Robert Novak (1931-2009)  —  The Evans-Novak column ran under the title “the Sonnenfeldt Doctrine.”  When I finished reading that early spring day in 1976, I remember thinking, this is quintessential Bob Novak.  —  State Department Counselor Helmut Sonnenfeldt had told a London gathering …

Alternate Plan as Health Option Muddies Debate  —  WASHINGTON — The White House has indicated that it could accept a nonprofit health care cooperative as an alternative to a new government insurance plan, originally favored by President Obama.  But the co-op idea is so ill defined …

Obama's MySpace page: I'm 52 years old, not 48  —  Would place president's birth during time Hawaii was a territory  —  If President Obama were indeed born in Hawaii, was it while the islands were a territory of the United States?  —  A new wrinkle in the dispute over his birth …

For the Left, war without Bush is not war at all  —  Remember the anti-war movement?  Not too long ago, the Democratic party's most loyal voters passionately opposed the war in Iraq.  Democratic presidential candidates argued over who would withdraw American troops the quickest.

Despite fumbles, Biden's a player  —  Cementing his value to Obama, the vice president has been tapped to take on key issues.  Next up: healthcare.  —  Reporting from Washington  —  The gaffes keep piling up: the untimely comments stoking fears of swine flu, dismissals of Russia that seem straight out of the Cold War.

Fear-mongering at Yale  —  Flash back to 2006.  Professor Marcia Inhorn, a medical anthropologist and director of the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan, is invited to lecture in Tehran on her field of expertise, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies in Muslim countries.

Remembering Rose Friedman  —  Rose Director Friedman passed away Tuesday, August 18, 2009, in her home in Davis, California, of heart failure.  While the exact date of her birth is uncertain, she is believed to have been 98 years old.  —  She will be remembered both as a talented economist and an influential advocate of freedom.

Thousands Quit AARP Over Health Reform  —  Tens of Thousands Don't Like the Health Care Overhaul  —  (CBS) CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group's position on health care.  —  Elaine Guardiani has been with AARP …

The Evolution of the Public Option  —  Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy  —  Monday, on Dylan Ratigan's “Morning Meeting,” I had the opportunity to chat health care with Gov. Howard Dean.  Dean's point was simple: “If you're not going to have a public option …

Obama Joker artist unmasked: A fellow Chicagoan  —  When cryptic posters portraying President Obama as the Joker from “Batman” began popping up around Los Angeles and other cities, the question many asked was, Who is behind the image?  —  Was it an ultra-conservative grassroots group …

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show  —  Scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases.  —  The scientists fabricated blood …

Troubled History  —  As we track the escalating number of incidents of right-wing fringers bringing guns to Obama events or other health create town hall events, we are, unsurprisingly, seeing various conservative websites mocking the public concern.  “Oh, those Dems, they go all wobbly …

Lawyer: FBI Trained Hal Turner As An “Agent Provocateur”  —  HARTFORD — Internet blogger Harold “Hal” Turner's attorney said today that Turner's background as an FBI informant will be a key part of his defense to charges that he incited violence against two state legislators and a state ethics official.

Why Obama's Ratings Are Sinking  —  Americans will put up with a lot.  But not with someone who imperils their future.  —  Washington Wire  —  White House Issues Q&A on Health Plan  —  The White House, seeking to reassure allies that it hasn't abandoned plans for a government-sponsored …

Black cats  —  I really had no intention of writing more about Niall Ferguson.  Regular readers may recall that he wrote an article in the Financial Times that began, … I asked, are there no editors?  —  But Professor Ferguson demands that I (and James Fallows) print his response:

8/18: 2012 Prospects: Palin a Force in GOP But Not General Electorate  —  Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may still be making news headlines, but the U.S. electorate has news for her.  If the 2012 presidential election were held today and she were the Republican candidate, Palin would not defeat President Barack Obama.

Woman gives birth on pavement ‘after being refused ambulance’  —  A young mother gave birth on a pavement outside a hospital after she was told to make her own way there.  —  Mother-of-three Carmen Blake called her midwife to ask for an ambulance when she went into labour unexpectedly with her fourth child.

This Is Reform?  —  It's never a contest when the interests of big business are pitted against the public interest.  So if we manage to get health care “reform” this time around it will be the kind of reform that benefits the very people who have given us a failed system, and thus made reform so necessary.

The Panel  —  What death by bureaucratic fiat might look like.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  It is very difficult to imagine the country making those decisions just through the normal political channels.  And that's part of why you have to have some independent group that can give you guidance.