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 …

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.

The Senate Finance Committee Writes a Health Care Bill  —  It starts—finally—in just a few hours.  With the bang of a gavel in the high-tech cavern that is the conference room of the Senate Hart Office Building, the Senate Finance Committee will sit down around a table and confront …

Biden on 2010: If GOP Succeeds, It's ‘The End of the Road for What Barack and I Are Trying to Do’  —  ABC News' Karen Travers reports:  —  Vice President Joe Biden said today that if Democrats were to lose 35 House seats they currently hold in traditionally Republican districts, it would mean doomsday for President Obama's agenda.

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.

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 …

Ambulances race to Byrd's home  —  Ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the Northern Virginia home of Sen. Robert Byrd Tuesday morning.  —  A neighbor of the 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat said several ambulances were outside his residence in McLean, Va., and a Byrd spokesman said the senator suffered a fall in his home.

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.

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

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

The Waning Demographics of Suburbia  —  I'm not sure how much success Fayetteville, Georgia will have in “retrofitting suburbia” but this point about demographics is dead-on: … Insofar as the great appeal of suburbia is that people like to raise children in suburbs, then it makes sense …

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 …

Glenn Beck and Left-Right confusion  —  Last night during his CBS interview with Katie Couric, Glenn Beck said he may have voted for Hillary Clinton and that “John McCain would have been worse for the country than Barack Obama.”  This comment predictably spawned confusion among some liberals and anger among some conservatives.

Joe Wilson passes $2 million mark  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - South Carolina Republican congressman Joe Wilson has now raised over $2 million in campaign contributions since he shouted “You lie!” at the president earlier this month.  —  A campaign aide confirmed that Wilson surpassed the $2 million mark on Monday.

Ohio SOS Brunner rules State Sen. Husted is not a resident of his elected district  —  Columbus, Ohio: Waiting until late in the evening on Monday to release a decision that will surely ignite a political firestorm, the consequences of which may not be known for some time, Ohio's chief election officer …

The Art of Corruption  —  There are all kinds of corruption.  Some are pretty easy to identify.  You can't miss it when a congressman sells the public's vote for money, say, or a husband sets his personal promises at nothing in order to score some extracurricular sex.

Conrad: I Only Trust the CBO When They Agree with Me  —  Throughout this entire health care reform debate, Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) has been the biggest advocate of the CBO.  He demanded that CBO score health care reform over ten years.  He also demanded the CBO must examine the bill …

Washington Sketch: Eric Cantor Tries a Civil Approach to the Health-Care Debate  —  RICHMOND, Sept. 21 The remarkable thing about House Republican Whip Eric Cantor's town hall meeting here Monday is what didn't happen.  —  No talk of death panels.  No complaints about illegal immigrants.

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 …

Spot.us launches in Los Angeles, focuses on its platform  —  San Francisco-based Spot.Us is expanding its crowdfunded journalism tools to Los Angeles, a move founder David Cohn hinted at in an interview with Zach in June.  —  The expansion ushers in a refocusing for Spot.Us …