Leaderless: Senate Pushes For Public Option Without Obama's Support  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  President Barack Obama is actively discouraging Senate Democrats in their effort to include a public insurance option with a state opt-out clause as part of health care reform.

Afghan candidate says ‘dramatic’ surge needed, backs McChrystal  —  Afghanistan's opposition candidate backed Gen. Stanley McChrystal's recommendations for more troops Sunday, saying “the future of the country is at risk” without a “dramatic increase” in troop levels.

Making someone else pay  —  Suppose that, besides being the Enemies of All Mankind, health insurers are actually right.  —  Some companies noted last week that Congress' plans to mandate that everyone buy health insurance include only weak penalties.  The plans also make insurers take on customers who are already sick.

Death toll past 100 in Baghdad bombings  —  Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) — At least 132 people were killed and 520 wounded in twin suicide car bombings in central Baghdad Sunday, officials said — the deadliest attack on civilians in Iraq this year.  —  Two car bombs detonated in quick succession …

White House on Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing—Can't Remember Who Murdered 241 Americans  —  [Please subscribe.  There's too much news from the Middle East to miss a single article; and too little good analysis in the media to miss a single analysis.]  —  By Barry Rubin

WILL PUTS ON LEATHER JACKET, DONS SKIS, EYES SHARK.... When my friend Mustang Bobby emailed yesterday to tell me George Will had written an entire column praising Rep. Michele Bachmann, I thought he was kidding.  Will may be conservative, but he considers himself something of an intellectual and serious thinker.

Veteran reporter's 5 lessons for Obama  —  Editor's note: Columnist and author Helen Thomas, 89, was a United Press International correspondent for 57 years and covered every U.S. president since John F. Kennedy.  Craig Crawford is a TV commentator and political writer.

Democratic Party encounters ‘Obama hangover’ in state, local elections  —  The president hits the campaign trail on behalf of Democrats, but the electricity of 2008 is tough to recapture.  —  Reporting from Kennett Square, Pa. - As he is quick to point out, President Obama is presiding over two wars …

How an Insurance Mandate Could Leave Many Worse Off  —  AMERICANS seem to like the idea of broadening health insurance coverage, but they may not want to be forced to buy it.  With health care costs high and rising, such government mandates would make many people worse off.

If Lenders Say ‘The Dog Ate Your Mortgage’  —  FOR decades, when troubled homeowners and banks battled over delinquent mortgages, it wasn't a contest.  Homes went into foreclosure, and lenders took control of the property.  —  On top of that, courts rubber-stamped the array of foreclosure charges …

Geraldo Rips Lou Dobbs For Latino-Bashing Rhetoric, Says He ‘Is Not Coming To Fox News’  —  Speaking at a luncheon sponsored by the Spanish newspaper El Diario La Prensa on Thursday, Fox News host Geraldo Rivera said, “One of the aspects of our reality in the United States now is the defamatory tone …

Obama declares H1N1 national emergency, easing rules for hospitals  —  Officials prepare for a surge in H1N1 cases  —  President Obama has declared H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, clearing the way for his health chief to give hospitals wider leeway in how they handle a possible surge of new patients …

Hatch bucks Cheney: ‘I would never want to call my president dithering.’  —  Despite his own failures in Afghanistan (namely turning valuable resources away from the war and invading Iraq), former Vice President Dick Cheney attacked President Obama this week, saying he is “afraid to make a decision” …

Campaign to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Picks a Number  —  Campaigners against global warming have drawn on an arsenal of visually startling tactics over the years, from posing nude on a Swiss glacier to scaling smokestacks at coal-fired power plants.  —  On Saturday, they tried something …