The Olympic Spirit  —  I didn't think it was a good idea for Obama to go to Copenhagen given the intense policy questions he as to address right now.  It seemed a trivial matter to me compared to two wars, healthcare, the Iran question and the fiscal and economic crisis.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad revealed to have Jewish past  —  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's vitriolic attacks on the Jewish world hide an astonishing secret, evidence uncovered by The Daily Telegraph shows.  —  A photograph of the Iranian president holding up his identity card during elections in March 2008 clearly shows his family has Jewish roots.

Rooting against America: Beck, other conservatives cheer elimination of Chicago's Olympic bid  —  Conservative media figures have celebrated the International Olympic Committee's elimination of Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and used the event to bash President Obama …

The Coming Failure On Iran  —  The Obama administration's positive tone following its first diplomatic encounter with Iran covers a deep and growing gloom in Washington and European capitals.  Seven hours of palaver in Geneva haven't altered an emerging conclusion: None of the steps the West …

Generals Shouldn't Disagree Publicly With the Commander in Chief  —  The president, the Constitution tells us, is the commander in chief.  But is it true?  —  In a speech in London on Thursday, Gen. Stanley McChrystal publicly intervened in the debate over Afghanistan.

Polling Firm's Reprimand Rattles News Media  —  ATLANTA — For Strategic Vision L.L.C., as for many polling companies, it was a regular practice: for five years the company sent out the results of its surveys on leading political races around the country, and they made their way into blog posts …

Congress readies Iran sanctions if diplomacy fails  —  WASHINGTON — Congress is poised to act swiftly to impose tough new sanctions on Iran if international talks on Tehran's nuclear program show signs of faltering.  Already, some lawmakers are demanding that the United States strike immediately …

The Olympics, Obama, and the Permanent Campaign  —  Chicago has lost its Olympics bid, despite Obama's insertion into the process.  People are shocked because they figured that Obama would fly in if and only if the deal was done.  —  But why?  That assumes a typical allocation of the presidential prestige.

Gingrich hits Obama over Olympics  —  (CNN) — Former House Speak Newt Gingrich is taking aim on Twitter at President Obama over Chicago's loss in its bid to host the 2016 Olympics:  —  @newtgingrich Somehow charm and oratory dont seem to work in foreign affirs but historians have warned …

Bill Frist on Health Bill: I'd Vote For It  —  Or so the former Senate Republican Leader, a surgeon who has written a new book on health care, told me a few minutes ago in an interview.  —  Were he still in the Senate, “I would end up voting for it,” he said.  “As leader, I would take heat for it. ...

Dems target DeMint's Honduras trip  —  Six House members on Friday sent a letter to the president of the Honduran Congress warning that the Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and his travel delegation to Honduras do not represent the views of the White House or Congress, but are mere members of the “minority party.”

The High Price of Being a Gay Couple  —  Much of the debate over legalizing gay marriage has focused on God and Scripture, the Constitution and equal protection.  —  But we see the world through the prism of money.  And for years, we've heard from gay couples about all the extra health, legal and other costs they bear.