Controversial Obama Administration Official Denies Being Part of 9/11 “Truther” Movement, Apologizes for Past Comments  —  A top environmental official of the Obama administration issued a statement Thursday apologizing for past incendiary statement and denying that he ever agreed …

Health Care Vigil in Thousand Oaks: Provocation to violent response  —  Yes, I was at the health care vigil tonight in Thousand Oaks.  Yes, I saw what happened, though it was from across a very large street.  I can't tell you who said what to who, but I will tell you what the mood was …

House Liberals Write Directly To Obama: No Public Option, No Support  —  In a letter delivered to the White House moments ago, the two leaders of the bloc of House progressives bluntly told President Obama that they will not support any health care plan without a public option in it — and demanded a meeting to inform him face to face.

Obama speech to students draws conservative ire  —  DALLAS — President Barack Obama's back-to-school address next week was supposed to be a feel-good story for an administration battered over its health care agenda.  Now Republican critics are calling it an effort to foist a political agenda on children …

THE FABRIC IS STRONG, BUT IT'S NOT INDESTRUCTIBLE.... Time's Joe Klein reports from Arkansas, where he attended a town-hall event hosted by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D).  He found an “astonishing” number of attendees who were absolutely certain that President Obama has “larded the government with communists.”

MSNBC removes Buchanan column from site  —  Pat Buchanan has received a lot of criticism recently for his column marking the 70th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland, where the conservative pundit questions whether Hitler has gotten a bum rap.  —  By extension, MSNBC …

U.S. Forces Should Leave Iraq Next Year  —  Since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq's cities, two months have passed, and so has the illusion that Iraq is smoothly transitioning to a normality free of sectarian violence.  Recently, Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of U.S. troops there, “blanched” when asked if the war is “functionally over.”

Ezra Klein's Misplaced Dilemma  —  The usually observant Ezra Klein apparently thinks the problem we're having with health care reform is that Congressional “centrists” are more likely indifferent or hostile to whether reforms succeed than are the reform activists.

Black Caucus warns Obama on speech  —  Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)  —  CAN IT BE ANY CLEARER?  THE LEFTIST DEMOCRATS ARE DRIVING THE OBAMACARE AGENDA —  IT'S ALL ABOUT MORE ‘WELFARE & WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION’ BY THE SO-CALLED BLACK CAUCUS.  —  Posted By: WELFARE & WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION.

Sen. Snowe not afraid to buck her party  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has shown throughout her career that when it comes to voting, it's her principles and constituents that guide her, not her party.  —  Those principles, analysts note, are guiding her to find …

The Controversy Won't Stop...  SOURCE:  —  I read the front page of the NY Post this week and was happy to see that Mr. Spitzer is moving on with his life and considering getting back into politics.  Everyone makes mistakes.  Everyone deserves a second chance.  Me too, right?  Well, apparently not.

How Did Economists Get it So Wrong?  —  I. MISTAKING BEAUTY FOR TRUTH  —  It's hard to believe now, but not long ago economists were congratulating themselves over the success of their field.  Those successes — or so they believed — were both theoretical and practical, leading to a golden era for the profession.

Steele Busts O-bot Plant At Howard U.  —  Update: Figures.  If you notice, she starts shouting just as Steele prepares to make the Republican's case to people who actually might want to hear an honest discussion.  Her mind was made up going in.  She went to shout down an opposing viewpoint, not foster actual debate.

U.S. Threatens Not to Recognize Winner of Honduras Presidential Election  —  The U.S. government on Thursday toughened its stance against Honduras's coup leaders and supporters, threatening to put them “in a box” by not recognizing the winner of a presidential election set for November.

Too many Democratic congressmen behaving like jackasses for bloggers to keep up anymore  —  I've started three different posts today about some lefty rep acting like an A-hole only to be sidetracked by a newer, even more egregious incident of A-holishness.  So let's be efficient and consolidate before the next one comes down the pike.