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.

Senate bill poised for Christmas Eve passage with 60-39 cloture vote  —  The Senate on Wednesday cleared the last procedural hurdle on landmark healthcare reform legislation and is positioned to pass the bill on Christmas Eve.  —  Democrats united against Republicans, voting 60-39 to end debate on the underlying bill.

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 …

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 …

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.”

Palin: I told you so!  —  It didn't take long for Jim DeMint's outrage over highly unusual language protecting a care-rationing board to generate a response from Sarah Palin.  This came just days after Politifact called her statement about “death panels” the “lie of the year,” …

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.

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:

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.

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.

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 …

Star Trek and Moral Judgment  —  Kevin Drum is amused, and rightly so, by this bit from the Corner's Mike Potemra: … Kevin notes it is not every day you get conservatives to admit they oppose (or at least dislike) peace, tolerance, due process and progress.

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.

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 …

Schwarzenegger to seek federal help for California budget  —  Facing another huge deficit, the governor wants $8 billion or threatens massive cuts in social services.  He also plans to renew push for offshore oil drilling.  —  Reporting from Sacramento - Facing a budget deficit of more than $20 billion …

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 …