Poor Representative Mike Castle! All he wanted was to hold a simple Town Hall and instead he gets some loon shouting about birth certificates, and the audience goes wild. They do not like it so much when he suggests that our president is an American citizen. “The Republican Party has a HUGE problem with its base right now,” declares First Read, diplomatically. [YouTube, First Read]

• Reliable Source: Bob Novak receives scolding after a fight with a fellow first class passenger: “Some guy pushed me and I pushed him back.”. . . Signatures restaurant shuts its doors. . . Tom Friedman wins the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award with a cash prize of $52,000. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Rep. Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) are growing beards for hunting season. . . Budget bill passes because of impromptu BBQ between Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) to Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.), two key lawmakers. . . Sens. McCain and Lott attend University of Mississippi football game together. [The Hill]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Lloyd Grove’s autographed copy of Lewis Libby’s novel auctions for $90. [NYDN]
• Rush & Molloy: John Kerry attends NASCAR race in Miami. [NYDN]
• Page Six: Jenna Bush spotted at Fat Baby store in New York looking “absolutely lovely.” [NYP]