Obama Calls Cambridge Cop, Still Sees ‘Overreaction’ in Gates' Arrest  —  President Explains His Remarks About Henry Louis Gates Arrest In Surprise Appearance  —  President Obama called the Cambridge police officer who arrested his friend, prominent Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. …

House healthcare talks break down in anger  —  House healthcare negotiations dissolved in acrimony on Friday, with Blue Dog Democrats saying they were “lied” to by their Democratic leaders.  —  The seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee stormed out of a Friday meeting …

McCain Campaign Investigated, Dismissed Obama Citizenship Rumors  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) during his presidential campaign (WDCpix)  —  In the final months of the 2008 presidential race, Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) campaign learned of a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania that asked the state …

Palin's Favorability Rating Drops as She Prepares to Leave Office, Poll Finds  —  As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin prepares for the next stage of her political career, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of her, and there is broad public doubt about her leadership skills and understanding …

GOP Not Allowed to Say ‘Government-Run Healthcare’  —  Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), the secretary of the House Republican Conference and a former District Court Judge, is having his messages to constituents censored by Democrats on the Franking Commission.  Republicans are no longer allowed …

Perry raises possibility of states' rights showdown with White House over healthcare  —  AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry, raising the specter of a showdown with the Obama administration, suggested Thursday that he would consider invoking states' rights protections under the 10th Amendment to resist …

Graham takes on conservatives  —  When Sen. Lindsey Graham announced his support for Sonia Sotomayor this week, right-wing radio talk show host Mark Levin said it was a sign that Graham is “unreliable ... as a thinker and a leader.”  —  Wendy Long, counsel for the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network …

Costs and Compassion  —  The talking heads on cable TV panned President Obama's Wednesday press conference.  You see, he didn't offer a lot of folksy anecdotes.  —  Shame on them.  The health care system is in crisis.  The fate of America's middle class hangs in the balance.

Common Sense May Sink ObamaCare  —  It turns out the president misjudged the nation's mood.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  This is big, what's happening.  President Obama appears to have misstepped on a major initiative and defining issue.  He has misjudged the nation's mood …

Why Obamacare Is Sinking  —  What happened to Obamacare?  Rhetoric met reality.  As both candidate and president, the master rhetorician could conjure a world in which he bestows upon you health-care nirvana: more coverage, less cost.  —  But you can't fake it in legislation.

ARNE DUNCAN AND THE UNIONS.  —  The complicated dance between Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and the national teachers' unions continued today.  On a conference call to officially roll-out the $4.35 billion “Race to the Top” education reform competition, Duncan said states are “ineligible” …

Elizabeth Edwards Shows How to Tell a Liar on Healthcare  —  In an interview with Rachel Maddow, Elizabeth Edwards dropped this enormously helpful key on when to tell if an opponent to healthcare reform is lying: … Our friends at Sadly, No! take a look at the actual outcomes between the US and Canada.

Voice of Reason  —  In 2001 Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold famously and courageously stood up as the lone senator to vote against the Patriot Act.  On July 21 he did it again, casting the lone vote opposing Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman's amendment to the 2010 Defense Authorization bill …