Already, 23 Dems have said they will vote ‘no’ on healthcare reform  —  At least 23 House Democrats already have told constituents or hometown media that they oppose the massive healthcare overhaul touted by President Barack Obama.  —  If Republicans offer the blanket opposition they've promised …

Thank you, Glenn Beck.  By helping force the resignation of Van Jones, you have done a great service to your country.  But in the exact opposite way than what you intended.  —  Your vile and vicious smear campaign has helped reverse one of the worst examples of miscasting since John Wayne took …

When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings  —  The controversy over President Obama's speech to the nation's schoolchildren will likely be over shortly after Obama speaks today at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.  But when President George H.W. Bush delivered …

Americans Still Sharply Divided on Healthcare Reform  —  Opponents more likely than supporters to base their 2010 vote on the issue  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The American people are no less divided on healthcare reform today than they were a month ago.  A new Gallup Poll finds 39% of Americans saying …

As ‘Rescissions’ Spawn Outrage, Health Insurers Cite Fraud Control  —  Firms Defend ‘Rescissions’ as Fraud Control  —  LOS ANGELES — The untimely disappearance of Sally Marrari's medical coverage goes a long way toward explaining why insurance companies are cast as the villain in the health-care reform drama.

The Story Behind the Story  —  IF YOU HAPPENED to be watching a television news channel on May 26, the day President Obama nominated U.S. Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, you might have been struck, as I was, by what seemed like a nifty investigative report.

Laura Bush praises Obama, bemoans excessive partisanship  —  PARIS, France (CNN) — Former first lady Laura Bush praised the performance of her husband's successor Monday, breaking with many Republicans in telling CNN that she thinks President Obama is doing a good job under tough circumstances.

More Lies from Barack Obama  —  From today's socialist indoctrination speech: … My father dropped out of tenth grade and has had a totally solid career as a novelist and screenwriter.  These smears against the dropout community need to stop!

Reversal of Supreme Court Precedents at Issue  —  Campaign Case Touches on Justices' Stance on Earlier Rulings  —  The Supreme Court's unusual hearing Wednesday on the role corporations can play in influencing elections carries the potential not only for rewriting the nation's campaign finance laws …

What President Jimmy Carter Missed in His Op-Ed on the Middle East  —  In an op-ed on Sunday ["The Elders' View of the Middle East"], former president Jimmy Carter, speaking on behalf of a self-appointed group of “Elders,” described a rapacious Israel facing long-suffering, blameless Palestinians …

Sanford's ‘Secret-Agent Mission’  —  Blogs and Stories  —  In an exclusive interview, South Carolina's embattled governor, Mark Sanford, talks to The Daily Beast about his strategy for political survival, how his fall from grace disarms his opponents, why he's no Bill Clinton—and the the temptation to “go hide under a rock.”

Al-Qaeda Targeting Germany for ‘Next 9/11’ - Within Weeks  —  Follow Israel news on and .  —  (IsraelNN.com) Jihadists close to al-Qaeda explicitly warned in new communications that Germany will be the target of the next 9/11-scale terrorist attack.  The timing of the strike, they say, will be within the next few weeks.

Marc Garlasco - Is HRW's Anti-Israel Investigator A Nazi-Obsessed Collector?  —  There are two Marc Garlascos on the Internet.  One is a top human rights investigator who, having joined Human Rights Watch after several years with the Pentagon, has become known for his shrill attacks on Israel.

Fraud?  I'll Show You Fraud.  —  I'm guessing that, at this point Richard Holbrooke is regretting his comparison of potential irregularities in the Afghan election to problems in Minnesota last year: … In the meantime, Karzai is just about one point short of an election result that would avoid a runoff.

Context for the Baucus Plan  —  I hope that my bona fides as a Max Baucus detractor are not seriously in doubt.  And as a Max Baucus detractor, I certainly have my criticisms of the plan he put out.  A plan that's relatively stingy to working Americans would be more forgivable were it not also so friendly to industry.

Primary sources: U.S. government document lays out Afghanistan strategy  —  What's the U.S. strategy for Afghanistan?  This sensitive but unclassified document, “United States government integrated civilian-military campaign plan for support to Afghanistan,” dated August 10 …