Voices From Above Silence a Cable TV Feud  —  It was a media cage fight, televised every weeknight at 8 p.m. But the match was halted when the blood started to spray executives in the high-priced seats.  —  For years Keith Olbermann of MSNBC had savaged his prime-time nemesis Bill O'Reilly …

House panel approves healthcare reform bill  —  The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Friday night approved the Democrats' healthcare reform bill, setting up a floor vote this fall.  —  The passage of the legislation came after days of intense negotiations between Energy …

Obama's revealing body language (updated and expanded))  —  This picture truly is worth at least a thousand words.  —  I am stunned that the official White House Blog published this picture and that it is in the public domain.  The body language is most revealing.

BEN NELSON DOESN'T CARE FOR CRITICISM.... A couple of weeks ago, Sen. Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska and a handful of centrist and center-right allies insisted that the Senate not vote on health care reform before the chamber's August recess.  Democracy for America and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee …

Pulling No Punches  —  The maverick on Obamanomics, Sarah Palin, and the media.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  John McCain is red in the face and hopping mad.  I'm sitting in his office in the Senate Russell Office Building, and he's just rushed in after delivering a speech on the Senate floor …

In Beer Summit “Spoof” Milbank Suggests Hillary Drink “Mad Bitch” Beer  —  If I were on the board of directors of the Kaplan test prep company, and discovered that the people running a money-losing Kaplan subsidiary affiliate (better known as the Washington Post) had greenlighted a feature called …

Alabama Area Reeling in Face of Fiscal Crisis  —  BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — It is hardly unusual these days for a government building to forgo a fresh paint job or regular lawn care to cut costs.  But last week, the director of the Jefferson County public nursing home was told that the county could no longer afford to bury indigent patients.

Al-Qaeda ‘seek to infiltrate MI5’  —  Patrick Mercer: “I don't think we should be surprised”  —  A senior Tory MP has asked the home secretary whether al-Qaeda sympathisers were mistakenly recruited by MI5.  —  Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Home Affairs counter-terror sub-committee …

Dealers Race to Get Their Clunkers Crushed  —  The White House and Congress may be giving the “cash for clunkers” program a reprieve, but one can't help wondering how many dealers and customers will have the confidence to go forward at this point.  Things sound like a total mess in the showrooms.

Suspect in gay sailor's death commits suicide  —  (CNN) — A sailor accused of killing another sailor was found dead in his cell in a southern California military jail, officials said Friday.  —  Petty Officer Jonathan Campos was found dead in the brig at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, a military statement said.

McCain to filibuster “Cash for Clunkers” bill; Trouble for Reid with Dems, too  —  When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, tries to take up the House-passed “Cash for Clunkers” bill next week, he will hit a series of bipartisan road blocks.  —  Fox has learned that Sen. John McCain …

How government programs are saving insurance companies from disaster.  —  “The truth is, we have a system today that works well for the insurance industry, but it doesn't always work well for you,” President Barack Obama said recently, making his case for health care reform.

Media Matters Running Ads Attacking Lou Dobbs' Birther Obsession — On CNN!  —  Okay, this is an intriguing new frontier in political media criticism.  Media Matters, which has been attacking CNN for not reining in Lou Dobbs' birther obsession, has now purchased air time to run a TV ad attacking …

Gates sends flowers to woman who called the police  —  Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. has sent a bouquet of flowers and a note to the woman whose 911 call led to his arrest earlier this month.  —  Wendy Murphy, attorney and spokeswoman for Lucia Whalen, said today that Gates had sent …

Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’  —  This morning, Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by “angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior” at local town halls.

Barack Obama's aunt at home in Southie digs  —  With her deportation hearing still six months away, the controversial Kenyan aunt of President Obama has quietly resurfaced in public housing in South Boston, the Herald has learned.  —  “Beggars can't be choosers,” Obama's “Auntie Zeituni” …