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 …

Jon Klein on Birthers: “It Seems This Story is Dead”  —  TVNewser has learned CNN/U.S. president Jon Klein sent an email to a handful of “Lou Dobbs Tonight” staffers last night regarding the coverage of the so-called birthers and the validity of Pres. Obama's birth in the U.S.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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” …