McChrystal to resign if not given resources for Afghanistan  —  Within 24 hours of the leak of the Afghanistan assessment to The Washington Post, General Stanley McChrystal's team fired its second shot across the bow of the Obama administration.  According to McClatchy …

Protect Insurance Companies PSA  —  Credits: Will Ferrell, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant, Masi Oka, Jordana Spiro, Linda Cardellini, Donald Faison  —  Produced by Chris Bruss, Lauren Palmigiano & MoveOn.org

Clinton on Gore: “I Thought He Was in Neverland”  —  On Monday, USA Today ran a front-page article on the soon-to-be-released book chronicling a series of secret interviews Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch held with President Bill Clinton throughout the Clinton presidency.

Right-Wing Radio Host Mark Levin Lashes Out At Glenn Beck: He's 'Mindless, ‘Incoherent,’ ‘Pathetic’  —  In an interview with Katie Couric for her new web-only show, Fox News pundit Glenn Beck said he thinks John McCain would have been a bad president because he's “this weird progressive like Theodore Roosevelt was.”

Senate approves Kennedy successor bill  —  State senators passed a bill today 24-16 allowing Gov. Deval Patrick to pick a temporary U.S. senator by the end of the week following a final procedural vote tomorrow.  —  If the House and Senate pass the bill, as expected, a temporary senator …

Byrd admitted to hospital after fall  —  Ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the Northern Virginia home of Sen. Robert Byrd Tuesday morning, and the senator was later admitted to the hospital, where he is expected to be treated for a few days.  —  A neighbor of the 91-year-old …

When Speechwriters Kiss and Tell  —  A man I hired was not the star he thought he was.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  When the sun rises over our capital city this morning, its denizens will awake to a truly novel tale: The aggrieved ex-staffer—wait for it!—disillusioned by Washington.

Steven Chu: Americans Are Like ‘Teenage Kids’ When It Comes to Energy  —  This post was updated Monday evening.  —  When it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, Energy Secretary Steven Chu sees Americans as unruly teenagers and the Administration as the parent that will have to teach them a few lessons.

Mike Ross Raises Eyebrows With Healthy Haul  —  Arkansas Rep. Mike Ross — a Blue Dog Democrat playing a key role in the health care debate — sold a piece of commercial property in 2007 for substantially more than a county assessment (PDF) and an independent appraisal (PDF) say it was worth.

After ‘Inappropriate’ NEA Conference Call, White House Pushes New Guidelines  —  An August 10, 2009 National Endowment for the Arts conference call in which artists were asked to help support President Obama's agenda — a call that at least one good government group called “inappropriate” …

THEY'RE LAUGHING AT HIM, NOT WITH HIM.... We've seen plenty of examples of health care reform opponents trying to mislead the public at town-hall events.  We haven't, however, seen many examples these opponents getting mocked by their audiences.  —  In this video, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) …

To Explain Longevity Gap, Look Past Health System  —  If you're not rich and you get sick, in which industrialized country are you likely to get the best treatment?  —  The conventional answer to this question has been: anywhere but the United States.  With its many uninsured citizens …

Walpin scandal update: Grassley blocks nomination, accuses administration of stonewalling  —  Republican Sen. Charles Grassley has blocked the ambassadorial nomination of Alan Solomont, currently chairman of the board of the government agency that oversees AmeriCorps, in retaliation …

F.D.I.C. May Borrow Funds From Banks  —  WASHINGTON — Tired of the government bailing out banks?  Get ready for this: officials may soon ask banks to bail out the government.  —  Senior regulators say they are seriously considering a plan to have the nation's healthy banks lend billions …

Prince Charles urges people to abandon car in favour of walking and public transport  —  The Prince of Wales is urging people to give up their cars in favour of walking and public transport to try to reduce carbon emissions.  —  The Prince, who has two Jaguars, two Audis …

Condi: The should-be face of the GOP  —  She's smart.  She's experienced.  She's worldly.  Republican strategists worried about their party's future should take heed.

The Rights of Corporations  —  The question at the heart of one of the biggest Supreme Court cases this year is simple: What constitutional rights should corporations have?  To us, as well as many legal scholars, former justices and, indeed, drafters of the Constitution …

Paterson: 'You Don't Give Up'  —  “Clearly I'm running for re-election,” Governor David Paterson said one day after his awkward meeting with President Obama, who telegraphed his desire to see Paterson exit before next year's gubernatorial race.  —  Paterson tried to latch onto …

The “Tenther” Smear  —  The American Prospect, The New Republic, and other left-of-center outlets are pushing the “Tenther” smear, aimed at lumping those who, horrors!, still take seriously the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in with the Obama birth certificate deniers and 9/11 truthers.

ACORN Worker In Video Reported Couple  —  Juan Carlos Vera Called Detective After Recorded Meeting  —  NATIONAL CITY, Calif. — Police say a worker with the activist group ACORN who was caught on video giving advice about human smuggling to a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute had reported the incident to authorities.

Obama's FDR Moment  —  Public support for the war in Afghanistan stands at 39%.  On the right, George Will wants us out, on the left, Senator Russ Feingold.  Thomas Friedman is feeling “ambivalent,” and he's not alone.  This weekend, President Obama remarked that, “the first question is, are we doing the right thing?”

REDSTATE EXCLUSIVE: A Review of ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis's Rolodex Suggests Strong White House Ties … On Sunday, Barack Obama played ignorant on the situation with ACORN.  Obama told ABC's George Stephanopoulos, “Frankly, it's not really something I've followed closely.

Nothing to fear but Fears himself  —  We have not heard anything from Washington Post reporters Darryl Fears and Carol Leonnig in response to “Sliming James O'Keefe: A case study.”  I think it's fair to conclude that Fears and Leonnig have no quote from O'Keefe to support their imputation …