Today, Obama held a backyard discussion in Columbus, Ohio that focused on economic issues. Here’s what he had to say about Social Security:

So here’s the thing.  Social Security is not in crisis.  What is happening is, is that the population is getting older, which means we’ve got more retirees per worker than we used to.  We’re going to have to make some modest adjustments in order to strengthen it.  There are some fairly modest changes that could be made without resorting to any newfangled schemes that would continue Social Security for another 75 years, where everybody would get the benefits that they deserve.

And what we’ve done is we’ve created a fiscal commission of Democrats and Republicans to come up with what would be the best combination to help stabilize Social Security for not just this generation, but the next generation. I’m absolutely convinced it can be done.  And as I said, I want to encourage people to save more on their own, but I don’t want them taking money out of Social Security so that people are putting that into the stock market.  There are other ways of doing this.

Obama was also positive about the economic recovery, brushing aside concerns that we are heading into another collapse.

Is he being falsely optimistic? What’s on your mind tonight?

The last U.S. combat troops are pulling out of Iraq tonight. MSNBC is reporting live as the last Stryker Brigade is driving out of Iraq.

Rachel Maddow is live in Baghdad. There are 50,000 non-combat troops remaining, but the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom is ending at this hour.

More soon.

Read More at this link.

So, what are your thoughts? Sure we are not totally out of this war, but we are a hell of a lot closer by ending our combat mission there.

Is this the Democrats’ "August Surprise"? Is leaving now before the government has been formed the right thing?

Watching the coverage on MSNBC — State Department is calling this the end of the war. While there are still going to be the same number of troops that we have stationed in Germany as in Iraq, the White House and State Department are saying the war is over.

My wife just finished texting a friend whose husband is part of the 4th Stryker Brigade; she has not heard from him yet, so he must still be on the road.

That’s it at 350AM Kuwait time — the last "combat" soldier has left Iraq.

I thought I’d start this one off with a jaunty pun in the title. You’ve just gotta love rough-and-tough Sharron Angle… and by love I mean want to gouge your eyes out every time you hear her talk. Sharron Angle, America’s sweetheart? Not quite. Token GOP crazy-talker? You betcha’ !!!

The wonderful state of Nevada has been blasted into the spotlight with the contentious battle for the United States Senate, and Sharron Angle has certainly made herself pretty…well-known…over the past few months. She’s a human highlight reel of crazy and continues to put up big numbers on the right-wing nutjob board every day.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn’t have anything close to a cake walk when it comes to defeating Angle however. The race has been close and the lead dwindling, going back and forth for weeks now, and Reid is beginning to feel a bit less comfortable in his Senate seat now that his competition is beginning to sway the masses in her favor. Just like a Sarah Palin zombie-like following, Sharron Angle has managed to produce her fair-share of cult-like support going into the big push for November. If there are any Shawshank Redemption fans reading this, you’ll understand the meaning of the word "obtuse."

In spite of facing one of the most ill-informed and genuinely crazy candidates thus far in the campaign season, the race for Nevada’s Senate seat has become heated, with Harry Reid holding a very slim +2.5 margin over Angle today according to a RealClearPolitics poll.

As New York Magazine puts it (and with excellent wording) Angle plays the "Vagina Card" against Reid in order to court votes and chastise him.

“It is also the corruption in Washington, DC that is characterized by Harry Reid, lets-make-a-deal cronyism, politics as usual, and so we’re saying dirty tricks Harry is up to his dirty tricks one more time and he’s just trying to hit the girl,” Angle said on the Alan Stock Show.

Given her other crazy statements, most of which have little relevance to Nevada state politics (i.e. commenting on the mosque in NYC, coming out against fluoride, suggesting alcohol consumption be illegal, etc.), her positions on global warming and green house gases are no surprise. Angle, much like the rest of the "good ol’ boys" GOP brigade, takes the easy way out and claims these are another left-wing hoax.  . . .