THERE’S THAT WORD AGAIN! Existing Home Sales Fall Unexpectedly in May.

SHOCKER: Poll: Most Say Obama Lacks Clear Plans on the Oil Spill, Energy or Jobs.

FLYING IN THE FACE of Zero Tolerance.

TAR. FEATHERS. Another Marylander Arrested For Recording The Police.

BYRON YORK: Amid crises, Obama declares war — on Arizona.

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: Obama’s Straws And Our Tired Back.

PELOSI EXCUSE FAILS:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., recently blamed Bush appointees who “burrowed in” at the Minerals Management Service for the regulatory failures that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. But as it turns out, not one of the officials responsible for overseeing the exploded rig was a Bush political appointee.

The Washington Examiner has obtained biographic information on the MMS officials responsible for overseeing BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig at the time it exploded, from the Gulf Region Director to the last inspector to set foot on the rig. Most of these federal employees started with the agency decades ago. Not one was a presidential appointment of George W. Bush, although one longtime MMS employee in question was promoted to his current position during the Bush Administration.

I blame Sarah Palin.

POLL SHOCKER: Whopping 31% of Americans still Not Angry yet at the nation’s news media. The key word is “yet.”

BATMAN: Under The Red Hood.

JERRY POURNELLE: “So the question becomes, is liberal socialist democracy evil or incompetent, or just plain wrong?” Compared to what?

FASTER, PLEASE: New Tools For Helping Heart Patients. “The hope is that the devices, now being tested in clinical trials, will save lives, reduce medical expenses and nudge heart patients toward managing their symptoms much the way people with diabetes manage theirs. Patients, who often are frail or live far from their doctors, can be spared frequent office visits. Doctors can learn immediately if devices are malfunctioning or if patients’ hearts are starting to fail.”

POLITICO: Climate Trial Balloon Proves Explosive.

ROGER SIMON: Does Barack Obama Want To Be President? “Ever since viewing his depressing and disconnected ‘energy’ speech last week, I have been mulling whether Barack Obama actually wants to be president anymore. That was an address given by a man who looked very much like he didn’t want to be there, didn’t want to continue. He appeared slumped and worn, as if he aged eighteen years in eighteen months. His demeanor was oddly distracted.”

ONE OF MANY: Obama’s Broken Inauguration Day Promise to Gulf Coast: ‘Never Again Such Failures.’

JULES CRITTENDEN: ADVANCED PETARD HOISTMANSHIP: “McChrystal’s in hot water for blowing up his boss, again, this time in a Rolling Stone interview, has been called back to explain. I don’t know why he and his advisors thought they could crack wise to a Rolling Stone reporter and not read about it later. But then again, I don’t know why he thought he could vote for Barack Obama and not find himself, as a battlefield commander, at odds with the ‘wimps in the White House.’ . . . Sure hope this distraction doesn’t compromise combat operations, get anyone killed for no reason, anything like that, over something stupid like egos and politics. Then again, they’re working with a three-quarters surge with a deadline …”

UPDATE: Okay, on a serious note, the punchy tone of the McChrystal quotes, coupled with Gen. Petraeus’ collapse in front of Congress last week, suggests that these guys are close to worn out. That’s not a good thing, and it’s an unfortunate contrast to our golf-and-politics-as-usual political class in DC.

WHAT PEOPLE PAY TONY PODESTA $1000 AN HOUR TO DO.

Tony Podesta is in the news because he lobbies for BP, public enemy No. 1 in President Obama’s Washington after a BP-rented oil rig blew up and started gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico 63 days ago.

Podesta and his wife Heather aren’t just any lobbyists. Tony’s brother John — who now heads the liberal think tank Center for American Progress — led Obama’s transition team and has been dubbed the “shadow president” because of his close ties to the White House. Tony and Heather Podesta each have visited the White House seven times, according to public visitor logs.

They told me if I voted for McCain, Washington would be run by insider fatcats and their corporate tools. And they were right!

RICHARD FERNANDEZ: The Unacknowledged Legislators.

CHANGE: “According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. shed 2.3 million jobs since February 2009, Obama’s first full month in office. Going back to World War II, that is by far the worst record for any president in his first 17 months, outpacing the job destruction experienced in the early Bush years by more than 800,000 jobs.”

THE HILL: White House dismisses critics, defends Obama’s golf outings.

Not playing that well.

I like the AFP headline: White House mocks BP CEO’s yacht race, defends Obama golf.

WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Brazil Backs Down On Iran: “Brazil’s defection from the ‘axis of fixers‘ leaves Turkey in an uncomfortable place.”

JOURNALISM: Mika Brzezinski: I’m working with the White House on oil spill talking points.

ABC NEWS: Peter Orszag to resign from OMB post.

KEITH HENNESSEY: Fact-Checking Rahm Emanuel On Cars. “Mr. Emanuel’s claim that the Bush Administration’“wrote a check without asking for any conditions of change’ is provably incorrect.”

SO HOW’S THAT CHICAGO GUN-CONTROL LAW WORKING OUT? 8 dead among 52 shot across city over weekend.

A ROUNDUP OF (MOSTLY) CHEAP NETBOOKS.