At the U.N., Terrorism Pays  —  It was my duty as defense minister to stop Hamas rockets.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  This week the United Nation's Human Rights Council produced a 600-page report alleging that Israel carried out war crimes in Gaza.  The Goldstone Report …

U.S. to Accuse Iran of Having Secret Nuclear Fuel Facility  —  PITTSBURGH — President Obama and the leaders of Britain and France will accuse Iran Friday of building a secret underground plant to manufacture nuclear fuel, saying it has hidden the covert operation from international weapons inspectors …

Yosi Sergant Resigns  —  ABC News' Yunji de Nies Reports:  —  Embattled former National Endowment for the Arts communications director Yosi Sergant is out of a job.  Late this afternoon, the NEA released a short statement saying, “This afternoon Yosi Sergant submitted his resignation from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Blue Dog Opposition To Public Option Fades In Whip Count  —  Blocking a public health insurance option is a relatively low priority for conservative Blue Dog Democrats, according to an ongoing survey of its members.  The fading House opposition could clear the way for the public option to move through the chamber.

Man arrested in alleged attempt to bomb Dallas skyscraper  —  Staff reports  —  Federal authorities arrested a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen whom they said placed an inactive car bomb today at Fountain Place, a 60-story skyscraper in downtown Dallas.

In Poll, Public Wary of Obama on War and Health  —  President Obama is confronting declining support for his handling of the war in Afghanistan and an electorate confused and anxious about a health care overhaul as he prepares for pivotal battles over both issues, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

GOP files suit to block Kirk  —  After failing in their bid to stop the Massachusetts legislature from giving Democratic Governor Deval Patrick the power to fill a United States Senate vacancy, Republicans are going to court on Friday to try to prevent the governor's interim pick from taking office.

The Afghan Imperative  —  Always there is the illusion of the easy path.  Always there is the illusion, which gripped Donald Rumsfeld and now grips many Democrats, that you can fight a counterinsurgency war with a light footprint, with cruise missiles, with special forces operations and unmanned drones.

Why France's Health Care Is So Good, The Public Option So Bad and the Co-Ops So Incomplete: An Interview With Kent Conrad.  —  Sen. Kent Conrad chairs the Budget Committee, serves on the Finance Committee and was a member of the Gang of Six.  I spoke to Conrad today about what Americans …

Elementary School Students Taught to Sing Praises of President Obama  —  Nearly 20 young children are captured in an online video as they sing songs that overflow with campaign slogans and praise for “Barack Hussein Obama,” as they repeatedly chant the president's name and celebrate his accomplishments.

Justice Ginsburg hospitalized  —  WASHINGTON - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized after becoming ill in her office at the court.  —  A statement from the court said the 76-year-old justice was taken to Washington Hospital Center at 7:45 p.m. EDT as a precaution.

Democrats Are Jarred by Drop In Fundraising  —  Complacency, Absence of Big Donors Cited  —  Democratic political committees have seen a decline in their fundraising fortunes this year, a result of complacency among their rank-and-file donors and a de facto boycott by many of their wealthiest givers …

Exclusive: Poll shows Deeds within 4  —  Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor in Virginia, has pulled to within four percentage points of Republican Bob McDonnell, according to a new InsiderAdvantage/Majority Opinion Research poll out Thursday.  —  The poll, conducted Wednesday evening …

Meg Whitman's voting record short, sparse  —  Almost 9 million Californians cast ballots in the 2003 special election that swept movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger into the Governor's Office.  —  Meg Whitman wasn't among them.  —  The billionaire businesswoman now running for governor herself …

White House Regroups on Guantanamo  —  With four months left to meet its self-imposed deadline for closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Obama administration is working to recover from missteps that have put officials behind schedule and left them struggling to win the cooperation of Congress.

An apology to Sarah Palin  —  The Daily News-Miner has had its agreements and disagreements with now-former Gov. Sarah Palin at various points during her time serving the state of Alaska.  We have tried to maintain respect for the office of governor and to be generally civil when discussing Mrs. Palin …

Think Again: Falling for the Far Right's ACORN Agenda  —  One night last week, Jon Stewart asked his audience, “Where were the real reporters on this story?”  He meant the exposure of several ACORN employees giving tax advice to a young man and woman pretending to be a pimp and prostitute.

Obama's ‘Red Carpet,’ Up Close and Personal  —  President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama laughed while they waited for their guests to arrive.  —  The Times's Helene Cooper has an entertaining pool report on tonight's dinner of world leaders at the Phipps Conservatory:

It's Easy Being Green  —  So, have you enjoyed the debate over health care reform?  Have you been impressed by the civility of the discussion and the intellectual honesty of reform opponents?  —  If so, you'll love the next big debate: the fight over climate change.

Obama Likes Tyrants and Dislikes America . . . and Here's More Proof — By: Andy McCarthy  —  Michael hits the nail on the head . . . and then comes this: The Obama administration has notified Congress of the State Department's intention to contribute $400,000 to foundations run by Muammar Qaddafi's …