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Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic Politics Channel:
Administration Official: “Sebelius Misspoke.” — An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius “misspoke” when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option “is not an essential part” of reform.
Discussion:
Townhall.com, The Moderate Voice, Reuters, Don Surber, AMERICAblog News, DownWithTyranny!, Scared Monkeys, Real Clear Politics, American Power, Obsidian Wings, Unreported, Freedom's Lighthouse, Open Left, YID With LID, Macsmind, Dennis the Peasant, Gateway Pundit, Wake up America, Moe Lane, Newshoggers.com, Hot Air, MyDD and PERRspectives
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Nate Silver / FiveThirtyEight:
Life After the Death of the Public Option — From the President on downward, the White House now seems resigned to losing the fight over the “public option”, a government-run insurance plan that would complete against private plans. It's time to re-assess the playing field in light of this development.
Ian Swanson / The Hill:
Obama picks fight with left on health reform — In backing away from its support for a public option in healthcare reform, the Obama administration is picking a fight with the liberal wing of the Democratic party. — Liberal Democrats have insisted a public insurance option is necessary to ensure competition for private insurers.
Discussion:
The Politico, campaignsilo.firedoglake.com, QandO, BuzzFlash.org, The Nation, Townhall.com and Raw Story
Ceci Connolly / Washington Post:
Key Feature Of Obama Health Plan May Be Out — Administration Hints That Public Option Isn't Only Way to Go — Racing to regain control of the health-care debate, two top administration officials signaled Sunday that the White House may be willing to jettison a controversial government-run insurance plan favored by liberals.
Discussion:
Ezra Klein, Wonk Room, The Moderate Voice, Arizona Republic, msnbc.com and Newshoggers.com
Michelle Malkin:
White House public option ploy: A trial balloon, not a white flag — Do you believe the Sunday spin on the White House's alleged “retreat” from the Obamacare public option? — Video of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's pooh-poohing of the public option provision is here.
Fox News:
White House Passes Blame on Unsolicited Health Care E-Mails — The White House suggests third-party groups are to blame for unsolicited health care e-mails — The White House for the first time Sunday seemed to acknowledge that people across the country received unsolicited e-mails …
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
‘Public Option’ in Health Plan May Be Dropped
‘Public Option’ in Health Plan May Be Dropped
Discussion:
Matthew Yglesias, Washington Monthly, Townhall.com, The Note, The Moderate Voice, FiveThirtyEight, Verum Serum, Wall Street Journal, Agence France Presse, msnbc.com, Time, Taibblog, marbury, CNN, Crooks and Liars, The Caucus, Mediaite, Working In These Times, Jay Bookman, Watergate Summer, Connecting.the.Dots, DISSENTING JUSTICE, The Awl, The RBC, Brendan Nyhan, PoliGazette, Newshoggers.com, ABCNEWS, Economist's View, Prescriptions, Prairie Weather, The Politico, Truthdig, The Reaction, Washington Post and Blue Mass. Group
Andrew Zajac / Los Angeles Times:
White House backs off public healthcare option
White House backs off public healthcare option
Discussion:
The Politico, The Swamp, Canada Free Press, American Power, Right Wing Nut House, Washington Post and Dennis the Peasant
Philip Elliott / The Huffington Post:
Sebelius: Public Health Care Option “Not The Essential Element”
Sebelius: Public Health Care Option “Not The Essential Element”
Discussion:
The League of Ordinary …
Jennifer Graham / Canadian Press:
Overhauling health-care system tops agenda at annual meeting of Canada's doctors — SASKATOON — The incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association says this country's health-care system is sick and doctors need to develop a plan to cure it. — Dr. Anne Doig says patients …
Discussion:
BizzyBlog, theblogprof, Gateway Pundit, The Strata-Sphere, NewsBusters.org, Don Surber and GayPatriot
Ross Doutha / New York Times:
Telling Grandma ‘No’ — When Democratic congressmen dream these days, they're tongue-tied in town halls, fumbling with their microphones while they're shouted down by slavering, pitchfork-wielding Limbaugh listeners. — But Barack Obama is wiser than most Democratic congressmen, and his nightmares are savvier.
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Swiss Menace — It was the blooper heard round the world. In an editorial denouncing Democratic health reform plans, Investor's Business Daily tried to frighten its readers by declaring that in Britain, where the government runs health care, the handicapped physicist Stephen Hawking …
Discussion:
The Glittering Eye
Jay Cost / HorseRaceBlog:
Obama Misread His Mandate — After a rough week for health care reform, Democratic leaders appear to be pulling back on their demand for a public option. It remains to be seen whether liberal Democrats, especially in the House where they are more numerous, will go along with this.
Discussion:
THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS
Mike Lupica / NY Daily News:
Lupica: President Obama is the real target of health care protesters — The woman went to an airplane hangar in Belgrade, Mont., the other day, prepared to actually listen to President Obama talk about health care reform in America. — She has watched, the way the rest of us have watched …
Reuters:
Ethnic tension stalls first Iraq census in 22 years — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has abandoned plans to hold its first census in two decades this year because of fears the survey could inflame tensions in northern areas disputed by Arabs and Kurds, officials said on Sunday.
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Rajiv Chandrasekaran / Washington Post:
Pentagon Worries Led to Command Change — McKiernan's Ouster Reflected New Realities in Afghanistan — and Washington — In mid-March, as a White House assessment of the war in Afghanistan was nearing completion, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen …
Brad Heath / USA Today:
Poll: 57% don't see stimulus working — WASHINGTON — Six months after President Obama launched a $787 billion plan to right the nation's economy, a majority of Americans think the avalanche of new federal aid has cost too much and done too little to end the recession. — POLL RESULTS: Six questions
Discussion:
Gateway Pundit
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Who are your Milk Carton Politicians? — Earlier today, I noted that New Hampshire's media had taken notice that their Congressional delegation had gone missing during the August recess, rather than hold town-hall meetings to face their constituents about the health-care reform package.
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CBS News:
Obama and Baracknophobia — Posted by Charles Cooper On break in a remote getaway, where I was disconnected from the 24 x 7 grid, it was easy to imagine that the passions triggered by health care would have eased, making way for serious debate about a serious public policy question. Silly me.
Discussion:
Riehl World View, Right Wing News, Viking Pundit, Christian Science Monitor, Hot Air and Washington Wire
Rachel Weiner / The Huffington Post:
Maddow Battles Dick Armey In “Meet The Press” Debut (VIDEO) — Rachel Maddow appeared on “Meet the Press” for the first time on Sunday, August 16th. On a panel with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas), and Sen. Tom Coburn …
Discussion:
American Power
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