Obama to address Congress on reform  —  President Barack Obama will address a joint session of Congress on health care reform in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 9, a senior official tells POLITICO.  —  Obama plans to give lawmakers a more specific prescription for health care legislation than he has in the past, aides said.

“I pledge to be of service to Barack Obama”  —  As if I needed any more evidence to bolster today's column about the Obama junior lobbyist campaign in America's schools, here's another item fresh from the headlines in Utah:

Levi Johnston: “Me and Mrs. Palin”  —  Left, photograph by Nigel Parry/CPi Syndication.  Right, photograph by Mark Seliger.  —  Three days after Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican vice-presidential candidate, the McCain campaign released a statement saying that her 17-year-old unwed daughter, Bristol, was pregnant.

Department of Education Deletes Line About How Schoolkids Can Help Obama — By: Jim Geraghty  —  It appears there are two versions of the preparatory materials for the president's address to schoolchildren floating around, one with language urging teachers to have students write letters …

Sentenced to death on the NHS  —  Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors warn today.  —  In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, a group of experts who care for the terminally ill claim that some patients are being wrongly judged as close to death.

Buchanan's Apologia for Hitler  —  As if some neocon were setting out to parody dovish thinking on contemporary issues, paleocon Pat Buchanan has gone and written a “blame Britian first” account of the origins of World War II.  Apparently, according to Buchanan, Hitler was just seeking …

Senate hopeful of the day: Curt Schilling  —  Add another name to the growing list of pols and would-be pols eyeing a run for Edward M. Kennedy's Senate seat: Former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling.  —  That's right, Mr. Bloody Sock himself apparently told NECN's Brad Puffer in an interview today …

Rankings  —  Below are the Washington Monthly's 2009 national university college rankings.  We rate schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs) …

Election 2009: Virginia Governor Election  —  Virginia Governor: McDonnell 51% Deeds 42%  —  In the race to become the next Governor of Virginia, Republican Robert F. McDonnell retains a steady lead over Democrat R. Creigh Deeds.  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey …

Kennedy Memoir Talks of Chappaquiddick, J.F.K. and Other Presidents  —  In a memoir being published posthumously, Senator Edward M. Kennedy talks remorsefully about the car accident that claimed the life of Mary Jo Kopechne - a turn of events many consider a chief reason that he was never able …

Online politics reserved for rich  —  US civic engagement remains in the hands of the middle-class despite hopes that the internet would democratise political involvement.  —  Those are the findings of a report from the Pew Internet Project.  —  Online political engagement such as contacting officials …

Sanford: Appalachian Trail Tale Was “A Little White Lie”  —  As part of a fresh round of interviews designed to help save his job, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford suggested a higher power wants him to remain in office, and called his now legendary Appalachian Trail deception “a little white lie”.

Congressional Favorability at 24-Year Low  —  Midterm Voting Intentions Evenly Divided  —  Americans are extremely displeased with Congress, and there are already some signs that this could take a toll on the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections.  Currently, 37% express a favorable opinion …

The Obama Administration: MIA on Afghanistan?  —  So I was on the Newshour last night debating Afghanistan with a favorite of this blog and its readers, Andrew Bacevich.  As readers of this blog know, I am uncomfortable when placed in the position of being expected to lustily defend the war.

Another View: Lock the Law School Doors  —  Dan Slater, a former litigator, argues that there are too many places at too many law schools, especially with the current hiring slump at law firms.  —  This summer, in the staid world of legal education, where curriculum is uniform and scholars …

Lincoln: Public option too expensive  —  LITTLE ROCK — U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln said today she opposes a public health insurance option because it would be too expensive.  —  “For some in my caucus, when they talk about a public option they're talking about another entitlement program …