Health care foes 11 votes shy of defeating bill  —  Washington (CNN) — Five more House Democrats said Tuesday that they will vote against Senate health care legislation, which puts opponents of reform just 11 votes shy of the 216 needed to prevent President Obama from scoring a major victory on his top domestic priority.

Hypocrisy: A Parliamentary Procedure  —  Any veteran observer of Congress is used to the rampant hypocrisy over the use of parliamentary procedures that shifts totally from one side to the other as a majority moves to minority status, and vice versa.  But I can't recall a level …

Palin: Hit ‘reset’ — with Israel  —  Former Governor Sarah Palin, increasingly willing to criticize Obama on foreign policy grounds, is joining the chorus of Republican critics of his confrontation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, contrasting his policy of engaging enemies with the tough talk to an ally.

Opinions Harden on Health  —  Nearly half call plan a ‘bad idea’ in latest Journal/NBC poll, but Democrats who oppose it risk alienating base  —  Democratic lawmakers may be tempted to vote against the health-care overhaul plan pending in Congress because it remains unpopular with a broad swath of the public.

THIS IS CNN?.... If I didn't get independent confirmation of this, I honestly would have assumed the announcement was some elaborate practical joke.  Alas, it's true. … This is easily the worst decision CNN has ever made.  That the network probably reviewed Erickson's work before hiring him …

Fineman Reports Kucinich to Vote “Yes”  —  Dennis Kucinich has called a press conference for tomorrow.  Howard Fineman is reporting that Kucinich will vote “yes” on health care.  —  Kucinich told Obama that he wants a full ERISA waver and a public option in exchange for his vote.

Could Airborne Bears Catch Bin Laden?  —  ARLINGTON, Va. — Could parachute-wearing bears sniff out Osama bin Laden?  —  That's one suggestion the Pentagon has received from someone who noted, quite correctly, that a bear's sense of smell is much more powerful than a bloodhound's.

Dems Still Don't Have the CBO Score They Want  —  As Democrats have delayed releasing their final health care reconciliation bill, they've consistently tried to create the impression that they're essentially finished, but are merely waiting on the Congressional Budget Office.

What Obama is Actually Trying to Do in Israel  —  There is much speculation that this kerfluffle over 1,600 theoretical apartments on the wrong side of the green line in Jerusalem will lead to a rupture in American-Israeli relations, but analysts who suggest this are missing the point of President Obama's maneuverings.

Pelosi Calls All Female Democratic Members Into Meeting  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is asking all female Democratic Members to attend a hastily called meeting Wednesday morning but isn't saying what the meeting is about.  —  Pelosi's office sent an e-mail out Tuesday evening requesting …

On the Matter of Karl Rove's Father  —  In his book and the various interviews and speeches surrounding publication, Karl Rove has made a point of attacking information Wayne Slater and I reported and published regarding Rove's background and the formative years of his political belief system.

Petraeus: 'I Believe The Time Has Come To Consider A Change To Don't Ask, Don't Tell'  —  “I believe the time has come to consider a change to Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” General David Petraeus told the Armed Services Committee today, in his most direct public comments about the policy.

My Inflation Nightmare  —  RIGHT-WING TALK RADIO these days is carrying fewer commercials for second mortgages.  (Consolidate your debts, lower your monthly payments, and have enough left over for that dream vacation!)  They've been replaced by commercials for gold.

Anzalone Liszt Research Swing District Healthcare Polling Memo  —  Anzalone Liszt Research recently did a poll on health insurance reform for AFSCME, CWA and NEA - polling over 1,000 likely voters across 92 Blue Dog, Rural Caucus, and Frontline districts between February 26 and March 4, 2010.

‘Slaughter Solution’ not bulletproof  —  The so-called “Slaughter solution” for enacting health care reform without a conventional House vote on an identically worded Senate bill would be vulnerable to credible constitutional challenge, experts say.  —  No lawyer interviewed by POLITICO thought …

DNC mocks tea party numbers  —  Tea Partiers planned to “flood the halls of Congress” to protest health care legislation, a plan that prompted Democratic leaders to instruct their members to respond with politeness and Twinkies.  —  The 10 a.m. Washignton, D.C. rally, though, wasn't quite on the scale of some earlier events.