The public option as a signal  —  Look, it is possible to have universal care without a public option; Switzerland does.  But there are some good reasons for the prominence of the public option in our debate.  —  One is substantive: to have a workable system without the 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 …

Man Carrying An Assault Rifle And Pistol Outside Obama Event  —  A man was seen carrying an assault rifle and a pistol outside the VFW Convention in Phoenix where President Obama spoke today, a local newspaper reports.  (Click through for a photo.)  —  Local police said it's legal under Arizona law …

White House disables e-tip box  —  Following a furor over how the data would be used, the White House has shut down an electronic tip box — flag@whitehouse.gov — that was set up to receive information on “fishy” claims about President Barack Obama's health plan.

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 …

Wal-Mart, CVS, Best Buy ditch Glenn Beck (plus 5 more companies)  —  Cross-posted at Jack and Jill Politics, Firedoglake, and Daily Kos.  —  Big news today.  We've confirmed that eight more major advertisers have pulled their support from Glenn Beck's show — Wal-Mart, Best Buy, CVS …

Voters Skeptical About Health Care Reform Claims Made By Pelosi and Hoyer  —  Lost in the uproar over a comment in USA Today by the top two House Democrats that those protesting health care reform are “un-American” were several statements aimed at assuring Americans that their access to quality care will be even greater.

Rep. Massa: I will vote against the interests of my district  —  Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) addressed an intimate group of Netroots activists during their annual Netroots Nation gathering in Pittsburgh this weekend.  Mr. Massa reiterated his support for a single-payer health care bill.

Supreme Court Orders New Look at Death Row Case  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a federal trial court in Georgia to consider the case of Troy Davis, who is on death row in state prison there for the 1989 murder of an off-duty police officer.

Winning By Losing  —  Charlie Cook just said something very profound (which is unusual.)  Chris Matthews asked whether or not the Democrats would lose the House next year and he said he didn't think so, but that they might lose 20 seats.  And then he said this:

90 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine  —  (CNN) — The term “dirty money” is for real.  —  In the course of its average 20 months in circulation, U.S. currency gets whisked into ATMs, clutched, touched and traded perhaps thousands of times at coffee shops, convenience stores and newsstands.

Joe The Plumber Says He Would ‘Beat The Livin’ Tar' Out Of Pelosi  —  This past weekend, at the right wing's RightOnline blogger conference in Pittsburgh — sponsored by Americans for Prosperity — Alternet's Adele Stan reported that Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher attacked Nancy Pelosi for calling teabaggers “un-American.”

Chuck Grassley's Dispiriting Bipartisanship  —  Spent a few hours today as one of the panelist's on Dylan Ratigan's “Morning Meeting.”  Toward the end of the second hour, Chuck Grassley hopped on the program to talk death panels and bipartisanship.  It sounded like bipartisanship dying.

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 …

Israel agrees to freeze settlement construction as gesture to US  —  PM's Office confirms moratorium will be in effect until beginning of 2010 to give peace process chance to gain steam, entice international community to recognize Israel's sovereignty in Jerusalem, large settlement blocs.

Mental Stress Training Is Planned for U.S. Soldiers  —  PHILADELPHIA — The Army plans to require that all 1.1 million of its soldiers take intensive training in emotional resiliency, military officials say.  —  The training, the first of its kind in the military, is meant to improve performance …

Why the Ladies Love Jon Hamm of ‘Mad Men’  —  The other day, I saw Don Draper in a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Or rather, I saw Jon Hamm, the award-winning actor who plays the ad exec anti-hero on AMC's Mad Men, which kicked off its third season Sunday night.

Luntz admits he tries to convince focus group attendees to oppose health care reform.  —  In May, pollster Frank Luntz presented a memo to congressional Republicans, laying out a strategy for opposing health care reform.  Since then, the GOP has closely followed his script.