‘Un-American’ attacks can't derail health care debate  —  Americans have been waiting for nearly a century for quality, affordable health care.  —  Health coverage for all was on the national agenda as early as 1912, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose presidential run.

Don't talk to me about death panels, Sarah Palin.  —  You, who so carelessly bolstered a lie about healthcare reform to score a cheap political point; you, the most craven of political opportunists, who fearmongers about some dystopian socialist/fascist fantasyland; you …

It doesn't take Stephen Hawking to figure this one out  —  The conservative opinion magazine Human Events was reputedly Ronald Reagan's favorite read, and to this day fancies itself the house organ for the hard-right intelligentsia.  Among those published regularly in its pages are such luminaries as Newt Gingrich and Ann Coulter.

Judge sentences man to 6 months in jail for yawning  —  6-month term given by judge who has doled out the most charges of contempt in Will  —  Clifton Williams arrived at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet and sat in the fourth-floor courtroom where his cousin was pleading guilty to a felony drug charge.

32% Favor Single-Payer Health Care, 57% Oppose  —  Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters nationwide favor a single-payer health care system where the federal government provides coverage for everyone.  A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% are opposed to a single-payer plan.

Our Fuzzy President Is About To Come Into Focus  —  We're finally going to get to know the real President Obama.  —  Once the final outlines of health-care legislation become clear, we'll know what really matters to him.  Where he draws the line.  How he wields the levers of power.

As more U.S. troops arrive, is Afghan war worth it?  —  Seventy-five U.S. and NATO troops died in Afghanistan in July, the deadliest month for allied forces in nearly eight years of fighting.  More than 1,000 Afghan civilians have died this year, up 24 percent from 2008.

Obama's Health Care Plan Just Expands Status Quo  —  “The status quo is unsustainable for families, businesses and government.”  — President Obama, June 13  —  One of the bewildering ironies of the health-care debate is that President Obama claims to be attacking the status quo when he's actually embracing it.

Perriello's Health Care Town Hall: Fear and Respect in VA-5  —  Last week I attended a couple of town halls: one in Maryland for Donna Edwards, and one in Danville, VA for Tom Perriello.  Going into them, I kinda figured that Edwards' event would be pretty tame, but Tom Perriello's would be raucous, if not violent.

George Soros Pledges $5 Million To Bankroll Health Care Reform Push, Group Says  —  In another sign of the urgency gripping the pro-health care reform camp, billionaire George Soros has pledged to sink $5 million into the fight, the group getting the money confirmed.

If Only We Had Some Means of Taking Rich People's Money and Devoting it to Public Purposes  —  Internal Revenue Service headquarters, Washington DC (cc photo by cliff1066)  —  I don't think it should come as a shock that the Obama administration's efforts to reign-in or reform compensation policies …

Tsongas: I won't take ObamaCare because I have better options  —  Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA) manages to answer the question that Keith Ellison (D-MN) and the rest of her Obama-care supporting colleagues in both the House and Senate have avoided.  The crowd, however, didn't like the response very much, and lets Tsongas know it.

The Unfunny Truth  —  It's been a melancholy summer for social conservatives.  Their movement is fighting a rearguard battle in Barack Obama's Washington.  A cluster of family-values politicians — some of whom bunked down in the same Christian-sponsored D.C. townhouse …

Hill jets may be scrapped  —  The new congressional jets may be getting scrapped.  —  After an uproar over a proposed purchase of new executive jets for use by senior government official, including members of Congress, the top Defense appropriator in the House has offered to eliminate funding …

CNN Poll: Dems becoming less popular but no gains for GOP  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A new national poll indicates that the Democratic party's becoming less popular with voters.  But the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, released Monday, suggests that the Republican party has not been able to capitalize on the Democrats' downturn.

Sect'y Clinton sharply dismisses question about what her “husband thinks”  —  He may have been in the headlines last week for his rescue mission to North Korea, but Bill Clinton is not the secretary of State.  —  As the lady who is reminded a Congolese student and the world today:

Expelled From the New York Times  —  My sister nailed it many years ago when she said, “Your basic human is not such a hot item.”  —  Keep that filed in your head as I tell my little tale.  —  About five or six years ago, roughly, I was solicited to write a column every two weeks for the Sunday New York Times Business Section.

Obama Says Immigration Changes Must Wait Till 2010  —  GUADALAJARA, Mexico — President Obama said Monday that efforts to change the immigration system would be a major focus for his administration only next year, after other major priorities were accomplished, including passage of a new health care system.

Governors oppose DoD emergency powers  —  A bipartisan pair of governors is opposing a new Defense Department proposal to handle natural and terrorism-related disasters, contending that a murky chain of command could lead to more problems than solutions.  —  Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas (R) …

Our Unconstitutional Census  —  California could get nine House seats it doesn't deserve because illegal aliens will be counted in 2010.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Next year's census will determine the apportionment of House members and Electoral College votes for each state.

The McLaughlin Group: Pat Buchanan and Monica Crowley Claim the Government Wants to Promote Suicide to Save Money  —  John McLaughlin uses Pat Buchanan's fear mongering framing for his question on end of life counseling to begin this segment.  Buchanan claims that to save money …

Averting the Worst  —  So it seems that we aren't going to have a second Great Depression after all.  What saved us?  The answer, basically, is Big Government.  —  Just to be clear: the economic situation remains terrible, indeed worse than almost anyone thought possible not long ago.