A Democrat's view from the House: Senate bill isn't health reform  —  Editor's note: Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, a Democrat, represents the 28th Congressional District of New York.  Slaughter is the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee and the only microbiologist in Congress.

Why I Don't Write About Sarah Palin's Facebook Posts  —  Last week, PolitiFact.com announced its “Lie of the Year”: Sarah Palin's claim that the health care bill might create “death panels” that would kill elderly or disabled Americans.  It was a lie, the editors pointed out …

Yes, Obama did campaign on the public option  —  Oy.  I'll defend the argument that the health-care bill that looks likely to pass is structurally similar to the health-care proposal released by the Obama campaign.  But it's impossible to defend Obama's statement that “I didn't campaign on the public option.”

Crapo: GOP unlikely to be able to repeal health bill  —  Republicans are unlikely to repeal the health reform legislation before Congress if they take control of the House and Senate, a GOP senator conceded Wednesday.  —  Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said Republicans are unlikely to be able …

Lieberman's favorables drop over past two weeks  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-Conn.) favorable ratings have taken almost a 10-point drop in the past two weeks, a new poll found.  —  31 percent of people told a CNN poll conducted Dec. 16-20 that they had a favorable opinion of Lieberman …

McCain, GOP secretly courting another Dem to switch  —  Republicans are stepping up their efforts to persuade more House Democrats to switch parties and are zeroing in on a second-term Pennsylvanian who is not ruling out such a move.  —  Democratic Rep. Chris Carney received a phone call Wednesday …

Colbert Dishes On Bush, Glenn Beck, and MSNBC  —  When Chicago's Second City comedy troupe held a weekend-long 50th anniversary bash, the obvious highlights were Friday and Saturday shows with Martin Short, Steve Carell, Bonnie Hunt, Jim Belushi, George Wendt, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin …

Jane Hamsher, Grover Norquist Call for Rahm Emanuel's Resignation  —  Today, Grover Norquist and I are calling for an investigation into Rahm Emanuel's activities at Freddie Mac, and the White House's blocking of an Inspector General who would look into it.  The letter follows:

Congratulations to Captain Picard!  — By: Mike Potemra  —  Palace sources say Patrick Stewart is about to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.  It turns out he is an avid supporter of Britain's Labour party; his support must be especially welcome in this, one of Labour's darker hours.

Midnight Votes, Backroom Deals, and a Death Panel  —  Last weekend while you were preparing for the holidays with your family, Harry Reid's Senate was making shady backroom deals to ram through the Democrat health care take-over.  The Senate ended debate on this bill without even reading it.

After quiet first months, Franken's sharp tongue emerges in Senate  —  Al Franken, the Democrat from Minnesota who won election to the Senate after a successful career as a comic and author, has begun to show the sharp-tongued side of his personality by ripping into GOP staffers behind the scenes.

For Their Next Trick . . .  The latest example of violating principles of transparency and accountability in the single-minded pursuit of legislative victory.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Look for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to try to circumvent …

Plan to Move Guantánamo Detainees Faces a New Delay  —  WASHINGTON — Rebuffed this month by skeptical lawmakers when it sought finances to buy a prison in rural Illinois, the Obama administration is struggling to come up with the money to replace the Guantánamo Bay prison.

In praise of the Nelson deal  —  Ben Nelson is getting a lot of blowback for the deal he struck exempting Nebraska from paying for its Medicaid expansion.  But though it was his deal, it wasn't his preference.  It was Harry Reid's.  And Reid made the right decision.

Jane Norton, GOP Senate Candidate, Sits Silently As Obama Called A Muslim  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Former Colorado lieutenant governor Jane Norton, one of the five candidates competing in the Republican primary for the state's 2010 Senate race, is distinguishing herself with her full-hearted embrace of the tea party crowd.

Meep Meep  —  My own view is that 2009 has been an extraordinarily successful year for Obama.  Since this is currently a minority view and will prompt a chorus of “In The Tank!”, allow me to explain.  —  The substantive record is clear enough.  Torture is ended, if Gitmo remains enormously difficult …

Palin's Wasilla book signing feels like a homecoming  —  AT HOME: Only signs seen for conservative causes or Christmas.  —  zhollander@adn.com  —  WASILLA — Sarah Palin was treated like a homecoming queen when she brought her national book tour to Wasilla on Tuesday.