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.

Gates Doubts U.S.'s Afghan Strategy  —  WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama met with senior counselors for three hours Wednesday to launch his review of Afghan war strategy, amid indications that his defense secretary — the key link between the White House and the military — is among those undecided about the right approach.

Roman the Rapist  —  A Commentary By Susan Estrich  —  He had sex with a 13-year-old girl.  He got her to go to Jack Nicholson's house by promising that she would be in a photo shoot.  When she got there, he fed her a Quaalude and alcohol — champagne for a 13-year-old, how enticing — and then he raped her.

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 …

Waiting for a Boring Day at the White House  —  Posted by Mark Knoller With more than eight months under his belt as White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs admits he longs for “a boring day.”  —  By that, he means a day on which press aren't clamoring for his comments on new crises …

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.

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.

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:

The downside of nonprofit news organizations like MinnPost, Voice of San Diego, and the Washington Independent.  —  The nonprofit news business—if that isn't a contradiction in terms—is spreading like a midsummer algae bloom.  —  Philanthropists, who in different times would have endowed …

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 …

Politico: Freaky-deaky Edwards love child scandal even freaky-deakier than thought  —  Add six cups of freaky, a quart of deaky, stir well, then let chill overnight.  The next day: Voila.  If you're reading this on the east coast, where it's already past nine, I'd advise turning on a light …

Portsmouth PD: Shea-Porter was removed from Bush town hall by two police officers  —  Two officers of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department removed Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer from a February 2005 town hall event hosted by then-President George W. Bush at the request of the owner …

Key Dems confident card-check will pass  —  A key Senate negotiator trying to advance a contentious union-organizing bill said a modified version could pass the upper chamber this year, despite his reservations with the changes.  —  Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is one of a half-dozen senators trying …

If the Insurance Companies Win, We Lose  —  As the health care debate rages, one thing has become increasingly clear.  This battle is not mainly some academic argument about the best approaches to health care policy - or even a clash of ideological world views.  It is a fight over who gets what.

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

Palin co-author: Evangelical, partisan  —  Sarah Palin's most consequential choice since leaving the Alaska governor's mansion may be her co-author - a staunch conservative, devoted evangelical Christian, and intensely partisan Republican from far, far outside the Beltway.

Sarah Palin on Islam and China  —  I've been bluntly critical of Sarah Palin before when I felt it warranted, but I've never had anything but respect for her formidable intellect and political saavy.  I think she's easily the most credible challenger to President Obama in 2012 and while I still …

Consumers Union joins health care battle  —  The venerable advocacy group Consumers Union, best known for publishing Consumer Reports, will dive into the health care fray Monday with a television ad making the case for passing health care reform legislation.

Behar's Beck Obsession — Maher: 'We're Going to Find Glenn Beck Dressed as a Woman or Playing with His Feces'  —  Perhaps this is going to be a common theme of CNN Headline News “The Joy Behar Show.”  For the second night in a row, two out of two shows - Behar went after the former CNN Headline News host …

Millionaire Filmmaker Michael Moore: ‘Capitalism Did Nothing For Me’  —  (CNSNews.com) — Documentary film director Michael Moore, who has become a millionaire thanks to the profits from his movies, told CNSNews.com that “capitalism did nothing” for him.  —  CNSNews.com spoke with Moore …

Obama Can't Outsource Afghanistan  —  George Bush succeeded in Iraq by talking to his generals regularly.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  So our top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has told CBS's “60 Minutes” that he has spoken with President Barack Obama only once since June.

Rare Source of Attack on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  WASHINGTON — In an unusual show of support for allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, an article in an official military journal argues forcefully for repealing the “don't ask, don't tell” law …

Fact-checking matters — even for columnists and bloggers  —  I write columns and post blogs regularly, and I've made my share of factual mistakes.  —  So I do not sit in judgment of someone who goofed.  But if you make a factual mistake, there are certain rules of the road that responsible writers …