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 …

Town hall tension: Meeting turns ugly over health care  —  Hundreds of people crowded into the BRIDGES building in Downtown Memphis on Saturday for a congressional town hall meeting that quickly deviated into a raucous shouting free-for-all, requiring extra law enforcement officers to watch over the scene.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Is There a Deal to be Made on Health Care?  An Interview WIth Sen. Lindsey Graham.  —  Earlier this week, Sen. Lindsey Graham was the sole Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote in favor of Sonia Sotomayor.  A few days later, he co-signed an op-ed in The Washington Post …