Ayers Dreams of Obama — By: Jonah Goldberg  —  I am not sure what to make of the story that Ayers has now admitted to writing Obama's autobiography.  If it pans out, that is to my mind a very big story.  Stay tuned.  But I do think I should revise my earlier pooh-poohing of Jack Cashill's effort to prove the Ayers-Obama connection.

Obama Rules Out Large Reduction in Afghan Force  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama told Congressional leaders on Tuesday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided …

Franken Wins Bipartisan Support For Legislation Reining In KBR's Treatment Of Rape  —  In 2005, Jamie Leigh Jones was gang-raped by her co-workers while she was working for Halliburton/KBR in Baghdad.  She was detained in a shipping container for at least 24 hours without food, water …

Preliminary Analysis of the Senate Finance Committee Chairman's Mark As Amended  —  CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) have just issued a preliminary analysis of the Senate Finance Committee Chairman's mark for the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009 …

Deep Denial  —  Toughened by their frontier ethos, steeled by serial wars, Israelis are not prone to flattery.  Most, in fact, eschew using the closest equivalent to the Hebrew word for flattery—chanupa— in favor of the derisive Yiddish-derivative, firgun.

This, Apparently, Is Not a Joke — By: Kathryn Jean Lopez  —  Barack Obama has this hanging in the White House:  —  It proves a gift to Nick Schulz.

Carter Joins New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Buffalo News, Minneapolis Star-Tribune in Calling for Chairman to Step Down  —  (WASHINGTON, DC) - House Members Wednesday will have to cast a recorded vote on whether it is acceptable …

DCCC Chairman: House Health Care Bill Won't Follow Senate in Taxing ‘Cadillac’ Plans  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: With the Senate eyeing a new tax on high-end insurance plans to pay for health care reform, a large group of House Democrats is pushing back, as labor unions lead the charge …

Gun Show Undercover  —  Ever wonder how criminals are able to get guns so easily?  It's depressingly simple.  On any given weekend, at dozens of gun shows held in states across the country — criminals can buy guns from “private sellers” who are not required to perform background checks.

Latest Internal Whip Count: Nearly Three-Fourths Of House Dems Support Robust Public Option  —  Still more grounds for cautious optimism about the public option:  —  I've got the latest internal whip count numbers from Dem Rep. Raul Grijalva, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressional Caucus …

McCaughey And Me  —  I said my piece about this on this blog a while back.  I do not think it's professional to air the specifics of internal battles after the fact, and I take full responsibility for being the editor of the magazine that published the piece.  I accepted an award for it.

THE CARPER COMPROMISE.... The Wall Street Journal reports today that a public option compromise measure crafted by Sen. Tom Carper (D) of Delaware seems to be gaining steam.  The piece noted that Carper's measure “won praise from some in his party Tuesday as a way of bridging differences among them.”

The Beauty of Artificial Virginity  —  If you're a woman in a conservative Muslim country, you had better bleed on your wedding night.  If you don't, your husband or his family will know you aren't a virgin.  For that, you could be beaten or killed.  —  If you're a man, on the other hand …

Tom Shales: I'm Shocked to Be Told I Minimized Polanski's Crime!!  Here, Let Me Do It Again!  —  From a Washington Post chat with Tom Shales today (thanks to several readers): … I'm sure it was you, Tom Shales.  Evidently you need the citation, so here it is, from a column of yours dated June 9, 2008:

Survivors in Afghanistan Need Immediate Help - 56 Soldiers Lost EVERYTHING  —  UPDATE as of 7 OCT 1430 hrs  —  We do NOT need fleece blankets, wash clothes or towels.  Still need everything else on the list below  —  UPDATE as of 7 OCT 09 1300 hrs  —  STILL NEED

Feds strip Arpaio of immigration authority  —  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stripped Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of his authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants based solely on their immigration status.  —  But Arpaio said Tuesday he plans to continue his controversial …

Rep. Louie Gohmert: Hate crimes bill will lead to Nazism, legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality.  —  Led by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) last night, lawmakers convened for a special session of floor speeches urging a repeal of Don't Act Don't Tell.

Reid ‘Likely’ to Make Entire Health Bill an Amendment to Unrelated Tax Bill That House Passed in March  —  (CNSNews.com) — A senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told CNSNews.com that it is “likely” that Reid will use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose …

Did the First Dog Leave a Number Two on Air Force One?  —  Elizabeth Williamson reports on the White House.  —  The mystery begins in a Pittsburgh bar where several high-flying airline types met last month.  —  The group swapped stories over drinks when three people present let loose with a good tale.

The Supreme Court mauls the law banning animal-cruelty videos.  —  Witness the American deputy solicitor general in his natural habitat—the Supreme Court.  As Neal Katyal roams softly across the cool marble chamber, he has no idea what awaits him.  He is here to protect his tribe …