In the glossy pages of The New Yorker, in graceful prose and with good reporting, the dreams and nightmares of the admirers of Barack Obama and his policies lie exposed.

WASHINGTON -- The Stolen Valor Act of 2005, a compound of political pandering and moral exhibitionism, was whooped through the Senate, aka the "world's greatest deliberative body," by unanimous consent; the House, joining the stampede, passed it by a voice vote. So Xavier Alvarez now hopes the Supreme Court will save him from punishment for lying.

On Election Day, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association. The irony of this case name was obvious: The celebrated violent-action-hero governor of California had signed a bill into law in 2005 forbidding the sale of ultraviolent video games to minors, a law that lower federal courts prevented from ever going into effect.

Republican candidates for statewide office pledged during the weekend to continue defending the Second Amendment -- and took aim at Democrats who, they said, are working to undermine the right to bear arms.

The Senate turned out the lights in its chamber last Thursday, having confirmed the newest Supreme Court justice, passing a jobs-stimulus bill for states to hire teachers and other emergency personnel, and a funding bill to pay for border security.

On a 63-37 vote, the U.S. Senate Thursday confirmed the appointment of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court of the United States -- with Florida's delegation surprising no one when the vote was taken.

Just before the House adjourned for its summer recess, members tried to pass a bill that would repeal the 1099 requirement that has been the buzz of many talk-show hosts over the past month or so. What it involves is this.