause.)

Every member of our team is as important as the other. That’s a lesson that we all have to remember — as citizens, and as a nation — as we meet the tests of our time, here at home and around the world.

To our Marines, to all our men and women in uniform, to our fellow Americans, let us always be faithful. And as we prepare for the reading of the citation, let me say, God bless you, Dakota. God bless our Marines and all who serve. And God bless the United States of America. Semper Fi. (Applause.)

MILITARY AIDE: The President of the United States, in the name of the Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Corporal Dakota L. Meyer, United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009.

Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point, while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and border police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, machine guns from four to five positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative.

With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner’s position in a gun truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle — some at near point-blank range — as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area.

During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable he directed the return to the rally point to switch to another gun truck for a third trip into the ambush area, where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush.

Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun truck, accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles, to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members.

Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Corporal Meyer’s daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the six-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy’s attack and inspired the members of the command force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades, in the face of almost certain death, reflect a great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.

(The Medal is presented.) (Applause.)

CHAPLAIN KIBBEN: Let us close in prayer: God, may this ceremony serve as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with receiving the grace gift of freedom. And as we depart this hallowed hall and return to our daily lives, we pray that you would ennoble and enable us, that when called up we would recall the resolute fearlessness of Sergeant Dakota Meyer and all those who wear the stars of valor, and live up to our responsibilities to bring honor to You and to this country.

It is in Your Holy name we pray. Amen.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for joining us here today. We are grateful for Dakota. We are grateful for all our men and women in uniform. And I hope that all of you have not only been inspired by this ceremony, but also will enjoy the hospitality of the White House. I hear the food is pretty good. (Laughter.)

Thank you very much, everybody. God bless you. (Applause.)

END — 3:06 P.M. EDT

Next Thursday at 2:30 P.M. President Barack Obama will award Kentuckian Dakota Meyer the Medal of Honor. Meyer was born in Columbia, KY and graduated from Green County High School. [Press Release]

The United States Postal Service is nearing default as losses are mounting. [NY Times]

Bill Johnson wants to know why the poors get to continue voting if they insist on being poor. [Wonkette]

Leave it to folks in Kentucky to allegedly commit Medicare fraud. Way to go. And where is Jack Conway on this? We thought he was the Medicare fraud fighter. [H-L]

August was a nerve-racking month for the world economy. September and October will be no better. [The Economist]

We still can’t stop laughing over Unka Dick Cheney asking why Sarah The Quitter Palin quit her job. [WaPo]

Here’s yet another story about the United States getting ready to sue banks over the subprime mortgage nightmare. Jack Conway is still out there saying we should let them all off with nothing but a slap on the wrist. [BBC]

We have absolutely no idea why anybody would trust a mouth-breathing Republican who foams at the mouth when facts, science and reality get tossed out the window. [NPR]

Barack Obama’s “smart power” plan risks a death of 1,000 cuts. [Reuters]

Hahaha, wait for it! The teabaggers are suddenly concerned that Sarah The Quitter Palin and others may be using them for personal gain. [The Hill]

The White House is apparently concocting some sort of deal to save the United States Postal Service. [Consumerist]

President Barack Obama has nominated Mark Brzezinsky to replace now-former Ambassador Matthew Barzun in Sweden. [Open Secrets]

And with the release of this new Flickr set from the governor’s office, you just know his latest trip is going to turn into a campaign commercial.

Here are a couple of our favorite images:

Any bets on how long he’ll try milking his federally-funded trip to the Middle East for political purposes?

The National Rifle Association is suing the Obama Administration over gun control rules. Because everybody needs to be able to make multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles without reporting them. Mouth-breathers? [HuffPo]

Yes, careless talk can cost lives. If denunciation of Islam is now acceptable, it is more important than ever to distinguish between robust debate and incitement to violence. [The Economist]

Mitch McConnell is helping Rand Paul raise money for RANDPAC. Apparently that is a thing. [CN|2]

This could quite possibly be the grossest thing ever. Rick Santorum is offering free jelly. [Wonkette]

What happens when a newspaper isn’t working to get its governor re-elected? It publishes a story about a trip to Afghanistan that isn’t political fluff. This would never happen in Kentucky. [Times Union]

Mitch McConnell loves bragging about “ransoming” President Barack Obama and ruining the country’s economy. [Gawker]

Here’s yet another look at those Steve Nunn files released in Lexington. Many of his thoughts get revealed. [C-J/AKN]

Kentucky State University is being honored by the Princeton Review, being named one of the best colleges in the southeast. [H-L]

The debt ceiling deal does little for global economic ills. [NPR]

Nearly half of Americans say the debt deal makes this country’s economy worse. [HuffPo]

The teabaggers (not tea partiers) are waging war on America and you should not bother negotiating with them. [NY Times]

Service sector growth in the United States was at its slowest in July since February 2010. [Reuters]

Lexington finally released portions of Steve Nunn’s investigative file. [H-L]

Steve Beshear DEFINITELY knew about the whistleblower situation – his communications staff tell me reporters brought it up a week or so before he departed the United States. And Frankfort has been buzzing about it since at least November or December. [WFPL]

Under the radar? Indian firms are going woah global and Kentucky is already getting a taste of it. [The Economist]

Even the National Journal thinks Steve Beshear will win re-election no matter what kind of scandals roll out of his administration. But they recognize, on paper, that Beshear sucks. [National Journal]

Terry Holliday, who apparently has zero clout with anyone in Kentucky’s educational system, says school districts need to get their administrative spending under control. [Ryan Alessi]

But districts like Covington are so outta whack they’re throwing $10,000 raises at already over-paid administrators while everything else goes down the pooper. [Facebook]

Looks like the business community just doesn’t trust what Hal Rogers has to say when it comes to this country’s patent system. [The Hill]

Planned layoffs at U.S. firms surged to a sixteen-month high in July. So we’re all gonna die of the poverty really soon. [HuffPo]

Today Steve Beshear went to Afghanistan: “It is an honor to visit with our servicemen and women serving in Afghanistan,” said Gov. Beshear. “Their work and sacrifice on behalf of our country is extraordinary. I was very proud to meet with them personally and tell them that we continually pray for them and for their families.” [Press Release]

Of course Mitch McConnell is wrong about the will of the people. He’s always wrong about things like that. [WaPo]

Styrofoam and light bulb wars continue to heat up in the U.S. House because mouth-breathers are just too stupid for common sense. [Politico]

Hauling tons of nuclear waste from Germany and dumping it in Tennessee to be burned sounds like a splendid idea. [NPR]

The United States wastes $34 billion in Afghanistan and Iraq on contracting. Can you imagine the amount of good this country could do with that kind of cash? [Reuters]

Wall Street is giving big to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign despite tensions. [WaPo]

American homebuilders have endured a horrible five years. Will they survive this slump? [The Economist]

What’s the deal with News Corp’s other U.S.-based hacking scandal? [Pro Publica]

Unions are pressing Democrats to stand firm on the Social Security and Medicare front. [The Hill]

In need of some statistical and informational nerdiness? Go search 2010 census housing information for all 120 Kentucky counties. [H-L]

Wall Street Futures and the U.S. Dollar were dropping with no debt deal in place. [HuffPo]

What happens when a white Norwegian man shoots/bombs a bunch of people in Oslo? The mouth-breathing wingnuts freak out and start screaming about Nobama and the Muslins. [Wonkette]

Yet another Clay County official used and sold drugs. But wait for it – this constable was/is a convicted felon. [H-L]

Finally, Kentucky isn’t the absolute worst at something! [WSJ]

Walter Reed Military Hospital is closing its doors after more than a century of operation. [NPR]

Credit Suisse is unlikely to get any more help over the latest U.S. tax probe. Maybe uber-wealthy tax dodgers are finally going to have to take the same responsibility the rest of America takes. [Reuters]

Sarah Palin’s movie is suffering from a serious case of the quits – just like her. [Wonkette]

You’ll get a kick out of this footage of Al Franken taking a homophobe to task for not reading his own submitted evidence. [Wonkette]

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $50 million to the Sierra Club to fight coal-fired power plants. [WaPo]

The Republican Party of Kentucky ignorantly tried to tie Jerry Abramson to Michael Bloomberg’s $50 million contribution to the Sierra Club to fight coal-fired power plants. If the RPK doesn’t want to come across as dumber than Jim Gooch, it’d be wise for them to get a flipping grip. There are THOUSANDS of things to hit Abramson with. This latest is just a stupid, stupid stunt on the RPK’s part and ruins any chance the Party had of being taken seriously on the Abramson front. [Press Release]

With Gateweed Galbraith in the gubernatorial race, what’s in store for Steve Beshear and David Williams? [H-L]

It’s funny watching Dave Catanese take his talking points from the Democratic Governors Association when it comes to David Williams and Steve Beshear. Especially when he comes off sounding like he’s more disconnected than Mitch McConnell is from his constituency. [Politico]

Organic foods have broad appeal but their costs are tempering demand. [NPR]

Lung problems are being discovered left and right in Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. But this country is focused on making certain those folks lose their health care. Yet another reason we should care for our military veterans for life. [Reuters]

The McConnell-Reid debt deal is close to dead. No one is shocked that Mitch McConnell has killed something else. [HuffPo]

David Williams says there are enough votes in the State Senate to pass the expansion of gambling. So Steve Beshear can’t continue to obfuscate and make excuses. [Ronnie Ellis]

This is the craziest shiz we’ve ever read in a Louisville-area newspaper. Bike gangs, pipe bombs and wow. This is from the paper that reported closure of a neighborhood “lake” all nonchalantly like, “Crystal Lake Temporarily Closed.” The juice was relegated to the subhead – the closure was due to a piranha outbreak. [Oldham Era]

It’s crazy that the University of Louisville will be repaying $5.4 million back to Passport. $5.4 million that the UofL physicians are responsible for. Bogus. [C-J/AKN]

The Pentagon says it will finally certify an end to a ban on gays in the military. One of Bill Clinton’s dumbest moves is finally disappearing. [NPR]