FDL Statement on Senate Combined Health Care Bill  —  The Senate Health Care Reform Bill (photo by roemerman)  —  It is encouraging that Senator Reid respected the will of the American people and included a public option in the merged Senate bill.  However, the addition of a state opt …

FOX rolls wrong video, heads may roll  —  FOX has done it again, and this time, once again, FOX says its misplay of the wrong crowd video was another regrettable mistake.  —  Today, FOX News host Gregg Jarrett was talking about Republican Sarah Palin's book tour and the crowd she is drawing …

To Our Readers, An Update  —  This Dish will resume as normal tomorrow morning.  We apologize for the lacuna.  And I suppose some will say we've gotten this book and the issues it raises out of perspective.  But since the last campaign, we have raised many questions about Palin …

NPR Shocker: Attorney General Holder Stumped By Lindsey Graham  —  During Wednesday's Justice Department oversight hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) stumped Attorney General Eric Holder on what should have been a fairly routine question for America's top law enforcement official.

Hoffman: ACORN, unions, Dems tampered with NY-23 election  —  With his prospect of winning the 23rd Congressional District race now almost zero, Conservative Party candidate Douglas L. Hoffman suggested Wednesday in a letter that “ACORN, the unions and the Democratic Party” “tampered” with results to deny him victory.

American Voters Like Obama, But Not His Policies, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For Public Option, But Not Overall Health Plan  —  Three-quarters of American voters - 74 percent - like President Barack Obama as a person, but only 47 percent like most of his policies …

The Permanent Campaign Continues  —  The KSM trial announcement was too important for a Friday news dump.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Every modern White House has put out news on contentious issues late on Friday in the hope that doing so will bury it, or reduce the amount of critical scrutiny it would otherwise receive.

The Breast Brouhaha  —  Everyone has been trying to come up with a good nickname for the 10 years we're concluding next month.  Terror Era really sounds like too much of a downer.  How about the Decade of Medical Backtracking?  —  Somewhere between the reports that Pap smears and tests …

Hasan's Supervisor Warned Army In '07 … text sizeAAA  —  Two years ago, a top psychiatrist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was so concerned about what he saw as Nidal Hasan's incompetence and reckless behavior that he put those concerns in writing.  NPR has obtained a copy of the memo …

White House aides: No Afghan decision before Thanksgiving  —  SEOUL — President Barack Obama will not announce his decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan before the Thanksgiving holiday, senior aides said on Thursday.  —  The news came as the president greeted 1,500 troops …

McCain defends campaign team against Sarah Palin  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican Senator John McCain on Wednesday strongly defended the top advisers from his 2008 presidential campaign in the face of sharp criticism from his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

Texas' gay marriage ban may have banned all marriages  —  AUSTIN — Texans: Are you really married?  —  Maybe not.  —  Barbara Ann Radnofsky, a Houston lawyer and Democratic candidate for attorney general, says that a 22-word clause in a 2005 constitutional amendment designed …

The cost of on-the-job training  —  During the presidential campaign, many Americans thought that Barack Obama's lack of leadership experience would not prevent him from being an effective president.  His eloquence, his insistence that, yes, he could solve any problem and his image …

House Dem: ‘Growing’ liberal consensus to dump Geithner  —  A Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) member said there's “growing consensus” among liberals that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner should step down.  —  {mosads}Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said Wednesday that he and other liberal House members …

The Senate's Health Care Calculations  —  CRITICS of the health care reform plan often refer to it derisively as “ObamaCare.”  On the policy merits, this is highly questionable: the White House has taken a hands-off approach toward the legislation that recently passed in the House and the version that is being worked out in the Senate.

Obama rewards big donors with plum jobs overseas  —  He may have promised to change Washington, but President Barack Obama is continuing one of its most renowned patronage traditions: bestowing prized ambassadorships on big donors.  —  Of the nearly 80 ambassadorship nominations …

To Create Jobs, Voters Say Cut Taxes and Stop Spending  —  As the policy debate has unfolded in Washington this year, voters have consistently believed that tax cuts would do more than increased government spending to stimulate the economy and create jobs.  Now that the nation's unemployment rate …

Jesse Jackson: 'You can't vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man'  —  The Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday night criticized Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) for voting against the Democrats' signature healthcare bill.  —  “We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night.

Former Bush press secretary Perino appointed to Obama administration post  —  Former press secretary to President George W. Bush Dana Perino was appointed as a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Wednesday evening.  —  The board governs all government sponsored …