What Rockefeller Understands  —  Over the last few weeks Jay Rockefeller has emerged as the Senate's most visible spokesman for a public insurance option.  And, purely from a public relations standpoint, this is something of a mixed blessing.  He comes from West Virginia and is pretty popular there …

HuffPo Goes All In to Defend Polanski, Readers Revolt  —  The Huffington Post has made it crystal clear where it stands on the news that director Roman Polanski may have to answer for his 31-year-old crime of child rape: “Move on, everyone.  Nothing to see here.  Keep on directing, Roman.  Love ya!”

Obama Risks a Domestic Military ‘Intervention’  —  There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America's military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.”  Don't dismiss it as unrealistic.  —  America isn't the Third World.  If a military coup does occur here it will be civilized.

Sarah Palin, a Soon-to-Be Publishing Phenom  —  Barracuda goes rogue.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Sarah Palin may no longer be governor of Alaska, but she's certainly destined to become a best-selling author.  HarperCollins, her publisher, has announced the print-run of her memoir …

Election 2010: Arkansas Senate Race  —  Another Democratic senator may be at-risk in 2010.  Arkansas' Blanche Lambert Lincoln trails all four of her leading Republican challengers in the first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state.  —  Lincoln fails to get 50% of the vote …

Bill  —  I can think of nothing more disturbing than the use of fallen soldiers as political fodder.  Shame on you, you political hacks.  May God forgive you.  —  So the Pres doesn't have time to discuss the General's troop request, but has time to continue pushing Heathcare reform 60% …

The Politico Gets Played By ACORN  —  One thing that journalists don't seem to get about ACORN is that it is a strange, complex creature with tentacles that reach into the highest levels of the United States government, the Democratic Party, corporate America, the labor movement …

Grayson: GOP wants ‘you to die’  —  Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., warned Americans that “Republicans want you to die quickly” during an after-hours House floor speech Tuesday night.  —  His remarks, which drew angry and immediate calls for an apology from Republicans, were highlighted by a sign reading …

We've Been Talking to Iran for 30 Years  —  The seizure of the U.S. embassy followed the failure of Carter administration talks with Ayatollah Khomeini's regime.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The Obama administration's talks with Iran—set to take place tomorrow in Geneva …

At Tufts, an Attempt to Prohibit Sex When a Roommate Is in the Room  —  College roommates have been known to use neckties and socks, among other items that can be wrapped around a dorm-room door knob, to warn off a roommate from inadvertently walking in on a sexual encounter.

Down with Stratcom!  —  Right after the election last November, I wrote a slightly worried post about the tendency of modern Presidents to treat the press the same way they did when they were (successful) Presidential candidates.  It all comes down to message discipline, controlling the news cycle …

Right-Wing Panel Agrees Obama Is The ‘First Muslim American President’  —  At the How to Take Back America conference last weekend, attended by several Republican lawmakers, former Reagan official and prominent neoconservative Frank Gaffney, right-wing historian Bill Federer …

Iran ‘has secret nuclear arms plan’  —  By James Blitz in London, Daniel Dombey in Washington and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran  —  Britain's intelligence services say that Iran has been secretly designing a nuclear warhead “since late 2004 or early 2005”, an assessment that suggests Tehran …

Success Against al-Qaeda Cited  —  Infiltration of Network Is a Factor as Administration Debates Afghanistan Policy  —  U.S. and international intelligence officials say that improved recruitment of spies inside the al-Qaeda network, along with increased use of targeted airstrikes …

Decision On Times Pay Model Will Come From the Gut  —  On Wednesday, Sept. 30, Arthur Sulzberger will host his annual “State of The Times” meeting for Times employees, which is generally a sleepy and awkward affair with lots of corporate cheerleading.  (Last year, Mr. Sulzberger started …