Romney won't run for Kennedy's seat  —  Former Massachusetts GOP Gov. Mitt Romney will not seek the Senate seat vacated by Ted Kennedy's death, a Romney spokesman said Thursday.  —  Responding to speculation that Romney may be interested in the seat—which he challenged Kennedy for in 1994 …

Obtained: The RNC's Health Care Survey  —  I just chatted with Raymond Denny, the 64-year-old La Center, Wash., man who received the RNC's “2009 Future of American Health Survey,” which alleged that President Obama's health reform plans might discriminate against Republicans.  Here's the survey question:

The Onion Wins The Internet.  —  First, there was the article on the “afterbirthers” demanding to see Obama's placenta.  Now, we have an Onion segment discussing whether or not using a minotaur to gore detainees is, in fact, torture.  Obviously there are two sides to the question.

UPDATED: As boycott continues, Glenn Beck's audience swells  —  An advertising boycott against Fox News host Glenn Beck has succeeded in keeping most major sponsors from running commercials on his show even as the controversial commentator's viewership has grown.

Markey: Medicare will take hit  —  Some people, including Medicare recipients, will have to give up some current benefits to truly reform the nation's health-care system, Rep. Betsy Markey told a gathering of constituents in Fort Collins on Wednesday.  —  Markey has repeatedly said during …

Girl taken in 1991 surfaces; couple held  —  (CNN) — A 29-year old woman walked into a northern California police station, saying she was abducted 18 years ago, authorities said Thursday.  Two people are being held in connection with the case.  —  Jaycee Dugard is in good health …

Pastor Of Gun-Toter At Obama Event Prayed For Obama To Die  —  Chris Broughton, the man who brought an assault rifle and a handgun to the Obama event in Arizona last week, attended a fiery anti-Obama sermon the day before the event, in which Pastor Steven Anderson said he was going to …

ABC, NBC Won't Air Ad Critical of Obama's Health Care Plan  —  The refusal by ABC and NBC to run a national ad critical of President Obama's health care reform plan is raising questions from the group behind the spot — particularly in light of ABC's health care special aired in prime time last June hosted at the White House

Howard Dean: Democrats Left Tort Reform Out of Health Care Bill Because They Feared ‘Taking On’ Trial Lawyers  —  (CNSNews.com) - Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a medical doctor who served as governor of Vermont, said at a town hall meeting on Tuesday night …

Big Beck: Goes over 3 million viewers, beats O'Reilly in demo: Cable News Ratings for Wednesday, August 26, 2009  —  Though a little scandal might alienate advertisers, it's pure ratings gold.  Last night Glenn Beck had over 3 million viewers at 5pm, second only to O'Reilly for the night.

Bank Losses Drain Deposit Fund, F.D.I.C. Reports  —  Even as financial stocks have rallied nearly 60 percent since the end of March, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation issued another grim report card Thursday on the health of the nation's banks.  —  The agency reported …

Key Democrat suggests party moderates ‘brain dead’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - A key House liberal suggested Thursday that party moderates who've pushed for changes in health care legislation are “brain dead” and out for insurance company campaign donations.  —  Moderate Blue Dog Democrats …

Dems In Mourning  —  His friend of many years' body not yet cold, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shows the depth of his grief.  Boston Herald: … The late Lion's dying wish was that the Massachusetts governor and Legislature overturn the 2004 law they passed on his request …

Steele Confused, Overwhelmed By NPR Interview: 'Now Wait A Minute.  Hold up. ...  You're Trying To Be Cute.'  —  In an interview with Michael Steele, NPR's Steve Inskeep repeatedly asked the RNC chairman to explain why Republicans keep defending Medicare at the same time they claim …

The Footnote Speaks: What Would Mary Jo Kopechne Have Thought of Ted's Career?  —  We're comfortable with moral relativism in this country — or, at least, we love us a good “sinned and redeemed” narrative.  And, for the most part, we realize that there are few lives on which we can slap a …

Limbaugh: You'll pry my foreskin from my cold, dead hands  —  If you had to whip up a too-good-to-be-true story for the right-wing pundit class to freak out over, what elements would you include?  There would have to be, of course, an element of command-and-control socialist-fascist invasion …

Rammell howls at Otter for not buying wolf tag  —  This time, the howling isn't coming from the wolves.  —  Rex Rammell, a long-shot gubernatorial candidate seeking the Republican nomination, criticized Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter on Wednesday for not making good on a promise to buy the first wolf tag.

This week's Economist/YouGov poll  —  BARACK OBAMA'S approval rating has hit a new low (48%) in our latest poll.  Americans are increasingly questioning the president's handling of the wars in Iraq (44% approve, down from 46% last week) and Afghanistan (42% approve, down from 47% last week).

Corzine Closes Gap in New Jersey Governor Race  —  Stan Greenberg, Al Quinlan and Drew Lieberman  —  Democracy Corps  —  Research Categories … Executive Summary  —  A new survey conducted for Stan Greenberg and James Carville's organization Democracy Corps by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner …

U.S. moves toward formal cut off of aid to Honduras  —  U.S. State Department staff have recommended that the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya be declared a “military coup,” a U.S. official said on Thursday, a step that could cut off as much as $150 million in U.S. funding to the impoverished Central American nation.

Even The New Republic now calls for a party purge of corporate-owned “centrists”  —  The New Republic, 2004, endorsing Joe Lieberman for President: … TNR's Jonathan Chait, in The Los Angeles Times, 2006, viciously condemning those who mounted a primary challenge against Lieberman (an “anti-Lieberman jihad"):

US envoy ‘in angry Karzai talks’  —  The BBC has learned that the US special envoy to Afghanistan has had what has been described as “an explosive meeting” with President Hamid Karzai over the country's election.  —  Sources have revealed that Richard Holbrooke raised concerns about ballot-stuffing …