VIDEO: Obama Repeatedly Takes Credit For Pulling All Troops Out Of Iraq. . . And yet now he says it “wasn’t his decision.”

Related: Politico: Barack Obama’s Mixed Messages. I think they’re a little bit worse than “mixed.”

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Beloit Goes Test-Optional in Admissions. You might think that this is just a way of covering up the fact that they can’t fill the seats without lowering standards to an embarrassing degree. I couldn’t possibly comment.

R.I.P. ROBIN WILLIAMS.

Here he is on Johnny Carson. And here he is again. Also, Carpe Diem.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Assaulter Vs. Assaulter: Legal Chaos Predicted Under ‘Affirmative Consent’ Bill.

UPDATE: From the comments: “They told me if I voted for Romney government bureaucrats would be trying to regulate private sexual encounters. And they were right!”

AT AMAZON, shop the 3D printing store. But something’s missing. Can you guess what?

Also, end-of-summer savings on Air Conditioners and Dehumidifiers. Plus, get ready for winter with pre-season deals on Space Heaters and Humidifiers.

ASHE SCHOW: Monday meme: Equality through injustice.

SCHOOLS FOR SCANDAL: The astounding waste, corruption, and self-dealing of university student governments.

Before I explain what happened during this spring’s campaign for student government at the University of Oregon, my alma mater, know that there are good reasons why you should care. The student government president who emerged from the tragicomic thunderdome I’m about to describe now presides over a $15 million budget that runs 413 pages, with almost zero professional oversight or legal accountability. That’s more than many municipal budgets in the United States. The UO is located in Eugene, which has a population of 157,000. The annual budget for the city’s Department of Public Works is around $6 million, and for fire and EMS services $25 million. If such financial stakes seem absurdly high for a student government, they’re not atypical for a major public university—and the cost of student government, like the cost of everything else in higher education, is exploding.

Indeed. Meanwhile, The College Fix notes the political big picture. “Millions of dollars of public money and mandatory student fees that’s essentially harnessed for radical liberalism and to benefit the Democratic party, its candidates and politicians. If the youth vote is critical to winning elections, then Democrats have a leg up and then some, bankrolled by the taxpayers, no less.”

ARE YOU ASHAMED TO EAT OUT ALONE? I’ve always kind of enjoyed it.

CHANGE: Second Life has devolved into a postapocalyptic virtual world. The weirdest thing is how many people still use it. “Also, there is hope for a resurgence as Linden Lab develops integration of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.”

HOW TO USE YOUR CAT to hack your neighbor’s wi-fi.

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED REPUBLICAN, WE’D BE TALKING REGIME CHANGE IN IRAQ. AND SURE ENOUGH . . . . Obama seeks Iraq regime change.

WAGE-FIXING: Big Silicon Valley Firms Aren’t Going To Get Off That Easily For Their Anti-Poaching Agreements. This is of a piece with their abuse of H1 visas.

AT AMAZON, up to 30% off on Crafting Supplies.

Also, up to 25% off Dimensions needlepoint, cross-stitch and paintworks products.

Plus, browse the Kindle Daily Deals.

BARACK OBAMA ON PRESIDENTIAL VACATIONS IN 2008: “You have to understand that if you seek that office, then you have to be prepared to give your life to it. Essentially, the bargain that I think every President strikes with the American people is, ‘you give me this office, then in turn my fears, doubts, insecurities, foibles, need for sleep, family life, vacations, leisure, is gone. I am giving myself to you.’”

Is there anything he said in that campaign that wasn’t a lie?

A SURPRISINGLY SYMPATHETIC PIECE IN MOTHER JONES: The Men’s Rights Movement and the Women Who Love It: Some of movement’s fiercest activists aren’t men. They’re fierce all right; the Insta-Wife is one of them.

IT’S COME TO THIS: The unstoppable march of the upward inflection?

PHIL HAMBURGER, author of Is Administrative Law Unlawful? has an article up at SSRN: Deference to Administrative Interpretation: The Unasked Questions. The more attention I pay, the less impressed with deference to administrative agencies I become. He also has a post on it here.

EXPERTS: Senate Has It Wrong On Campus Sexual Assaults.

Dozens of colleges and universities are reeling after having been cited by the Education Department for their apparently lax response to allegations of sexual assault. Meanwhile, Congress and the White House are on a moral crusade to eradicate the problem, making constant reference to a troubling statistic: that one in five women are victims of sexual assault during their college years.

What is disturbing about this figure is not just the alarming rate of occurrence, but also the widespread misunderstanding about its source and limitations. The estimated 19% sexual assault rate among college women is based on a survey at two large four-year universities, which might not accurately reflect our nation’s colleges overall.

In addition, the survey had a large non-response rate, with the clear possibility that those who had been victimized were more apt to have completed the questionnaire, resulting in an inflated prevalence figure.

Moreover, the definition of sexual assault used in this and other studies was too broad, including unwanted touching and sexual encounters while intoxicated. A small percentage actually rose to the level of forcible rape. By lumping uninvited advances and alcohol/drug-influenced encounters together with forcible rape, the problem can appear more severe than it really is, creating alarm when cool heads are required.

Which is, of course, the whole point. To be clear: These are not well-meaning activists pushing this stuff, but power-hungry empire builders. They are not good people.

CYBERWAR: Malware Traffic Spikes Preceded Russian and Israeli Conflicts: Government hackers apparently went to work as Israel and Russia ramped up military action this year.

VIDEO: Helicopter rescue of Yazidis on Mount Sinjar, Iraq.

BRIDGET JOHNSON INTERVIEWS THE PRESIDENT OF SOMALIA: In exclusive remarks, Mohamud stresses that North African terror groups are not just a regional threat: “They are linked, they live for each other, they support each other and they are connected globally.”

COMPUTER-GUIDED RIFLERY: GUN Linux: On the range with TrackingPoint’s new AR-15s.

PATRICK POOLE: Middle East Meltdown: Here’s What’s Happening.

HEALTH CARE “PRIVACY” LAWS ARE A SCAM, STOPPING INNOCENT THINGS LIKE THIS WHILE DOING NOTHING TO PROTECT YOUR ACTUAL PRIVACY: Baby Pictures at the Doctor’s? Cute, Sure, but Illegal. “For generations, obstetricians and midwives across America have proudly posted photographs of the babies they have delivered on their office walls. But this pre-digital form of social media is gradually going the way of cigars in the waiting room, because of the federal patient privacy law known as Hipaa.”

WHY SHOULD THEY BE DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF AMERICA? America’s Weather-Tracking Satellites Are in Trouble.