The Fall Guy  —  CIA Director Leon Panetta getting sacked by his own team.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In the game of political football that is today national security, spare a thought for CIA Director Leon Panetta.  Quarterbacking is hard enough without getting sacked by your own team.

The Great Gradualist  —  In the days since Ted Kennedy's death, the news programs have shown and re-shown the unforgettable ending of his 1980 Democratic convention speech — the passage from Tennyson and the beautiful final lines: “The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

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.

Banks ‘Too Big to Fail’ Have Grown Even Bigger  —  Behemoths Born of the Bailout Reduce Consumer Choice, Tempt Corporate Moral Hazard  —  When the credit crisis struck last year, federal regulators pumped tens of billions of dollars into the nation's leading financial institutions …

Gutless Cowards  —  Observe the man who undoubtedly receives medicare speaking in an Iowa town hall meeting with Senator Charles Grassley earlier this week: … Observe that Grassley says NOTHING to dissuade the gentlemen from his thesis or desire.  —  This has happened again, and again, and again in the last month.

Legislature must act quickly on interim Senate appointment  —  THE DEATH Tuesday of Senator Edward M. Kennedy puts Massachusetts at half strength in the US Senate at a precarious time.  Massachusetts lawmakers will only worsen the situation if they fail to take steps to assure a timely replacement.

Till Debt Does Its Part  —  So new budget projections show a cumulative deficit of $9 trillion over the next decade.  According to many commentators, that's a terrifying number, requiring drastic action — in particular, of course, canceling efforts to boost the economy and calling off health care reform.

A Strategy to Save Obamacare, But at What Cost  —  Obamacare Version 1.0 is dead.  The 1,000-page monstrosity that emerged in various editions from Congress was done in by widespread national revulsion not just at its expense and intrusiveness but also at the mendacity with which it is being sold.

Late Senator's Staff Became The Other Kennedy Family  —  Behind each of Edward M. Kennedy's legislative victories was a vast coterie of staffers who became Washington legend.  They meticulously packed the senator's black briefcase each evening with tabbed, underlined and dog-eared briefing papers.

EXCLUSIVE: SC GOP to push for Sanford's removal  —  Governor may be impeached  —  South Carolina Republican lawmakers are laying plans for a special session legislative session on whether to impeach and remove embattled Gov. Mark Sanford by the end of the year, several senior state lawmakers have told The Washington Times.

Bush's Search Policy For Travelers Is Kept  —  Obama Officials Say Oversight Will Grow  —  The Obama administration will largely preserve Bush-era procedures allowing the government to search — without suspicion of wrongdoing — the contents of a traveler's laptop computer …

MAKING THE PUBLIC OPTION OPTIONAL.... Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R) of Texas has been one of the leading right-wing agitators against health care reform.  It was a little odd, then, to see Armey accidentally tell The Economist that the public option may be a good idea.

SarahPAC taken to task by feds for illegal contributions  —  OOPS: Mistakes on political donations blamed on software.  —  ldemer@adn.com  —  Former Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee gave excessive contributions to two well-known Republicans and also is facing demands …

Groups launch attack on cap and trade  —  Two of the most powerful business associations in the country launched a multimillion-dollar campaign against climate and energy legislation on Thursday, targeting key senators in Rust Belt and Southern states.  —  The National Association …

Dealing With Being the Health Care ‘Villains’  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Max Shireman says that when he looks in the mirror he does not see the monster the politicians have made him out to be.  —  Sure, he could stand to lose a few pounds.  And there was that speeding ticket last year for going 40 in a 30-mile-an-hour zone.

Grassley: No Longer Sure Bipartisan Health Deal Possible In September  —  Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa indicated Thursday he was no longer sure whether negotiators can reach a bipartisan deal in September, citing mounting public concern about excessive government spending and soaring federal deficits.

My Last Word on Guns  —  Jason Zengerle indicates that the real point is that openly carrying weapons at a protest makes it harder for the Secret Service to do their job.  Probably.  On the other hand, lots of things make it harder for the Secret Service to do their job.

Q&A: Palin for president in 2012?  Flip a coin, dad says  —  Chuck Heath is in Idaho campaigning for GOP congressional candidate Vaughn Ward.  —  Political newcomer Vaughn Ward basked in some star power as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's father and father-in-law began a three-day swing …

[video] Is Using A Minotaur To Gore Detainees A Form Of Torture?  —  In The Know panelists discuss the closing of the controversial detainee labyrinth and debate whether the Minotaur's sternum-stomping-by-hooves interrogation technique yielded valuable intelligence.

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts hears from both sides of health care debate  —  Intelligencer Journal Lancaster New Era  —  U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts was cheered by opponents of President Barack Obama's sweeping health-care proposals at a spirited — and occasionally testy — town-hall meeting here Thursday night.

Kennedy Mourners Pour in For Last Goodbye  —  Constituents Honor Impact Late Senator Had on Their Lives; Private Memorial Planned for Family, Friends  —  (CBS/AP) Last Updated at 10:22 a.m. Eastern  —  The last time Ginger Romano saw Sen. Ted Kennedy, she wasn't at her best.

Sunspots Do Really Affect Weather Patterns, Say Scientists  —  A new study in the journal Science by a team of international of researchers led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research have found that the sunspot cycle has a big effect on the earth's weather.

Against Spite-Based Foreign Policy  —  Bruce Riedel, who led the Obama administration's AfPak policy review, apparently said the following at a Brookings event earlier this week: … “This is not a rationale you often hear from the administration and its defenders,” observes Michael Crowley …