Key senator rejects ‘trigger’ for public health insurance option  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - A moderate Republican who has previously broken with her party to support President Obama's $787 billion stimulus bill said Sunday that she does not support the idea of using a so called “trigger” …

CLEAN Conservatives vs FILTHY Liberals— A Photographic Essay  —  After the 2 million strong conservative freedom rally on 9-12:  —  And, here is the filth left for someone else to clean up after the Inauguration of Barack Obama:  —  Via Prisca  —  The democrats were obviously waiting for Big Government to clean up for them.

Transcript: President Obama  —  60 Minutes' Steve Kroft Interviewed President Barack Obama on Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 … STEVE KROFT: What were you specifically hoping to accomplish with the speech this week?  —  PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Well, I think the most important thing was to make sure …

Stiglitz Says Banking Problems Are Now Bigger Than Pre-Lehman  —  Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) — Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Prize- winning economist, said the U.S. has failed to fix the underlying problems of its banking system after the credit crunch and the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

Updated: 9/12 Attendance Issues Addressed  —  Update 4: A relevant bit but I won't claim it as definitive.  Stacy was there when I got to DC.  I took a cab for the last leg and had to be dropped-off blocks up.  The mark we are looking at seems to be Constitution Ave from the Google aerial view of the area.

Editor of HuffPo's Health Unit Mocks Death of Cornell Student  —  Friday, September 11, 2009, a 20 year old student at Cornell University, Warren Schor, pictured left, died of complications from the swine flu.  IvyGate Blog chose the tragedy as an occasion for mockery and silliness.

Tina Fey Disses Palin  —  Saturday Night Live actress Tina Fey received an Emmy Award on Saturday for her spot-on impersonation of Republican vice presidential contender Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live.  —  Accepting her trophy for best guest actress in a comedy, Fey went through the ritual …

For WashPos t, right-wing protesters are Page One news; in 2002 liberal war protesters were not  —  Behold the media's glaring double standard.  Today, the Post puts the “tens of thousands” of Obama-hating tea bagger protesters on A1; makes it the lead story as a matter of fact.

Iran snubs Barack Obama's nuclear talks  —  Iran has dealt a blow to one of President Barack Obama's most ambitious diplomatic initiatives by dismissing demands to put its nuclear programme at the heart of direct talks with the United States.  —  Less than 48 hours after Washington …

Democrats push for Social Security increase after adjustment falls through  —  Lawmakers are calling for an increase to Social Security payments that would cost the government billions of dollars.  —  The congressional push comes after the Social Security Administration reportedly indicated …

Free Speech, Now that Speech Is Free  —  Political campaign regulations are silly in the age of YouTube.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The equivalent of the health-care debate a few years ago was the battle over the McCain-Feingold law, which was supposed to be the most important political reform in a generation.

Santorum reportedly mulling White House bid  —  Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) reportedly told Catholic leaders Friday night he was “thinking about” a bid for the presidency in 2012.  —  During his address to the Catholic Leadership Conference in Orlando, Santorum also asked …

Wall Street's Math Wizards Forgot a Few Variables  —  IN the aftermath of the great meltdown of 2008, Wall Street's quants have been cast as the financial engineers of profit-driven innovation run amok.  They, after all, invented the exotic securities that proved so troublesome.