Bachmann blocks resolution declaring Hawaii to be Obama's birthplace.  —  Today, Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) introduced a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood.  The resolution also proclaims the state as President Obama's birthplace, a point …

How Lou Dobbs scared Rush Limbaugh off the birther story  —  I can think of three (inadvertent) positives that came out of Lou Dobbs' ill-advised embrace of the birther movement:  —  1) The CNN host has permanently tarnished his reputation  —  2) The birther movement is officially kaput (like, stick-a-fork-in-it done)

Must see: Cambridge cop says she won't vote for Obama again after Gatesgate  —  An amazing clip via Verum Serum.  God only knows how much heat she and Sgt. Lashley will take from the “authenticity” police for this; Crowley's a spectacularly lucky guy to have friends like them.

Plastic Surgery Tax Eyed As Revenue Raiser  —  Face-lifts, tummy tucks and hair transplants could be hit with a new tax to help finance the trillion-dollar healthcare overhaul plan, according to sources familiar with the Senate talks.  —  The Senate Finance Committee has discussed imposing …

Voinovich slams DeMint and Coburn for GOP downfall; blames ‘the southerners’  —  Too many conservative senators like Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are to blame for the GOP's downfall, one of their retiring Republican colleagues complained Monday.

Governor Palin, You're No Hillary Clinton  —  Over at Pollster.com, Brendan Nyhan (whom you should be reading) espouses a fairly common sentiment: that Sarah Palin's favorability numbers, while poor, are not a whole heck of a lot worse than Hillary Clinton's were at the same point in the electoral cycle.

AP IMPACT: Dodd, Conrad told deals were sweetened … WASHINGTON (AP) - Despite their denials, influential Democratic Sens. Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd were told from the start they were getting VIP mortgage discounts from one of the nation's largest lenders, the official who handled their loans has told Congress in secret testimony.

Gates Revises Tax Return Based On Blog Post  —  I think it fair to say the first and perhaps only place this was reported was in my blog post of Saturday.  I dug the recipient's links to Gates out via Google after seeing their names on Joe's documentation that made me aware …

In Study, Texting Lifts Crash Risk by Large Margin  —  The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research — and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions.

ALL THE WAY TO THE WHITE HOUSE.... I suppose it was bound to happen eventually, though I'd hoped it wouldn't.  Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, during an official press briefing, was actually asked about the Birther conspiracy nuts.  —  I'm fairly certain it was Bill Press …

GOP catches break as Bunning bows out  —  Sen. Jim Bunning's decision to bow out of his tough Senate race gives the GOP new life in Kentucky, as the irascible senator succumbed to a quiet pressure campaign by top Republicans to push him out of the 2010 midterm elections.

Is Pluto a planet after all?  —  HOW many planets are in the solar system?  The official answer is eight - unless you happen to live in Illinois.  Earlier this year, defiant Illinois state governors declared that Pluto had been unfairly demoted by the International Astronomical Union …

China slams Uighur leader Kadeer's Japan visit: report  —  TOKYO (Reuters) - China's ambassador to Japan on Monday slammed a planned Tokyo visit by Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, in an apparent escalation of Beijing's campaign against the exile it accuses of instigating deadly ethnic riots.