Remembering Irving Kristol  —  I didn't know Irving Kristol well, but I knew him for a long time.  There are many people who can say the same thing.  He was the central figure in the post-Watergate revival of conservatism and the Republican Party.  Sadly, the “movement” that he created, neoconservatism, is pretty well dead.

In Edwards Scandal, a Chapter Winds Down  —  CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The story of the spectacular rise and fall of John Edwards, with its sordid can't-look-away dimensions, is moving slowly but deliberately to its conclusion here in North Carolina.  —  Mr. Edwards, the one-term senator …

Weekly remarks: Sue Myrick on healthcare costs, options; Obama on financial reforms  —  Weekly remarks by President Obama, as provided by the White House  —  Leaders of the world's largest economies will gather next week in Pittsburgh for the second time this year.

G.O.P. Checks for a Pulse, and Finds One  —  WASHINGTON — Less than a year after an election that nearly wiped them out politically, conservatives are showing signs of life.  —  They are still searching for new leaders and new ideas.  Their victories have been more about taking advantage …

Papers Show Insurers Limited Coverage for Acne, Pregnancy  —  A proposal to make preexisting health conditions irrelevant in the sale of insurance policies could help not just the seriously ill but also people who might consider themselves healthy, documents released Friday by a California-based advocacy group illustrate.

Insane killer escapes on field trip to county fair  —  SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A criminally insane killer from eastern Washington is on the run after escaping during a field trip to the county fair that his mental hospital organized.  —  Why such a dangerous person was out in public was a question many …

Are You A Racist?  —  These days it's hard to tell.  If you think government-run medicine is a bad thing, former President Jimmy Carter and many other Democrats say you're most likely a racist.  So Missourah.com explains everything in this handy chart; click to enlarge:

Obama Rejects Race as Lead Cause of Criticism  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama said Friday that he did not believe his race was the cause of fierce criticism aimed at his administration in the contentious national debate over health care, but rather that the cause was a sense of suspicion …

WATCH: CNN's Sanchez Slams Fox ‘News’: ‘You Lie!’  —  Some must-see video here.  CNN's Rich Sanchez stood up for his news organization on air today, against Fox “News” after they ran an add today in the Washington Post alleging that CNN didn't cover Glenn Beck's political rally last week in D.C.

Media Matters: This right-wing frenzy is reminiscent of Dallas 1963  —  Uh huh.  And we all remember what happened when a certain radical right-winger — who defected to the Soviet Union, married a Russian woman, and tried to assassinate a far-right anti-communist American general — got JFK in the crosshairs in Dallas.

Sources: Zazi looking to cut deal in terror probe  —  The Afghan national at the center of a reputed Al Qaeda terror cell probe was trying to cut a deal Friday after two days of FBI grilling, sources told the Daily News.  —  Lawyers for Najibullah Zazi, 25, were negotiating with federal officials …

A Team Player Who Stands Apart  —  Tension Between Leading or Blending In Marks Clinton's Tenure at State  —  With the exception of former senator Edmund S. Muskie's brief turn as secretary of state at the end of the Carter administration, Hillary Rodham Clinton is the first politician …

Obama's first dance at the U.N.  —  Tom DeLay may be Dancing with the Stars, but it's President Barack Obama who'll need some fancy footwork next week as he tries to dodge the dictators during his first-ever visit to the United Nations.  —  Stung by GOP criticism of his Hugo Chavez grip-and-grin in April …

Memories of the Carter Administration  —  One of John Updike's novels was titled Memories of the Ford Administration; needless to say, it wasn't about Gerald Ford — basically it was about sex, because Updike remembered the Carter years as the golden age of extramarital affairs.

Joe McGinniss, Palin Critic, Is Frontrunner On eBay For Dinner With Sarah [UPDATED, With Winner]  —  Earlier this month, I posted on how Ride 2 Recovery, the charity for wounded veterans, was offering one lucky person the chance to win dinner for five with Alaska Governor turned professional …