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 …

Sanford survives: Gov. rides out storm  —  The South Carolina Republican Party voted to censure Gov. Mark Sanford Monday—rather than call for his resignation—an outcome that makes it likely the GOP governor will be able to weather the storm surrounding his extramarital affair and remain in office.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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:

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 …

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.

House to DHS: We'll tell you what to do  —  Try as it might, the Department of Homeland Security can't get no respect on the floor of the House.  In the parlance of Vietnam, it's a “kill zone” for management.  —  Impatient with the agency's decision process, lawmakers have grabbed power …

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 …

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 …

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

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.

College Football Goes Down the Hatch  —  You can't blame Nancy Pelosi for this one.  —  Today the Senate antitrust subcommittee will hold hearings on perhaps the only American institution less popular than Congress itself: the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

‘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 …

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.

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 …

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 …