Consent of the governed - and the lack thereof  —  Our Declaration of Independence observes:  —  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Explosions Hit Baghdad as Iraqis Vote in Pivotal Election  —  BAGHDAD — A concerted wave of attacks struck Baghdad and other cities across the country on Sunday as Iraqis voted to elect a new parliament and possibly a new prime minister.  Explosions reverberated across the capital moments …

The Up-or-Down Vote on Obama's Presidency  —  WEDNESDAY'S health care rally was one of President Obama's finest hours.  It was so fine it couldn't be blighted even by his preposterous backdrop, a cohort of white-jacketed medical workers large enough to staff a hospital in one of the daytime soaps …

Baird: Healthcare votes of retiring Democrats aren't necessarily in the bag  —  Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) stressed Sunday that the votes of retiring Dems such as himself aren't necessarily in the bag.  —  Appearing across from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Chris Van Hollen …

Channel 7 ABC flashes angry message, then goes black for Cablevision customers at midnight  —  ABC has gone dark.  —  Seconds after midnight, Channel 7 disappeared from the screens of Cablevision customers right in the middle of a repeat episode of “Lost.”

Nothing Funny About This Monkey Mail  —  Walt Baker, the prominent CEO of the powerful Tennessee Hospitality Association who was a key figure in gaining approval of the controversial $585 million convention center, sent the kind of “joke” email last night — comparing First Lady Michelle Obama …

Secret Israeli report: U.S. cozying up to Palestinians  —  The U.S. administration will not put a lot of effort into the upcoming indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opting instead to focus on the November Congressional elections, according to an internal Foreign Ministry report …

Torture memos resemble Clarence Thomas' way of thinking  —  The Supreme Court justice has a history of dismissing prisoner brutality.  And it's his former law clerk who was investigated for authorizing harsh interrogation tactics as a Justice Department lawyer.

Graham: Reconciliation would be “catastrophic”  —  Using the reconciliation process to pass health care would be “catastrophic,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned on Sunday.  —  “It is taking a partisan product and making it law,” Graham said on CBS's “Face The Nation.”  “It will be catastrophic.”

McConnell: RNC Fundraising Presentation ‘Not Helpful’  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the recently exposed Republican National Committee presentation that discussed cynical fundraising strategies based on fear was “not helpful”.  The presentation, first reported by Politico …

Revealed: How hundreds of military personnel, millions of pounds and an experimental ‘lung’ saved the life of a British soldier... shot by accident in his own camp  —  Last updated at 2:29 AM on 07th March 2010  —  It was one of the most complex military logistical and medical operations ever undertaken …

Hatch: reconciliation ‘very, very dangerous’  —  Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) warns that Democrats are playing with fire by attempting to pass health care legislation using the Senate's reconciliation rules and without bipartisan support.  —  “To do this is just very, very dangerous,” Hatch said Sunday on NBC's “Meet The Press.”

Bishops and Abortion  —  Scott Lemieux wrote yesterday: … In fairness, the Bishops seem to me to put quite a lot of political emphasis on institutionalized discrimination against gays and lesbians.  —  On the abortion point, the “life begins at conception and ends at birth” …