Time for the U.S. to Get Out of Afghanistan  —  “Yesterday,” reads the e-mail from Allen, a Marine in Afghanistan, “I gave blood because a Marine, while out on patrol, stepped on a [mine's] pressure plate and lost both legs.”  Then “another Marine with a bullet wound to the head was brought in.

Glenn Greenwald  —  Twice in the past month, my private communications have been splashed about the internet.  That such a thing would happen is unfortunate, and dishonorable, but sadly inevitable, I suppose.  I ignored the first case, in which a rather pathetic woman acolyte of Greenwald's published …

YOU CAN'T KEEP A BAD MAN DOWN  —  SPITZER IS EYEING A COMEBACK  —  Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer has been privately talking with friends about a possible comeback, and is considering a run for statewide office next year, several sources told The Post.

The Obama Slide  —  Two tides swept over American politics last winter.  The first was the Obama tide.  Barack Obama came into office with an impressive 70 percent approval rating.  The second was the independent tide.  Over the first months of this year, the number of people …

Thesis Thrusts Va. Gubernatorial Candidate's Past Views Into Spotlight  —  The Virginia governor's race ignited Monday over Republican Robert F. McDonnell's 20-year-old graduate thesis: Democrats assailed him in e-mail blasts and interviews for what he wrote about working women, homosexuals and …

GOP readies wave of objections to stall healthcare bill in Senate  —  Sen. Judd Gregg has hundreds of procedural objections ready for a healthcare plan Democrats want to speed through the Senate.  —  Gregg (N.H.), the senior Republican on the Budget Committee, told the Hill in a recent interview …

Obama Takes Realistic Approach on Health Care  —  His Flexible Tactics Match Reform to Political Reality  —  The conventional wisdom is that President Obama and Democratic congressional leaders are on the run, that we seem to be heading for a replay of 1994, when the Clinton health-care plan went down in flames.

Justice Dept. to Recharge Enforcement of Civil Rights  —  WASHINGTON — Seven months after taking office, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is reshaping the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division by pushing it back into some of the most important areas of American political life …

Torture's Ugly Dialogue  —  Call him Ishmael.  —  Call him a terrorist or a suicide bomber or anything else you want, but understand that he is willing — no, anxious — to give his life for his cause.  Call him also a captive, and know that he works with others as part of a team …

John Kerry: Global Warming Is The Next 9/11  —  John Kerry has written an op-ed for the Huffington Post comparing the inaction in response to a heating planet to the inaction of President Bush before September 11th.  —  Kerry reaches deep into the bag of global warming hysterics to uncork this piece …

Obama's Looming Health Care Disaster: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places  —  “For the first time in American history, he wants to tax your health benefits.  Apparently, Senator McCain doesn't think it's enough that your health premiums have doubled.  He thinks you should have to pay taxes on them, too.”

Why Does Nancy Pelosi Have a Problem With Patriotic Music?  —  If you've ever been stuck on hold with a congressional office in the past, at least you've been able to enjoy some good patriotic music, as opposed to the lilting tones of generic smooth jazz that have been driving elevator users insane for decades.

go to forum  —  Does Megan realize the people bringing guns to Obama events are militant Republicans bent on murder?  —  I haven't watched the diavlog yet, and won't be able to until tomorrow evening at the earliest.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that Megan McArdle knows nothing about the militant …

HYPOCRITE CHARLIE: PUNISH TAX SLIP-UPS  —  WASHINGTON — Even as he fends off accusations about his own failure to pay taxes and fully disclose his financial dealings, Rep. Charles Rangel had quietly slipped into the health-care bill broad new provisions cracking down on taxpayers in proceedings with the IRS, The Post has learned.

ABC News Exclusive: National Security Adviser Says President Obama Is Having Greater Success Taking Terrorists Out of Commission Than Bush Did  —  Responding to criticism from former Vice President Cheney that President Obama is making the nation more vulnerable to terrorism …

Study Raises Questions About Cost Savings From Preventive Care  —  Reform's Backers Say Such Measures Will Help Pay for Overhaul of Health System  —  Preventive services for the chronically ill may reduce health-care costs, but they are unlikely to generate the kind of fantastic savings …