Ruling Kills an Option for Moving Health Bill  —  The Senate Parliamentarian has ruled that President Barack Obama must sign Congress' original health care reform bill before the Senate can act on a companion reconciliation package, senior GOP sources said Thursday.

If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly  —  In “The March of Folly,” Barbara Tuchman asked, “Why do holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests?”  Her assessment of self-deception …

Report Details How Lehman Hid Its Woes as It Collapsed  —  By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and ANDREW ROSS SORKIN  —  It is the Wall Street equivalent of a coroner's report — a 2,200-page document that lays out, in new and startling detail, how Lehman Brothers used accounting sleight of hand …

Reid's wife, daughter seriously injured in car accident UPDATE  —  Harry Reid's wife, Landra, suffered a broken neck, back and nose and his daughter, Lana, also sustained serious injuries in a chain-reaction car accident in Fairfax, Va. on Thursday according to Reid's spokesman.

Obama Social Secretary Ran Into Sharp Elbows  —  WASHINGTON — Long before the State Dinner party crashers and the tension with her White House colleagues and the strain in her relationship with the first lady, Desirée Rogers began to understand she was in trouble when David Axelrod summoned …

Senators give Obama a bipartisan plan on immigration  —  The president is encouraged, but healthcare politics could jeopardize the proposal.  —  Clarissa Martinez de Castro of the National Council of La Raza speaks to reporters outside the White House after meeting with President Obama to on immigration reform.

Rove ‘proud’ of US waterboarding  —  A senior advisor to former US President George W Bush has defended tough interrogation techniques, saying their use helped prevent terrorist attacks.  —  In a BBC interview, Karl Rove, who was known as “Bush's brain”, said he “was proud we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists”.

NJ Terror Suspect Worked at Nuclear Power Plants  —  Former classmate says he had a heated exchange with Mobley during a tour in Iraq  —  The South Jersey man who Yemini officials are calling a terrorist with links to al-Qaeda previously worked at three local nuclear power plants.

Wired Magazine, Conde Nast Scoop Breitbart, the ‘Bigs’ — HUD next O'Keefe Video Sting Target  —  Credit where credit is due: Wired Magazine's Noah Shachtman and Conde Nast have a scoop on their hands.  In the course of researching his new and largely fair piece on Andrew Breitbart and the …

How Obama spent his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize  —  You probably recall late last year on one of his autumn commutes to Scandinavia President Obama picked up the Nobel Peace Prize.  We wrote about that here and here and here.  His speech was well-received here.  Also some fallout over here.

Tea parties stir evangelicals' fears  —  The rise of a new conservative grass-roots fueled by a secular revulsion at government spending is stirring fears among leaders of the old conservative grass-roots, the evangelical Christian right.  —  A reeling economy and the Obama administration's …

The Scandalous Scott Brown Lawsuit that No One Told You About  —  Did you know that Scott Brown—the new star Republican Senator—was accused of harassing a female campaign worker in 1998?  We have the documents to prove it.  Did the Democrats blow an opportunity to keep their 60th Senate seat?

Johnny Weir Deemed “Not Family Friendly” Enough to Perform in Stars on Ice Tour  —  GLAAD has learned from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that sponsors of the Stars on Ice Tour, which include Smuckers and IMG Entertainment, have refused to allow 3-time US National Champion and 2 …

The Lincoln Model  —  A reader writes: … Trust me.  I have not forgotten.  It informs every judgment I make on the guy.  I remain absolutely convinced we are beyond lucky to have him st thi moment in history - and he deserves far more grass-roots support from his supporters than he's currently getting.

Top Obama Priorities Collide as Student Loan Legislation May Be Attached to Health Care  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Congressional leaders struck a tentative agreement on Thursday that breathes new life into President Obama's proposed overhaul of federal student loan programs.

Afghan Tribal Rivalries Bedevil a U.S. Plan  —  JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Six weeks ago, elders of the Shinwari tribe, which dominates a large area in southeastern Afghanistan, pledged that they would set aside internal differences to focus on fighting the Taliban.