The Divisions in the White House Over Health-Care Reform  —  This is health-care reform's endgame, or close to it.  Next Wednesday, Barack Obama will give a prime-time address before both houses of Congress.  But that's not all he's giving Congress.  The administration is going to put a plan down on paper.

“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:

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 …

Greer Condemns Obama's Attempt to Indoctrinate Students  —  Tallahassee- Â Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today released the following statement condemning President Obama's use of taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda.

Potential Senate candidacy  —  While my family is obviously the priority, and 38 Studios is a priority, I do have some interest in the possibility.  That being said, to get to there from where I am today, many many things would have to align themselves for that to truly happen.

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 …

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 …

Obama and the Perfect Political Storm  —  It's hard to sell change voters don't think they need.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  August was the worst month of Barack Obama's presidency.  And he seems to know it—he is now planning to deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress 232 days …

VAN JONES' OPINION OF THE GOP.... For a seven-month-old quote, this is generating a surprising amount of attention today. … In the exchange, Jones was asked why a Republican president working with a Republican Congress can pass more of its agenda than a Democratic president working with a Democratic president.

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.

Levi's latest  —  A Palin partisan points out that Levi Johnston has said previously — contrary his Vanity Fair claim — that there was never discussion of giving away the baby:  —  KING: Levi, was abortion ever considered?  —  L. JOHNSTON: No.  —  KING: Giving up for adoption ever considered?

9/11 Ad for WWF Causes Tsunami of a Crisis for DDB Brasil  —  Apology Doesn't Stave Off Global Compensation; Video Version Surfaces  —  An obscure ad that ran once in a small Sao Paulo newspaper months ago has come back to haunt DDB Brasil and its conservation client, the WWF in Brazil …

Democratic Advantage in Party Affiliation Shrinks  —  Gap now 5 points, down from 17 in January  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In August, an average of 45% of Americans identified as Democrats or leaned to the Democratic Party, while 40% identified as Republicans or leaned to the Republican Party.

DNA to free another inmate  —  Winston-Salem man has served 14 years after being convicted of raping 2 girls  —  A 49-year-old man who has served more than 14 years of a life sentence for raping two teenage sisters will be released today after DNA tests determined that he wasn't the attacker.

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 …

Accountability, but at What Cost?  —  My friend and fellow columnist Eugene Robinson has written a characteristically passionate and well-reasoned piece commending Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to name a special counsel to examine possible law-breaking by interrogators of terrorist subjects during the last administration.

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 …

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 …