To Our Readers  —  This is only the second time in its nearly ten-year history that the Dish has gone silent.  The reason now is the same as the reason then.  When dealing with a delusional fantasist like Sarah Palin, it takes time to absorb and make sense of the various competing narratives that she tells about her life.

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 …

Holder's Testimony — By: Andy McCarthy  —  They are in recess after opening statements and initial rounds of questions.  Here are some of the Attorney General's whoppers so far:  —  1. The “tragic shooting” at Ft. Hood.  What happened at Ft. Hood was a jihadist massacre — a terrorist act, not a tragedy.

Conservative cowards  —  American liberals are tough on terrorists and secure in their knowledge that the Sept. 11 conspirators are guilty of mass murder.  American conservatives are timid cowards who fear that the U.S. government can't actually prove that the Sept. 11 killers committed their heinous crimes.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Palin on the Democratic Party: “Filled with More Sheep-Like Individuals”  —  In my interview with Governor Palin yesterday evening, we touched briefly on some current events, including President Obama's trip to Asia and the place of the tea-party movement in the Republican party.  Some highlights:

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 …

The AIG report  —  At one level, there's not much news in the SIGTARP (YHTMAAAIYP) report on the AIG bailout: officials asked bankers to take a haircut, bankers said Ni!, and that was that.  But the report has renewed the debate over whether officials could have extracted something.  I say yes.

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 …

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 …

Somali woman stoned for adultery  —  A 20-year-old woman accused of committing adultery in Somalia has been stoned to death by Islamists in front of a crowd of about 200 people.  —  A judge working for the militant group al-Shabab said she had had an affair with an unmarried 29-year-old man.

Finally, A Congressman With a Solution: Stop Complaining So Much  —  Sure, the economy sucks.  Unemployment is at least 10.2% and, yes, if you include part-time workers who would rather have full-time jobs it may be over 17%.  The government is showering our cash on Wall Street …

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 …

Tight in Missouri  —  When PPP polled the Missouri Senate race in January Robin Carnahan led by one point.  Fast forward ten months and nothing has changed.  Carnahan leads Roy Blunt 43-42.  —  It's a good sign for Carnahan that her status hasn't worsened as things have gone sour in general …

Feingold's re-election war chest open wide  —  3-term Democrat in top 2 for spending, top 5 for fund raising  —  By Diana Marrero of the Journal Sentinel  —  Washington - Three-term Sen. Russ Feingold, who won his last election by 11 percentage points, has already spent $6.6 million …