911, police tapes key in Gates case  —  Officials mull release of recorded evidence  —  Mounting pressure to get to the bottom of the controversial arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. is centering on recorded police tapes that may offer a dose of reality amid all the media and political noise.

Waxman may let health bill skip committee  —  Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) says there is “no alternative” but to have healthcare legislation bypass his Energy and Commerce Committee if Blue Dog Democrats don't accept a deal worked out Friday.  —  Waxman is hoping the inclusion of a study …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

How a Local Rally For Obama's Health Care Proposal Turned Into a Rally Against It  —  Local MoveOn.org members had penciled in on today's schedule a protest in front of Senator John Cornyn's Spring Valley Road office, during which they had hoped to pressure the senator to support President Barack Obama's public health care legislation.