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 …

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 …

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 …

White House says it did send unwanted e-mails … WASHINGTON (AP) - After insisting no one was receiving unsolicited e-mails from the White House, officials reversed their story Monday night and blamed outside political groups for the unwanted messages from the tech-savvy operation.

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 …

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.

Twelve Carry Guns — Including Assault Rifle — Outside Obama Event  —  About 12 people were carrying guns, including at least one semi-automatic assault rifle, outside a building where President Obama was speaking today.  —  No one was arrested outside the VFW National Convention in Phoenix …

Christie stumbles again in closely watched NJ gubernatorial fight  —  The New York Times has more this morning on a story that broke Monday afternoon — N.J. GOP gubernatorial candidate and former federal prosecutor Chris Christie lent $46,000 to a top aide while still on the government payroll …

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 …

Former Lt. Gov. Norton mulling U.S. Senate bid  —  Former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton will decide in 30 days whether to run for the U.S. Senate.  —  If she does, Norton will join an already crowded list of Republicans vying for the nomination and the chance to knock off U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, in 2010.

Yale Surrenders  —  Why did Yale University Press remove images of Mohammed from a book about the Danish cartoons?  —  The capitulation of Yale University Press to threats that hadn't even been made yet is the latest and perhaps the worst episode in the steady surrender to religious extremism …

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 …

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.

Harry Reid's ‘Evil’ Moment  —  And Democrats wonder why their health plan isn't selling.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Remember when polite society treated a politician's use of the word “evil” as a sign that the old boy was dangerously lacking upstairs?

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.

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:

The Lanny Davis disease and America's health care debate  —  After Tom Daschle was selected to be Barack Obama's Secretary of Health and Human Services and chief health care adviser, Matt Taibbi wrote: “In Washington there are whores and there are whores, and then there is Tom Daschle.”