Palin: Obama Wrong on Israeli, Afghan Policy  —  Former Alaska Gov. Tells Barbara Walters President Obama ‘Dithering Around’ on U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, Has It ‘Backassward’ on Economy  —  In an interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters, Sarah Palin, the former GOP vice presidential candidate …

Obama on terror trials: KSM will die  —  Americans who are troubled by the decision to send alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York for trial will feel better about it when he's put to death, President Barack Obama said Tuesday.  —  During a round of network television …

Obama Approval Dips Below 50% For First Time, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For U.S. Troops In Afghanistan Drops Below 50%  —  President Barack Obama's job approval rating is 48 - 42 percent, the first time he has slipped below the 50 percent threshold nationally …

3 Democrats Could Block Health Bill in Senate  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, says he is not sure he is ready to help a Democratic health care proposal clear even the most preliminary hurdle: gaining the 60 votes his party's leaders need to open debate on the measure later this week.

$500 Million and Apology From Goldman  —  How much good will can an apology — and half a billion dollars — buy?  A lot, Goldman Sachs is hoping.  —  After first staunchly defending its outsize profits and pay, and then bristling at calls for restraint in these tough economic times …

Health ‘Reform’ Gets a Failing Grade  —  The changes proposed by Congress will require more draconian measures down the road.  Just look at Massachusetts.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  As the dean of Harvard Medical School I am frequently asked to comment on the health-reform debate.

Obama: I'd Fire Afghan Decision Leakers  —  Also Tells Chip Reid Afghan Decision Still Weeks Off; Speaks About Sarah Palin, and Toll Office Taking on Him … Reid reports the president said it's still several weeks before he makes a decision on how many more troops to send to Afghanistan.

Washington Sketch: Republican senators do an about-face on judicial filibusters  —  In their quest to thwart President Obama, Republicans do not fear the hobgoblin of consistency.  —  For much of this decade, Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, now the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee …

What They Really Believe  —  If you follow the debate around the energy/climate bills working through Congress you will notice that the drill-baby-drill opponents of this legislation are now making two claims.  One is that the globe has been cooling lately, not warming …

Go Jodi Go!  Times' Kantor Scores Seven Figures From Little, Brown For Obama Book  —  New York Times Washington correspondent Jodi Kantor has secured a stunning seven-figure book deal this week with Little, Brown to write a volume on the Obamas.  —  The deal was the result of a heated citywide auction …

Innumerate Al — By: John Derbyshire  —  Al Gore on Conan O'Brien's show the other day: … [Me] The geothermal gradient is usually quoted as 25-50 degrees Celsius per mile of depth in normal terrain (not, e.g., in the crater of Kilauea).  Two kilometers down, therefore …

CNN Poll: Does the GOP want ideologically pure candidates?  —  Washington (CNN) - A new national poll suggests that the Democrats may be the party of pragmatism and Republicans may be the party of ideological purity.  —  The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey's release on Tuesday comes …

Washington Times editor files EEOC complaint  —  Disclosing his dismissal, Miniter says paper forced him to attend religious event  —  The former editorial page editor of the Washington Times has filed a discrimination complaint against the paper, saying he was “coerced” …

Hasan Recommended His Patients Be Charged with War Crimes  —  I tweeted this a few days ago, but deliberately kept it vague.  Capt. Shannon Meehan, an old college associate and former patient at Fort Hood's medical facility, said that Hasan had a reputation for telling his patients …

Dems alarmed as independents bolt  —  Mounting evidence that independent voters have soured on the Democrats is prompting a debate among party officials about what rhetorical and substantive changes are needed to halt the damage.  —  Following serious setbacks with independents …

National Debt Now Tops $12 Trillion  —  Posted by Mark Knoller It's another record-high for the U.S. National Debt which today topped the $12-trillion mark.  Divided evenly among the U.S. population, it amounts to $38,974.34 for every man, woman and child.  —  Technically, the debt hit …

Obama's China trip stands in stark contrast to those of past presidents  —  The U.S. tone toward Beijing is now much more conciliatory  —  BEIJING — President Obama has emerged from his first trip to China with no big breakthroughs on important issues, such as Iran's nuclear program or China's currency.

Union blocks teacher bonuses  —  Grinchlike union bosses are blocking at least 200 of Boston's best teachers from pocketing bonuses for their classroom heroics in a puzzling move that gets a failing grade from education experts.  —  The Boston Teachers Union staunchly opposes a performance bonus plan …

Spending Trends in Afghanistan  —  Something that I think gets underplayed in coverage of the Afghanistan debate is the extent to which our commitment to Afghanistan has already escalated substantially in the recent past.  In his recent report for the Carnegie Endowment …

Al Qaeda's Civil Liberties Union  —  A look at the other terrorists embraced by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's ACLU lawyers.  —  “I'll talk to you guys after I get to New York and see my lawyer.”  —  That, according to former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet, is what September 11 …

Holder tells senators ‘We need not cower in the face of this enemy’  —  Holder vowed that the U.S. would not surrender to fear or politics in seeking justice against the alleged Sept. 11 plotters in federal court.  —  “We need not cower in the face of this enemy,” Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee at a packed hearing.

Maersk Alabama Evades Second Pirate Attack  —  NAIROBI, Kenya — The Maersk Alabama, the American-flagged ship captured briefly by pirates in April, came under fire again early Tuesday morning off Somalia's coast, but evaded the attackers.  —  Four men in a skiff sped within 300 yards of the container ship …

Many Doctors to Stay Course on Breast Exams for Now  —  Despite new recommendations that most women start breast screening at 50 rather than 40, many doctors said Tuesday that they were simply not ready to make such a drastic change.  —  “It's kind of hard to suggest that we should stop examining …