Obama and the Bureaucratization of Health Care  —  The president's proposals would give unelected officials life-and-death rationing powers.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Writing in the New York Times last month, President Barack Obama asked that Americans “talk with one another …

How Obama Survived August  —  At the beginning of the month, I predicted that August might turn out be a bloodbath for Democrats.  At the time, the Democratic self-containment on health care had dissolved, cranks were taking over constituent meetings, and that real anxiety about Obama had found …

Why the public option matters  —  Most arguments against the public option are based either on deliberate misrepresentation of what that option would mean, or on remarkably thorough misunderstanding of the concept, which persists to a frustrating degree: I was really surprised to see Joe Klein worrying …

Too late for Obama to turn it around?  —  Plus: The left's visionaries lost their bearings on drugs — but the GOP is led by losers  —  What a difference a month makes!  When my last controversial column posted on Salon in the second week of August, most Democrats seemed frozen in suspended animation …

Unmentionable: Best-Selling Conservative Books and the Networks that Ignore Them  —  Research reveals a glaring imbalance in network coverage of liberal best-sellers and comparable conservative titles.  —  Culture and Media Institute  —  The most coveted real estate in the publishing industry …

Seized Times Reporter Is Freed in Afghan Raid That Kills Aide  —  Stephen Farrell, a New York Times reporter held captive by militants in northern Afghanistan, was freed in a military commando raid early Wednesday, but his Afghan interpreter was killed during the rescue effort.

Dodd to stay as Banking chair  —  Sen. Christopher Dodd's expected announcement that he will remain in charge of the Banking Committee should give a big boost to his longtime colleague Tom Harkin while setting off a shuffle on other Senate panels.  —  Dodd has played stand …

Rep. Jean Schmidt Tells Birther: ‘I Agree With You’  —  Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH) spoke at the Voice of America tea party this Labor Day weekend outside of Cincinnati, OH.  Following a tense Q&A session — during which, the congresswoman was booed for acknowledging that the Constitution …

Olbermann Flip-flops, Tells Kossacks NOT to Dig Up Dirt on Beck  —  Want to know just how unstable MSNBC's Keith Olbermann is?  —  Within the course of 48 hours, he asked Daily Kos readers to send him everything they could dig up about Fox News host Glenn Beck, and then called off the dogs.

Obama to seal US-UN relationship  —  By Harvey Morris at the United Nations  —  Barack Obama will cement the new co-operative relationship between the US and the United Nations this month when he becomes the first American president to chair its 15-member Security Council.

‘Doctors told me it was against the rules to save my premature baby’  —  Sarah Capewell begged them to save her tiny son, who was born just 21 weeks and five days into her pregnancy - almost four months early.  —  They ignored her pleas and allegedly told her they were following national guidelines …

Chambliss: Obama Better Show Humility In Speech To Congress  —  Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) said today that, because of angry town hallers and the like, President Obama should show “humility” when he speaks to Congress Wednesday night.  —  “What you're seeing is folks on my side anxious …

NSA-Intercepted E-Mails Helped Convict Would-Be Bombers  —  The three men convicted in the United Kingdom on Monday of a plot to bomb several transcontinental flights were prosecuted in part using crucial e-mail correspondences intercepted by the U.S. National Security Agency, according to Britain's Channel 4.

WHO SET UP GOVERNMENT ‘PROPAGANDA’ CONFERENCE CALL?  Newly Revealed White House, NEA Audio Contradict  —  Another conference call has materialized, revealing a concerted effort by government to use the arts to address political issues.  —  Lee Rosenbaum, a blogger for Artsjournal.com …

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN A NATIONAL ADDRESS TO AMERICA'S SCHOOLCHILDREN  —  THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody!  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  All right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.  How is everybody doing today?  (Applause.)  How about Tim Spicer?  (Applause.)

'We're pinned down:' 4 U.S. Marines die in Afghan ambush  —  Smoke billows up Tuesday after a suicide bomber blew himself up near the military entrance to Kabul's airport, killing at least three.  Read the story.  (Photo by Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times.)

What Obama Says vs. What He Does  —  The most important thing about what anyone says are not the words themselves but the credibility of the person who says them.  —  The words of convicted swindler Bernie Madoff were apparently quite convincing to many people who were regarded as knowledgeable and sophisticated.

Win a dinner with Palin  —  (CNN) - If you've ever wanted to eat dinner with Sarah Palin, now's your chance.  —  With bids starting at $25,000, eBay is auctioning off a dinner for five with the former Alaska governor and her husband, Todd.  The proceeds will go to “Ride 2 Recovery,” …

Taliban Ambush in Eastern Kunar Kills Four U.S. Marines  —  In a sad for the U.S. Marine Corps, four Marines have perished in Afghanistan.  Lamenting their deaths and praying for their families is appropriate, but it's also important to note the circumstances surrounding this incident.

U.S. in Delicate Spot as Fraud Claims Mount in Afghan Vote  —  WASHINGTON — On Monday, as the vote-counting in Afghanistan was nearing an end, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was briefed by the American ambassador in Kabul, Karl W. Eikenberry.  The same day, the ambassador delivered …

Mohamed ElBaradei left out evidence of Iran bomb, France claims  —  This is Mohamed ElBaradei's last year addressing the annual conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency.  —  He will not be universally missed.  Long chided for being soft on Iran, he goes into this year's conference amid …

Employer Requirement in Baucus Health Package Would Have Unintended Effect of Discouraging Hiring of Low-Income and Minority Workers  —  While an employer responsibility requirement is an essential component of health care reform, a proposal included in the new health reform package …