Irving Kristol, 1920-2009  —  Irving Kristol, writer, editor, and social philosopher, has died in Washington at the age of 89.  His wisdom, wit, good humor, and generosity of spirit made him a friend and mentor to several generations of thinkers and public servants.  —The Editors

Tapper calls Fox ad ‘demonstrably untrue’  —  Jake Tapper, on Twitter this morning, took issue with a Fox News ad in today's Washington Post, that he says is “asserting that every other channel ‘missed’ the story of the 912 march.  Demonstrably untrue.”  —  He pointed out that Yunji de Nies …

Inquiry Into CIA Practices Narrows  —  Ex-Agency Directors Urge Administration To Drop Investigation  —  The Justice Department's review of detainee abuse by the CIA will focus on a very small number of cases, including at least one in which an Afghan prisoner died at a secret facility, according to two sources briefed on the matter.

Source: Colo. Man in Suspected NYC Subway Plot Admits Ties to Al Qaeda  —  The Colorado man under FBI investigation into an alleged New York subway terror plot has admitted he has ties to Al Qaeda and is in negotiations to plead guilty to a terror charge, a source at the Department of Justice told FOX News.

Miss California Wows Conservatives  —  ABC News' Teddy Davis and Brittany Crockett Report:  —  The Value Voters Summit heard from potential Republican presidential candidates and GOP congressional leaders on Friday morning.  —  But it was Carrie Prejean—former Miss California—who stole the show.

Michelle Obama Says Women Are “Crushed” by Health-Care System  —  Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) — First lady Michelle Obama sought support for the administration's health-care plans from family advocacy groups and health-care professionals, saying the treatment of women under the current system is “unacceptable.”

Sixty-Five Views of HC Reform, One Big Trend  —  The trend in opinion on health care reform has been a bit tricky of late.  After a long and substantial rise of opposition, and an equally long but less sizable decline in support, we came to August, the month for the strange in politics.

What They Really Think  —  Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright spoke at a forum in Omsk, Siberia.  Pravda reported that her speech “surprised the audience.”  No wonder.  The Russians in attendance must have wondered how they managed to lose the cold war: … There you have it.

No, It's Not About Race  —  You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I go running several times a week.  My favorite route, because it's so flat, is from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol and back.  I was there last Saturday and found myself plodding through tens of thousands of anti-government “tea party” protesters.

Massachusetts Bill on Senate Succession Delayed  —  BOSTON — Republicans in the Massachusetts State Senate on Friday temporarily blocked the chamber from taking up legislation that would allow Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint an interim successor to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

MEDIA MATTERS: 'On Fox, Breitbart bashes CNN's ACORN coverage'  —  “The behavior of Jonathan Klein, the president of CNN, has been despicable during this.”  —  MEGYN KELLY (co-host): Joining me now is Andrew Breitbart.  He's the founder of the website the video first appeared on.

Obama's smart decision to scuttle Bush's European missile-defense plan.  —  President Barack Obama's scuttling of George W. Bush's plan to deploy a missile-defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland—or, more particularly, the way he scuttled it—amounts to a remarkably shrewd bit of politics and statesmanship.

New Rule: You can't complain about health care reform if you're not willing to reform your own health.  Unlike most liberals, I'm glad all those teabaggers marched on Washington last week.  Because judging from the photos, it's the first exercise they've gotten in years.

A Death Every 12 Minutes: The Price of Not Having Medicare for All  —  Americans are dying at a faster rate — 1 every 12 minutes, 5 an hour, 120 a day, 45,000 a year — not from war or natural disaster, but from lack of health insurance.  —  That's the stunning finding of a study published today …

MSNBC Reporter Heckled At Values Voter Summit  —  While reporting this afternoon from the floor of the Values Voter Summit, MSNBC reporter Brian Mooar was heckled by several audience members who said he was being rude and disrespectful.  —  Mooar was giving a live broadcast as Rep. Roy Blunt …

We Can't Cut Spending  —  Why?  Because the votes aren't there.  —  Every time I write about the need to raise revenues to pay for federal spending, some nitwit always demands to know why we don't just cut spending.  That is not a viable option to deal with our fiscal problem.

Obama's risky ‘Full Ginsburg’  —  On Sunday, President Barack Obama will execute what might be called a Modified Full Ginsburg — appearing on five Sunday morning talk shows to make a pitch for health reform.  —  It's a move few politicians have attempted.  Even fewer have been able to stick the landing.