A Farewell to Harms  —  Palin was bad for the Republicans—and the republic.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Sarah Palin's resignation gives Republicans a new opportunity to see her plain—to review the bidding, see her strengths, acknowledge her limits, and let go of her drama.

GOP support for Ensign dwindles as new details of affair emerge  —  Sen. John Ensign appeared to be losing support among his Republican base Thursday as the lawmaker disclosed that his parents, who made millions in the casino industry, paid the family of his affair partner $96,000 around …

Conservative Democrats break ranks on health care  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Friday acknowledged the tough going for his health care overhaul in Congress but rejected the notion the legislation is doomed if lawmakers fail to act by August.  “I never believe anything is do or die,” Obama said.

White House Kept Justice Lawyers in Dark on Warrantless Wiretapping  —  The Bush White House so strictly controlled access to its warrantless eavesdropping program that only three Justice Department lawyers were aware of the plan, which nearly ignited mass resignations and a constitutional crisis …

The Stimulus Trap  —  As soon as the Obama administration-in-waiting announced its stimulus plan — this was before Inauguration Day — some of us worried that the plan would prove inadequate.  And we also worried that it might be hard, as a political matter, to come back for another round.

CNN Poll: Do Americans want Sotomayor confirmed?  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Just three days before the start of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, a new national poll indicates that by a narrow margin, Americans would like the Senate to confirm her as the next Supreme Court justice.

Kirk Opts Out of Senate Race  —  Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk (R) will not run for the open seat of Sen. Roland Burris (D) in 2010, a stunning reversal from just 48 hours ago when Kirk signaled to National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) that he would make the race.

“Pals Around With Terrorists”: Palin Wasn't That Rogue, After All  —  In the mail this morning was an advanced copy of Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson's extremely well-reported history of the 2008 presidential campaign: The Battle for America is what the two veteran Posties have called it.

Specter: Sestak a ‘flagrant hypocrite’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter called his fellow Democrat, Rep. Joe Sestak, a “flagrant hypocrite” and accused his rival of registering as a Democrat “just in time to run for Congress.”  —  Sestak has said that he will challenge Specter …

House overwhelmingly rejects signing statement  —  The House rebuked President Obama for trying to ignore restrictions to international aid payments, voting overwhelmingly for an amendment forcing the administration to abide by its constraints.  —  House members approved an amendment …

When Will The Recovery Begin?  Never.  —  The so-called “green shoots” of recovery are turning brown in the scorching summer sun.  In fact, the whole debate about when and how a recovery will begin is wrongly framed.  On one side are the V-shapers who look back at prior recessions and conclude …

2 world leaders demonstrate the 2 ways of conspicuously gawking at a woman's ass.  —  I see a distinct difference between these 2 stances.  Yes, there are similarities.  Both are blatant and hilarious.  But the Sarkozy ass-gawking stance says: I admire but I must not act.

“Busted?”  Fox News still running with Obama G8 photo story day after Van Susteren debunked it  —  SUMMARY: A day after Fox News host Greta Van Susteren debunked the “lying picture that's going around the Web” of President Obama purportedly “checking out” a young woman at a G8 photo shoot …

With Sale of Good Assets, G.M. Out of Bankruptcy  —  General Motors completed a major step in its turnaround on Friday and closed the sale of its good assets to a new, government-backed carmaker, at a speed unimagined by auto and bankruptcy experts even six months ago.

Reporter: ‘We Took Sides, Straight and Simple’ Against Palin  —  On AOL Politics Daily, long-time White House reporter Carl Cannon bluntly declared that the political press gave Sarah Palin a raw deal in the 2008 campaign, and seriously failed to scrutinize Joe Biden, especially his fact-mangling …

Watchdog group: Dozens of active-duty troops found on neo-Nazi site  —  WASHINGTON — It is the Facebook for the fascist set, and the typical online profiles of its members reveal expected tastes.  —  Favorite book: “Mein Kampf”  —  Favorite movie: the Nazi propaganda film “Triumph of the Will”

Whip Inflation Now  —  Over the past few decades, health care inflation has exceeded the general rise in prices by about 2.5 percent a year.  These inexorably rising costs are bankrupting the nation, walloping businesses and squeezing middle-class salaries.  —  Fortunately, the country now has an excellent opportunity to change that.

Burris confirms he won't run for U.S. Senate next year  —  Embattled appointed U.S. Sen. Roland Burris made it official today—he won't seek election next year to a full six-year term.  —  The 71-year-old Burris, a former state comptroller and attorney general, announced his political intentions at a South Side hotel.

Exclusive: Emmett Till's casket left to waste at Burr Oak  —  Cemetery debacle grows worse with discovery of coffin of civil rights icon  —  Broken.  Rusted.  Battered.  The image of a glass-covered casket with the body of Emmett Till was shown around the world in the 1950s.

TAIL TO THE CHIEF  —  O-GLER PREZ JOINS 'KOZY FOR A SUMMIT REAR VIEW  —  Baby got Barack!  —  The leader of the free world and his French counterpart were caught sneaking a peek at a the pink-satin-draped booty of a 17-year-old junior G-8 delegate just moments before the summit's official group photo was snapped in Italy yesterday.

Why We'll Leave L.A.  —  The business climate is worse than the air quality.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Los Angeles  —  If New Yorkers fantasize that doing business here in Los Angeles would be less of a headache, forget about it.  This city is fast becoming a job-killing machine.

Political opposition is not a hate crime  —  What's wrong with this picture?  The federal government spends billions on homeland security, but apparently can't stop foreigners from illegally crossing the border or overstaying their visas.  The Obama administration wants …