U.S. Open to Deal on Health Plan  —  WASHINGTON — The White House signaled a willingness Monday to compromise on details of a public plan to compete with private insurance companies as negotiators sought ways to advance health-care legislation.  —  A senior administration official …

The Establishment's Palin Panic  —  I like Sarah Palin (though I don't know her well).  I respect her (though I'm aware of some of her limitations).  I wish her well (though I'm not convinced she should be the 2012 Republican presidential nominee).  —  I am convinced, though …

Michael Jackson Fans Raise Money To Defeat Peter King  —  There is, it turns out, a political price to pay when you make bold statements calling out Michael Jackson for some of the nefarious moments of his personal history.  —  Fans of Jackson are mobilizing to raise money for an opponent …

Having It Both Ways  —  This Radley Balko's post is being used to defend Ross:  —  It is possible that Sarah Palin was both unfairly mistreated and personally attacked by the media and many on the left, and that her family was rather ruthlessly and mercilessly run through the [ringer] …

New climate strategy: track the world's wealthiest  —  Source: Reuters  —  * World's richest emit about half of Earth's carbon  —  * Tracking the wealthy could break climate impasse  —  * New method would follow individual greenhouse emissions  —  To fairly divide the climate change …

South Carolina GOP votes to censure Sanford  —  COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) — After nearly four hours of deliberation and multiple rounds of balloting, the South Carolina Republican Party voted Monday night to censure Mark Sanford for traveling overseas to visit his mistress — but stopped short of calling on the governor to resign.

Joe The Plumber Says Immigrants Should Get ‘The Hell Out Of Our Damn Country’  —  While protesting government spending at Houston's Independence Day Tea Party, Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher stated that American taxpayer dollars would be best spent on the mass deportation of 12 million undocumented immigrants:

Did the Toppling of Saddam Hussein Lead to Recent Events in Iran?  —  Given the connections between Iraq and Iran, it's not as unlikely as it sounds.  —  The most exciting and underreported news of the past few weeks in Iran has been that the emerging challenger to the increasingly frantic and isolated …

Palin Hit With Another Ethics Complaint  —  In the wake of Governor Palin stepping down from her job, new allegations have surfaced today in Alaska charging Palin with additional violations of the Alaska Executive Ethics Act.  —  Zane Henning — a conservative government watchdog …

Iran clerics declare election invalid and condemn crackdown  —  Iran's biggest group of clerics has declared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election to be illegitimate and condemned the subsequent crackdown.  —  The statement by the Association of Researchers and Teachers of Qom is an act …

New GOP “Racist” Headache  —  Blogs and Stories  —  After “Barack the Magic Negro” and other GOP racial gaffes, a top Young Republican official—who hopes to be elected chairman Saturday—laughs at a racial slur about President Obama.  The Daily Beast's John Avlon on a choice facing GOP brass …

More female veterans are winding up homeless  —  VA resources strained; many are single parents  —  Angela Peacock spent years with no home after serving in Iraq.  —  WASHINGTON - The number of female service members who have become homeless after leaving the military has jumped dramatically …

US lurching towards ‘debt explosion’ with longterm interest rates on course to double  —  The US economy is lurching towards crisis with long-term interest rates on course to double, crippling the country's ability to pay its debts and potentially plunging it into another recession, according to a study by the US's own central bank

Democrats Admit That Their Cap and Trade Bill Is a Job Killer  —  By Peter Roff, Thomas Jefferson Street blog  —  In her remarks bringing the debate over the climate bill to a close, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California urged her colleagues to vote in favor of the cap and trade bill …

37,000 at Dallas Tea Party — and next steps  —  I returned from the Dallas Tea Party this weekend inspired and motivated by the massive turnout of citizen activists.  The official county estimate of the day-long event's crowd: 37,000!  —  The Tea Party organizers aren't surprised by the MSM games of lowballing numbers.

‘Obama Is Like a Chess Player’  —  Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, 86, discusses the painful lessons of the Treaty of Versailles, idealism in politics and Obama's opportunity to forge a peaceful American foreign policy.  —  SPIEGEL: Dr. Kissinger, 90 years ago …

The Atlantic And Salon Dinners: Thoughts From The Boss  —  The first reaction of every journalist to the story of the Washington Post's advertiser-cum-salon dinner proposal was probably one of disgust and moral superiority.  The second reaction: we've all kinda been involved in situations …

We The Common Trash  —  Michael Shaw, publisher of the visual politics blog, BAGnewsNotes, posted an article at The Huffington Post entitled, “Reading The Pictures: Palin Proud To Be Trash”.  —  Mr. Shaw's bio indicates he is a clinical psychologist—an analyst of visual journalism—an interpreter of political images.

Anti-gay rights Reps use Elton John to raise cash  —  At least two members of the House of Representatives-both of whom are on record opposing gay rights-will be hosting fundraisers at the upcoming Billy Joel/Elton John “Face2Face” concert at Nationals Park on July 11.

Little Information Given About Solo Law Practice Run by Sotomayor in '80s  —  Since Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for a seat on the United States Supreme Court, her career and accomplishments have come to light in public and voluminous fashion.  —  Her Senate questionnaire lists dozens …

Iraqi Commentators: Saudi Arabia Is Behind Terror in Iraq - And Will Never Accept Shi'ite Rule There  —  Currently, Iraqi-Saudi relations are at a nadir.  While Iraq has time and again officially reiterated its desire to strengthen relations and resolve disagreements with Saudi Arabia …

New National Review Cover Features Dr. Obama — Putting On A Glove...  Check out this new cover from National Review:  —  This is as strong an argument as any other that's been made against the public option: That Obama will be personally telling you to turn your head and cough, then sticking his finger where the sun don't shine.

California: Teetering closer to junk  —  Fitch Ratings downgrades the state's bond rating to BBB, just above junk status.  Budget impasse continues to rile the state's financial standing.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — California's bond rating is far from golden.

Guilty by a 10-2 Vote: Efficient or Unconstitutional?  —  “Twelve Angry Men” might have been a much shorter movie had it been set in Oregon.  Instead of letting Juror No. 8, the lone holdout played by Henry Fonda, methodically convince his fellow jurors that there was good reason to doubt …