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.

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.

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.

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.

Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care  —  Republicans see a backdoor move toward ‘amnesty’  —  President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

What's Wrong With the Finance Bill?  An Interview With Sen. Jay Rockefeller.  —  Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) chairs the Finance Committee's Health Care Subcommittee.  His support will be crucial — maybe even decisive - in getting health-care reform out of the Finance Committee.

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.

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.

Conservatives use liberal playbook  —  Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left.  —  The evidence is everywhere.  —  At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan …

DNC promises ‘rain of hellfire’  —  The increasingly aggressive Democratic National Committee on Friday launched a new “Call 'Em Out” website targeting prominent Republicans for statements they have made about President Barack Obama's health reform plans.  —  “Help debunk the outrageous lies …

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.

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 …