Gingrich defends Palin's ‘death panels’  —  Newt Gingrich and Howard Dean went at it on health care this morning on This Week.  Especially over Sarah Palin's claim that Obama's health care plan will create “death panels” that would encourage euthanasia.  —  “Communal standards historically …

CONSERVATIVE PROTESTERS PREPPING FOR OBAMA N.H. TOWN HALL  —  From NBC's Chuck Todd  —  Pres. Obama holds his OWN town hall in New Hampshire this Tuesday where the issues of the economy and health care are likely to be the dominant issues.  Of course, what many will be watching …

Video: C-SPAN caller blasts media; Update: New Astroturfing signs for Obamabots  —  I'd say this explains the eruption of anger at town-hall meetings fairly clearly.  “Leah” from New Hampshire says she “just wants to clarify a few things about these manufactured angered crowds,” …

Is Obama Punking Us?  —  “AUGUST is a challenging time to be president,” said Andrew Card, the former Bush White House chief of staff, as he offered unsolicited advice to his successors in a television interview last week.  “I think you have to expect the unexpected.”  —  He should know.

Shocker... Keith Olbermann Lies About Tea Party Violence— Compares Protesters to Hamas & Hezbollah  —  Can this goof be sued for slander?  —  The only violent episodes reported at the tea party protests have been from Obama-supporters and union thugs beating the crap out of black conservatives …

Aug. 9: James Jones, Michael Bloomberg, Cory Booker, roundtable  —  MR. DAVID GREGORY: This Sunday, the happy homecoming.  —  MS. LAURA LING: When we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton.  —  MR. GREGORY: Now the backstory.

The Gangs of D.C.  —  In the Senate, Small States Wield Outsize Power.  Is This What the Founders Had in Mind?  —  Wonder why President Obama is having a hard time enacting his agenda after sweeping to victory and with large congressional majorities on his side?

Mexico and Canada Tussle Over Immigration  —  GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Ahead of President Obama's arrival in Mexico on Sunday night for a summit meeting of North American leaders, immigration was prompting significant behind-the-scenes debate.  But it was Mexicans entering Canada, not the United States, that was the contentious issue.

Let's mark this moment in the health debate as it happens  —  Nearly fifteen years ago, after the collapse of the Clinton health-reform effort, I spent a lot of time working on an Atlantic article (and subsequent book chapter) about how, exactly, the discussion of the bill had become so unmoored …

Tax and Spend, or Face The Consequences  —  At some point, the Great Recession will end.  Newsweek even says it's already over.  Whenever it happens, we will see that the downturn was but a minor blip in the long story of the economy.  —  In the next chapter, abundance beckons — for some.