How to Make Health-Care Reform Bipartisan  —  In Washington, it seems history always repeats itself.  That's what's happening now with health-care reform.  This is an unfortunate turn of events for Americans who are legitimately concerned about the skyrocketing cost of a basic human need.

Obama White House breaks another promise to reject Bush secrecy  —  Well, at least it's bipartisan.  —  The still sort-of-new Barack Obama Democratic administration has again adopted another policy straight out of the administration of his much-criticized Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

Liz Cheney: No question on citizenship  —  Liz Cheney is taking some heat today for, amid a discussion on Larry King Live of the fringe movement that doubts Obama's citizenship, appearing to defend it.  —  “People are fundamentally uncomfortable, and they're fundamentally increasingly uncomfortable …

GOP's new youth ambassador: Lady Gaga?  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Politics may make for strange bedfellows — but even for this town, this may be the oddest couple to ever make beautiful music together: House Republicans...and pop diva Lady Gaga.  —  At Tuesday morning's weekly GOP conference meeting …

Dems Start To Push Back Hard To Prevent A ‘Waterloo’  —  A telling episode recounted by Senate Finance ranking member Charles Grassley reveals the Obama administration might be more worried than they are letting on that a Republican senator's comparison of the healthcare overhaul to Waterloo might be dangerously close to the truth.

Toomey Ties Specter In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; More Say New Democrat Does Not Deserve Another Term  —  Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter's 2010 reelection lead over Republican challenger Pat Toomey has shrunk to a tie with 45 percent for Specter and 44 percent for Toomey …

Sarah Palin 2013: A Look Ahead  —  It is noon, Jan. 20, 2013.  Sarah Palin raises her right hand to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States.  —  Palin had won a decisive victory over the incumbent, Barack Obama.  The country was still trapped in economic rubble …

Senator: Democrats “baffled” by president's health care stance  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - As the prospects for passing health reform by the time Congress leaves for its August recess look bleaker, Democratic grumbling about President Obama is growing louder.  One Democratic senator tells CNN …

53% Now Oppose Congressional Health Care Reform  —  The health care reform legislation working its way through Congress has lost support over the past month.  The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of U.S. voters are at least somewhat in favor of the reform effort while 53% are at least somewhat opposed.

Health Insurance Lobby Cherry-Picks Data in Fight Against Public Plan  —  The industry that helped scuttle health reform 15 years ago with its “Harry and Louise” ads is back, voicing support for a central element of the Obama administration's plans: making sure everyone is covered.

The remarkable vote to kill the plane and what it means for America's military future.  —  This is a big deal: The Senate today voted to halt production of the F-22 stealth fighter plane, and it did so 58-40, a margin much wider than expected.  —  Not only is this a major victory for Secretary …

MOVING FORWARD ON STUDENT LOAN REFORM.... It should be a no-brainer.  The student-loan industry is getting government subsidies to provide a service the government can perform for less.  The Obama administration has asked Congress to remove the middleman, streamline the process …

Obama's Ominous Implication: Euthanasia of the Elderly May Be Necessary  —  Gee, socialized medicine sounds great — don't you think so, grandma and grandpa? … In other words, faceless bureaucrats in Washington — not your family — will decide whether your grandparents live or die.

John S. Barry, Main Force Behind WD-40, Dies at 84  —  John S. Barry, an executive who masterminded the spread of WD-40, the petroleum-based lubricant and protectant created for the space program, into millions of American households, died on July 3 in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego.

CNN Poll: President's approval on health care under 50 percent  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Hours before President Barack Obama holds a prime time news conference to push for health care reform, a new CNN Poll of Polls indicates that less than half the country approves of how he's handling the issue.

Sarah Palin's hairdresser speaks  —  The world needs to know: When Alaska Governor Sarah Palin recently sought “emergency” treatment for her hair, what, exactly, did her longtime stylist do?  —  “It wasn't like I did an intervention,” Jessica Steele said in a phone interview from her Wasilla, Alaska, beauty parlor, the Beehive.

The Ultimate Obama Insider  —  On Jan. 25, 2008, the day before the South Carolina Democratic primary, Barack Obama endured a grueling succession of campaign events across the state.  When his staff informed him that the evening would conclude with a brief show-up at the Pink Ice Ball …

FIVE CENTRIST DEMS AGREE WITH GOP: NO ABORTION IN PUBLIC PLAN.  —  Five centrist Democrats —Reps. Tim Ryan, (OH), Dale Kildee (Mich.), James Langevin (R.I.), Artur Davis (Ala.) and Kendrick Meek (Fla.) — have written a letter to Nancy Pelosi urging that health reform maintain the “status quo” on federal abortion funding.

Some Photos and Captions  —  (This dispatch is from Ghor Province, though I am now with British forces down south.)  —  Lithuanian soldier on Swedish C-130 from Kabul to Kandahar and finally to Chaghcharan.  On his left are Filipino workers.  Filipinos are like birds …