Obama Readies a Fallback Proposal  —  Scaled-Down Plan Would Expand Insurance to About Half as Many People as Pending Bill Envisions  —  President Barack Obama will use a bipartisan summit Thursday to push for sweeping health-care legislation, but if that fails to generate enough support …

Questions of Influence in Abuse Case of Paterson Aide  —  Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man.  —  In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice …

Don't get Rep. Anthony Weiner angry  —  You wouldn't like him when he's angry.  —  Watch this through to at least the third minute, by which time a Republican has pulled a parliamentary maneuver to stop Weiner and give him a chance to take back his words, and Weiner substitutes his words for, uh, other words.

Jeb Bush On Sarah Palin: If She Only Had A Brain...  (VIDEO)  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has some advice for Sarah Palin: You'd be a great, if you only had a brain.  —  In a recent interview with Newsmax, Bush was asked whether he thought Palin was a viable candidate for president.

“Nuclear Option” stupidity comes full circle  —  Want to see a neat trick?  —  As we've documented extensively over the past year, conservatives have waged an ongoing campaign to re-brand the process of reconciliation as the “nuclear option.”  Feel free to read any of the hundred or so examples …

SeaWorld Orlando trainer killed in whale attack  —  An experienced female trainer at Sea World Orlando, Dawn Brancheau, was fatally injured by one of the whales.  —  A SeaWorld employee died this afternoon during an incident at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium, an Orange County Sheriff's Office official confirmed.

Obama may compromise on consumer agency to pass financial regulation  —  The Obama administration is no longer insisting on the creation of a stand-alone consumer protection agency as a central element of the plan to remake regulation of the financial system.

G.M. to Close Hummer After Sale Collapses  —  DETROIT — General Motors said Wednesday that it would shut down Hummer, the brand of big sport-utility vehicles that became synonymous with the term “gas guzzler,” after a deal to sell it to a Chinese manufacturer fell apart.

Breaking: Could “The Party” Be Over?  —  Update 2:28: Newsroom rumors are running fierce right now.  But it's tough to nail any sort of confirmation on where the column stands.  Will keep pounding.  —  Update 1:45: Have made several calls to the very top crust of Post newsroom management.

House Passes Bill To Repeal Antitrust Exemption For Health Insurance Companies  —  By a vote of 406-19, the House passed the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act (HR 4626), introduced by Reps. Tom Perriello (D-VA) and Betsy Markey (D-CO).  This bill is designed to restore competition …

Did Blackwater Rescue Alan Grayson in Niger?  —  Before joining Congress, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) was the scourge of military contractors, filing dozens of whistleblower lawsuits against companies who defrauded the government in connection with their work in Iraq.

Up to 1,200 needless deaths, patients abused, staff bullied to meet targets... yet a secret inquiry into failing hospital says no one's to blame  —  Up to 1,200 patients died unnecessarily because of appalling care  —  Labour's obsession with targets and box ticking blamed for scandal

The Ron Paul Delusion  —  Why the Texas congressman does not represent the future of conservatism  —  What are we to make of the Republican Party's future now that libertarian Rep. Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll at the well-attended Conservative Political Action Conference last week?

Greek rescue in danger as deputy prime minister attacks ‘Nazi’ Germany  —  Greece has greatly damaged its chances of an EU bail-out by lashing out at Germany over war-time atrocities and accusing Italy of cooking its books to hide public debt.  —  The escalating dispute came as a general strike …

Can This Possibly Be True?  New Obama Missile Defense Logo Includes A Crescent  —  The Obama administration's determined effort to reduce America's missile defense capabilities initially seemed to be just standard Leftist fare — of a piece with the Democratic base's visceral hostility …

Myths and falsehoods on Don't Ask, Don't Tell  —  In the wake of President Barack Obama's call for the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy in favor of allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, Media Matters for America reviews the myths …

CBO Report Was Pre-Ordained to Show the Stimulus Succeeded — By: NRO Staff  —  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has produced a new report estimating that the $862 billion stimulus has thus far saved or created 1.5 million jobs.  Yet the CBO's calculations are not based on actually observing the economy's recent performance.

Patriot Act Elements Extended  —  The Senate on Wednesday extended for a year key provisions of the nation's counterterrorism surveillance law that are scheduled to expire at the end of the month.  One provision authorizes court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones.

Crist sounding more and more ... independent  —  Either Charlie Crist realizes he can't escape the stimulus, or he's leaning toward an independent run for Senate.  —  Crist is saying some curious things for a man in the midst of a conservative primary challenge.  —  Here's a few, just from the last couple days:

On spending, conservatives are quite conflicted  —  The government spends too much!  Except when it comes to schools and infrastructure and Social Security and ...  Conservatives agree that the government spends too much.  But ask them what to cut ...  At last week's Conservative Political …

Son of Hamas founder spied for Israel for more than a decade  —  The son of one of Hamas's founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged today.

Pledge of Allegiance dispute results in Md. teacher having to apologize  —  The mother of a 13-year-old Montgomery County middle school student is demanding an apology from a teacher who had school police escort the youngster from a classroom for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Is it a trap?  Students push Admiral Ackbar for Ole Miss mascot  —  Will a “Star Wars” character be the new Ole Miss mascot?  —  The campaign for Admiral Ackbar is gaining Internet, if not intergalactic, steam.  —  Tuesday, Ole Miss students voted to find a new mascot to replace the abandoned Colonel Reb.

Top Palin aide resigns  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's senior adviser and spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton has resigned, POLITICO has learned.  —  Stapleton has been a Palin confidant since December 2006 and one of the governor's most trusted aides since she was vaulted onto …

Travel Promotion Act to Tax People Who Travel  —  Next week, the Travel Promotion Act will likely come up for a vote in the Senate.  The idea is to promote tourism in America.  By creating a federal agency charged with promoting tourism in America, obviously.

Every Central Falls teacher fired, labor outraged … CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — The full force of organized labor showed up in Central Falls Tuesday, with several hundred union members rallying in support of the city's teachers and bringing plenty of harsh words for the education officials …