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.

Post editors should read their own columnists  —  The Washington Post Editorial Page today lashes out at “Roman Polanski's apologists,” a group it says is “typified by the comments of Swiss filmmaker Otto Weisser, Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, film and TV celebrity Whoopi Goldberg” …

McChrystal Rejects Lower Afghan 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.

Grayson calls Republicans ‘knuckle-dragging Neanderthals’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Freshman Congressman Alan Grayson refused to back down Wednesday from controversial remarks he made on the House floor the night before saying the Republican health care plan calls for sick people to “die quickly.”

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 …

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:

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.

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 …

ABORTION FIELD TRIPS.... I've seen a few outlets noting Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) new attack on health care reform.  Except, it's not really “new” — it's a point some right-wing websites raised a few months ago.  Bachmann is just getting around to it now.

EXCLUSIVE: Cantor: Obama's not met with GOP leaders since May  —  President Obama has cut off communication with Republican leaders, going more than four months without hosting the bipartisan congressional leadership at the White House to discuss his health care proposal, the No. 2 Republican in the House said Wednesday.

FBI Ordered to Release Cheney Interview  —  Judge Says FBI Must Reveal Much of Interview Conducted During CIA Leak Investigation  —  (AP) A federal judge ruled Thursday that the FBI must publicly reveal much of its interview with former Vice President Dick Cheney during the investigation …

Club PAC on the air in NY-23  —  Club PAC Launches TV, Radio Ads in NY-23  —  Washington - Club for Growth PAC began a $250,000 television and radio ad campaign today in the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District.  The campaign follows Club PAC's recent endorsement of Doug Hoffman …

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 …

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 …

Deputy National Security Adviser Is Returning to Duty With the Navy  —  A senior Obama administration foreign policy adviser will leave the White House in the next week or so, returning to military service for another deployment as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs.

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 …