Carper quietly devises third option  —  Sen. Tom Carper bided his time on health care reform.  —  Rarely in the spotlight, and unfailingly restrained, the Delaware Democrat never staked out a public position on the government insurance option, solidifying his status as the model of an undecided moderate in need of persuading.

Grayson Breaks the Rules  —  Representative Alan Grayson's statement that the Republican plan for health care amounts to “don't get sick” and if you do “die quickly” probably doesn't meet a test of literal accuracy.  Reality is I guess closer to “only get sick if you're stably employed in a good …

In Roman Polanski case, is it Hollywood vs. Middle America?  —  Reactions to the extradition of the fugitive filmmaker show a sharp divide.  —  Roman Polanski (Getty Images)  —  From Michael Moore's politics to on-screen sex and violence, the movie business is constantly being assailed for not sharing the country's values.

McChrystal Rejects Scaling Down Afghan Military Aims  —  LONDON — The top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, rejected calls for scaling down military objectives there on Thursday and said Washington did not have unlimited time to settle on a new strategy to pursue the eight-year-old war.

Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants, POLITICO has learned.

Pennsylvania Senate Seesaw Tips To Toomey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama's Approval Drops Below 50 Percent  —  The seesaw 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania tips to Republican Pat Toomey, who has 43 percent to recently converted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter's 42 percent, too close to call …

Bachmann: Dems would allow abortions for 13-year-olds  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is picking up on a blogospheric conservative drumbeat by charging that confidentiality clauses in the health reform bills passed by three House committees would allow 13-year-old girls to get abortions without informing their folks.

Obama's not-so-secret plan to raise taxes  —  Does President Obama have a secret plan to raise taxes on middle-class Americans — and,well, pretty much everybody else — with a European-style, value-added tax?  Actually, it's not such a big secret.  Connect the dots:

Support for abortion rights slips  —  The shift to “common ground” rhetoric among Democrats appears — as some abortions rights advocates feared — to have coincided with a drop in support for abortion rights.  —  Pew writes:  —  Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support …

Stimulus Spending Doesn't Work  —  Our new research shows no evidence of a Keynesian ‘multiplier’ effect.  There is evidence that tax cuts boost growth.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The global recession and financial crisis have refocused attention on government stimulus packages.

AUSTAN GOOLSBEE TAKES THE PRIZE  —  White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee took home the top prize in the 16th annual “D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity” contest on Wednesday evening, and he did so in a very unconventional way.  Instead of adopting a traditional comedic routine of joke buildup and punchline …

Chart of the Day  —  The Office of the Speaker of the House emails to nominate this for chart of the day.  Sure.  Why not.  It's a good chart.  Bottom line: the public really likes the idea of having a choice between either a private or a public health insurance plan.

Election 2010: Delaware Senate  —  2010 Delaware Senate: Castle 47%, Biden 42%  —  The 2010 U.S. Senate race in Delaware is all about the candidates who haven't decided whether to run yet.  —  The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in the state finds that longtime Republican …

Exclusive: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric (updated)  —  Deal was negotiated at a meeting among bankers in New York on Tuesday.  Comcast denies a deal is done, but does not deny talks  —  Comcast, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment …

President Obama Signs Executive Order Banning Federal Employees from Texting While Driving  —  ABC News has learned that President Obama signed an executive order last night banning federal employees from text-messaging while on government business, driving government vehicles or using government equipment.

Obama's ‘Safe Schools’ Czar Admits He Poorly Handled Underage Sex Case  —  Kevin Jennings was teaching high school in 1988 when a gay student confessed an involvement with an older man.  Rather than reporting it, he told the boy, “I hope you knew to use a condom.”  —  FOXNews.com

Carter walks back racism charge  —  Former President Jimmy Carter insisted Thursday that he did not say protests against President Barack Obama were driven by racism.  —  Carter touched off a firestorm three weeks ago when he said Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) “You Lie!” outburst was …

Iran Agrees to More Nuclear Talks With U.S. and Allies  —  GENEVA — Critical talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions that included the highest level bilateral discussions between the United States and Iran in many years ended Thursday evening with Iran agreeing to meet to talk again before the end of the month.

For Alarmists, Ugly Truths on Global Warming  —  Plateau in Temperatures Adds Difficulty to Task Of Reaching a Solution  —  In this headline on a New York Times story about the difficulties confronting people alarmed about global warming, note the word “plateau.”

My Algorithm Proves You're Gay!  —  There is an article in The Boston Globe about an MIT project dubbed Project Gaydar. … Of course there is nothing unique about sexuality, as it ominously continues: … So really, despite the provocative introduction, it is really just a program that uses …