Dressage is the message
Rarely has an Olympic dressage horse received as much attention as the 15-year-old bay Rafalca.
That's because the German-bred mare is part-owned by Ann Romney, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Rafalca's rider, Jan Ebeling, said he welcomed the attention because it lets him show that dressage isn't about millionaires, it's about hard work.
"I think the biggest misconception is always that people think that you just sit on a horse and they just kind of trot around in circles," Ebeling said. "That really is not the case."
Mitt Romney isn't really sure how many horses he owns, but he denies ever putting one on top of his car.
Do-nothing Congress finally does something
Westboro Baptist Church protesters will soon be severely limited in their ability to disrupt military funerals after Congress passed a sweeping veterans bill last week that includes restrictions on such demonstrations.
According to the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 -- now headed to President Barack Obama's desk -- demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service.
The bill also requires protesters to be at least 300 feet away from grieving family members.
Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine added that at the urging of a teenage constituent who proposed new limitations on military funeral demonstrations in response to a 2011 Supreme Court case that ruled such actions were protected under the First Amendment.
The Buzz loves the First Amendment, so don't abuse it.
Tired of the Olympics?
Nothing more exciting than a political convention where the outcome is already known -- kind of like NBC's Olympics coverage.
Nevertheless, Democrats have announced that first lady Michelle Obama and San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro (the keynote speaker) will headline the first night of the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 4.
Castro, 37, is the first Latino ever to be chosen for the prestigious slot and is being touted by some as the next Obama.
Here's the rest of the lineup:
Sept. 5: Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Warren.
Sept. 6: Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Sept. 7: TGIF and beer.
Speaking of beer...
Vice presidential prospect Tim Pawlenty won't talk about the vice presidential vetting process, but he will tell you about his favorite beers.
"I don't know about you, but I enjoy a cold beer once in a while," he said at Dublin Pub in Dayton, Ohio.
Imagining the unsatisfying scenario of being served a foamy pint, Pawlenty then delivered the punch line: "Barack Obama is all foam and no beer. And you can't live on the foam. His speeches are his foam."
That's an analogy that Pawlenty says "most Americans can relate to."
His personal favorites (beer, not analogies): Minnesota-brewed Grain Belt Nordeast and Summit Extra Pale Ale.
The Buzz's favorites: Fat Tire and Dale's Pale Ale.
