White House Says Little About Embattled Jones  —  White House officials offered tepid support Friday for Van Jones, the administration's embattled energy efficiency guru, who has issued two public apologies this week, one for signing a petition that questioned whether Bush administration officials …

Obama looking for retirement plan reforms  —  Among the changes are expanded access to 401k plans and a pledge to let workers convert vacation days into retirement savings  —  President Barack Obama announced a series of policy changes Saturday aimed at making it easier for Americans to save money for retirement.

Obama May Need Sense of Crisis to Revive Health-Care Overhaul  —  Sept. 4 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama returns to Washington next week in search of one thing that can revive his health-care overhaul: a sense of crisis.  —  Facing polls showing a drop in his approval …

Protester to Mark Warner: Which part of the Constitution says you get to take over health care?  —  Via CNS.  We've been down this road before but it's one thing to kick around arguments in the comments and another to watch a U.S. Senator be put on the spot.

The ESPN Zone of Empires  —  ESPN Zone New York (cc photo by bigweasel)  —  Afghanistan is often called the “Graveyard of Empires,” but I think the phrase is pretty misleading.  It seems to imply that empires that venture in Afghanistan get defeated and die.

The right way to debate healthcare reform  —  If you have 10 minutes on the eve of the three-day weekend, you really should take the time to watch the video below.  It shows Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., talking with a group of his constituents who oppose the Democratic healthcare reform plans.

Gates Assails ‘Appalling’ Decision by AP to Release Photo of Dying Marine  —  The defense secretary went as far as to ask the AP to reconsider distributing the photo of Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard.  —  FOXNews.com  —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates has harshly criticized the decision …

Franken Talks Down Angry Mob!!!  —  I got to witness something really special the other day.  About a dozen tea party activists had staked out Sen. Al Franken's booth at the Minnesota State Fair and confronted him loudly when he arrived.  But within minutes, he'd turned an unruly crowd into a productive conversation on health care.

A Doctor's Plan for Legal Industry Reform  —  My modest proposal to rearrange how lawyers do business.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Since we are moving toward socialism with ObamaCare, the time has come to do the same with other professions—especially lawyers.

Panel Rules Against Ashcroft in Detention Case  —  Former attorney general John Ashcroft may face personal liability for the decisions that led to the detention of an American citizen as a material witness after the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal appeals court panel ruled on Friday.

Reminder: DOJ Honors Program Applications Are Almost Due  —  This morning, we reminded you about judicial clerkships as one career option to explore.  Now we'd like to remind you of another: the Attorney General's Honors Program, at the U.S. Department of Justice.  The application deadline is this coming Tuesday, September 8.

Afghanistan Is Not 'Obama's War'  —  Republicans should never do to President Obama what many Democrats did to President Bush.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In his column for the Washington Post on Tuesday, the influential conservative George Will provided intellectual fodder …

Dems: “Republicans Want To End Medicare” (VIDEO)  —  Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele penned an op-ed in the Washington Post on Monday accusing Democrats of looking to gut Medicare.  —  Five days later — on the eve of a three-day weekend — Democrats are hitting back.