Durbin: Progressives Forced Our Hand On Public Option  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Democratic leaders were forced to include a national public health insurance option as part of health care reform by progressive Democratic senators who refused to support anything less, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Monday.

The future of the GOP is outside the Beltway  —  Bien-pensant conservative elites and establishment-friendly Republican big shots yearn for a more moderate, temperate and sophisticated Republican Party.  It's not likely to happen.  And probably just as well.

U.S. official resigns over Afghan war  —  When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.  —  A former Marine Corps captain …

Nielsen: Fox News ratings up almost 10% since WH declared war  —  It's a nine-percent bump in the two weeks since Anita Dunn's whine heard 'round the world — in terms of overall audience.  Among the coveted 25-54 demographic?  A 14-percent bump.  Good work, Barry.

Biden's popularity plunges; lower than Cheney's  —  Vice President Joe Biden's favorable rating has fallen to 42 percent in a new Gallup poll, down from a high of 59 percent just after last year's election.  Biden's unfavorable rating in the new poll is 40 percent, up from 29 percent last November.

Morning Fix: NY-23 as 2012 litmus test?  —  The Iowa caucuses may be more than two years from now but a series of moves by potential Republican presidential contenders has turned a special election in New York's 23rd district into an early test of conservative bona fides.

Ex-A.I.G. Chief Is Back, Luring Talent From Rescued Firm  —  Maurice R. Greenberg, who built the American International Group into an insurance behemoth with an impenetrable maze of on- and offshore companies, is at it again.  —  Even as he has been lambasting the government for its handling …

Bush's first stand on a new podium  —  FORT WORTH — After nine months of being nearly invisible — a big outing has been to a Dallas hardware store for flashlights — George W. Bush made his debut Monday in his latest incarnation: motivational speaker.  —  Nearly 15,000 people heard …

Climate chief Lord Stern: give up meat to save the planet  —  People will need to consider turning vegetarian if the world is to conquer climate change, according to a leading authority on global warming.  —  In an interview with The Times, Lord Stern of Brentford said …

Grayson goes too far for colleagues  —  Republicans and Democrats slammed Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) for calling Linda Robertson, an adviser to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, a “K Street whore” in a month-old radio interview that circulated on Capitol Hill Monday night.  —  “There's no call for that language.

Tax refugees staging escape from New York  —  New Yorkers are fleeing the state and city in alarming numbers — and costing a fortune in lost tax dollars, a new study shows.  —  More than 1.5 million state residents left for other parts of the United States from 2000 to 2008 …

CNN Poll: 6 in 10 back ‘cap and trade’  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Six in 10 Americans support a “cap and trade” proposal to cut pollution, according to a new national poll.  —  Sixty percent of those questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say they favor “cap and trade,” …

J Street branch drops pro-Israel slogan  —  J Street's university arm has dropped the “pro-Israel” part of the left-wing US lobby's “pro-Israel, pro-peace” slogan to avoid alienating students.  —  That decision was part of the message conveyed to young activists who attended a special weekend program …

Republicans impatient with leaders, awaiting healthcare alternative  —  Some House Republicans are growing frustrated that their leaders have not yet introduced a healthcare reform alternative.  —  For months, the message from House GOP leaders on a healthcare bill has been similar to ads for yet-to-be-released movies: Coming soon.

Dismal special election record hampers GOP's 2010 comeback  —  The GOP could lose its fifth of five big special elections in two years — a development that has Republicans asking why the irregular races continue to bedevil their party, even as it rebounds in other ways.