Top Items:

Exclusive: Medicare buy-in attracting interest in the public option negotiations — Sources who have been briefed on the negotiations say that Medicare buy-in is attracting the most interest. Expanding Medicaid is running into more problems, though there's some appeal because …
RELATED:


Senate Dems May Open Up Medicare To Pacify Progressives — WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? — Senate Democrats are discussing the idea of expanding Medicare by lowering the age at which the elderly could enter the government-run insurance program, Democratic sources on the Hill tell the Huffington Post.
Discussion:
The Nation, Liberal Values, TPMDC, AmSpecBlog, Swampland, The Huffington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Weekly Standard

Officials: Medicare buy-in on table
Discussion:
Ben Smith's Blog, The Note, Taylor Marsh, Firedoglake, Ezra Klein, AMERICAblog News, The New Republic and Raw Story

Five compromises beyond the public option
Discussion:
Open Left, Politics Daily, Newshoggers.com, Daily Kos, The New Republic, Open Congress, TalkLeft, Washington Monthly and Democratic Strategist

Liberal Senators Press for Expansion of Medicare
Discussion:
The Reality-Based Community

MEDICARE BUY-IN ON THE TABLE.... The story of the day is not Ben …

Yes We Should — From a personal perspective, this would be a godsend:
Discussion:
Corrente


Shhh! Don't confuse Reid with history while he's playing the race card! — It was the GOP that fought slavery and the Democrat Party that battled to preserve it. — It's the Democrat Party, not the GOP, that boasts an ex-Klansman among its senior leaders.
RELATED:

GOP senators rebuke Reid's slavery remarks — Three Republican senators on Monday condemned Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) comments that Republicans who oppose healthcare reform are akin to the opponents of abolition and women's suffrage. — “Folks tend to crack under pressure …
Discussion:
ProfessorBainbridge.com, The Politico, Hot Air, The Note, Townhall.com and Washington Monthly

GOP erupts over Reid slavery, segregation remarks — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) upped the rhetorical ante this morning by comparing opponents of health care reform to conservatives who tried to block emancipation and equal rights — prompting the Republican national chairman to question his sanity.


Man Chucks Tomatoes at Sarah Palin at MOA — The man misses and hits an officer instead — BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man was arrested for throwing tomatoes at Sarah Palin during her book signing on Monday at the Mall of America. — Jeremy Olson, 33, allegedly threw two tomatoes …

EPA: Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health and the Environment — Science overwhelmingly shows greenhouse gas concentrations at unprecedented levels due to human activity — WASHINGTON - After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments …
Discussion:
Green Energy Reporter, Financial Times, BBC, The Huffington Post, The Foundry, Politics Daily, Little Green Footballs and Truthdig
RELATED:

Obama administration will formally declare danger of carbon emissions — The Obama administration will formally declare Monday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions pose a danger to the public's health and welfare, a move that lays the groundwork for an economy-wide carbon cap …


CNN Poll: Palin's popularity on the rise — Washington (CNN) - Sarah Palin has erased her drop in the polls that followed her resignation as Alaska governor, according to new national survey. — But when it comes to opinions of Palin, a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Monday suggests …
RELATED:


Santorum: ‘Absolutely Taking a Look’ at Running in '12; Palin Will ‘Have to Do Some Explaining if She Runs’ — ABC News' Rick Klein reports: — Former Sen. Rick Santorum has some more political travel on tap this week, with a trip scheduled for South Carolina to follow recent visits to Iowa …


Ahmadinejad Reportedly Claims U.S. is Blocking Return of Mankind's Savior — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the United States is attempting to thwart the return of mankind's savior, according to reports from Al Arabiya, a television news station based in Dubai.


The Stolen E-Mails: Has ‘Climategate’ Been Overblown? — The controversy over e-mails stolen from global warming researchers at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at Britain's University of East Anglia has become so divisive that there is even disagreement over what to call it.

Boxer's message to men who support abortion riders: How would you like it if we singled out Viagara? — Today, the Senate began debate on Sen. Ben Nelson's (D-NE) amendment to prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions or for plans that include abortion services.
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland
RELATED:

Hitler's Remains Were Destroyed on KGB Orders, Interfax Reports — Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) — Adolf Hitler's remains were burned and dumped into an East German river by Soviet agents 25 years after the end of World War II, Interfax reported, citing Vasily Khristoforov, the Federal Security Service's chief archivist.

Unhelpful Hansen — James Hansen is a great climate scientist. He was the first to warn about the climate crisis; I take what he says about coal, in particular, very seriously. — Unfortunately, while I defer to him on all matters climate, today's op-ed article suggests …


Bachmann wants a Palin book — Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says she's not yet ready to back a 2012 presidential candidate. — Bachmann briefly talked politics with reporters this morning following a GOP State Capitol rally in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to cap state spending.
RELATED:

President Obama to propose $200 billion for jobs creation — Washington (CNN) - President Obama will propose using $200 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support creating jobs, White House officials confirmed Monda — The president, in an economic speech …
Discussion:
The Atlantic Business Channel

After Brief Uptick, Obama Approval Slips to 47% — New low follows slight increase after announcement of Afghanistan policy — PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama's presidential job approval rating is 47% in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update, a new low for his administration to date.

Tea Party Tops GOP on Three-Way Generic Ballot — Running under the Tea Party brand may be better in congressional races than being a Republican. — In a three-way Generic Ballot test, the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds Democrats attracting 36% of the vote.
Discussion:
The Plum Line, The Huffington Post, The Next Right, Left in the West, DownWithTyranny!, Sun-Sentinel, The Political Carnival, Hit & Run, Politics Daily, Raw Story, FrumForum, The Other McCain, Scared Monkeys, Tax Day Tea Party, The Washington Independent, The Hill, Hot Air, JustOneMinute, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Townhall.com


ACORN review: No illegality — An outside review of the beleaguered community group ACORN has found “serious management challenges,” but no pattern of illegal activity. — The review, commissioned by ACORN in the wake of a hidden video expose that showed a few of its employees appearing …
Discussion:
Big Government, The Hill, Sister Toldjah, The Swamp, The Impolitic, The Political Carnival and Truthdig

Why I commuted Maurice Clemmons's sentence — The nation was stunned by the senseless and savage cold-blooded murders of four young police officers in Lakewood, Wash., over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Whenever a police officer or soldier is killed, the loss is even more profound …


Millions in U.S. Drink Dirty Water, Records Show — More than 20 percent of the nation's water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. — That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents.
Discussion:
Don Surber


Fistgate: Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar's 2000 Conference Promoted ‘Fisting’ to 14 Year-Olds — Barack Obama's Safe Schools Czar Kevin Jennings founded the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in 1990. In 2007 Kevin Jennings was paid $273,573.96 as the executive director of GLSEN.
Discussion:
Founding Bloggers, Nice Deb, Gateway Pundit, Michelle Malkin, The Other McCain and Weasel Zippers

Primary likely to serve as de facto special election for Kennedy's seat — Massachusetts voters will pick a Democratic nominee for the race to replace the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Tuesday, and that candidate is expected to have little trouble in next month's special election.

Climate-gate global warming doubts ‘silly’: White House — WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday dismissed as “silly” the notion that global warming science had been compromised by emails exposing a row between top climate scientists. — The emails have been pounced on by climate skeptics …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post