Democrats get the bill, and the score, they needed  —  The question people generally ask about the final health-care reform vote is, “Won't it be politically difficult for many House Democrats to vote yes?”  But with the release of the CBO report (pdf), I'd flip that question a bit …

The House vote on the Slaughter Solution: Update: Constitution-butchers prevail, 222-203; Roll call vote added; Calling out Dems Altmire, Lynch; Barone's analysis added  —  Photoshop credit: Big Fur Hat at iowntheworld.com and Applecross Media  —  You'll recall that House Republicans unveiled …

Rules Panel Dem To Vote Against Bill  —  A key House Dem has begun informing party leaders he plans to vote against health care legislation both on the House floor and in the rules committee, on which he sits.  —  Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY), a sophomore Dem who had a tougher …

Obama blocks delivery of bunker-busters to Israel  —  WASHINGTON — The United States has diverted a shipment of bunker-busters designated for Israel.  —  Officials said the U.S. military was ordered to divert a shipment of smart bunker-buster bombs from Israel to a military base in Diego Garcia.

Conrad drops support for North Dakota provision to avoid controversy  —  Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) has asked House negotiators to scrap a provision in the reconciliation package that would have benefited his home state.  —  Conrad had won a carve-out for the Bank …

First Thoughts on the CBO Score  —  As fate would have it, on the day that the CBO report is released, I am in standby hell, and running low on laptop juice.  So my thoughts on the CBO score, and the revised reconciliation bill, are necessarily somewhat preliminary.  But here is what I've noticed so far:

Ex-general links gay troops to Bosnian genocide  —  A retired Marine general told senators on Thursday that the Dutch Army failed to protect the city of Srebrenica during the Bosnian war partly because of the presence of gay soldiers in its armed forces.  —  John J. Sheehan …

CBO: Obamacare Would Cost Over $2 Trillion  —  The CBO's most recent analysis is out, and it's not likely to convince wavering House Democrats to jump to the Obamacare side of the fence.  Even the Democrats are granting that the latest version of their proposed health care overhaul would cost $69 billion more than the previous version.

Texts Without Context  —  In his deliberately provocative — and deeply nihilistic — new book, “Reality Hunger,” the onetime novelist David Shields asserts that fiction “has never seemed less central to the culture's sense of itself.”  He says he's “bored by out-and-out fabrication …

‘Holder-in-Chief’ Coburn issues far-fetched threat against Democrats who switch votes in favor of health reform.  —  During a GOP press conference today, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) issued a far-fetched threat against those Democrats who are considering switching their votes to support health reform.

“Libertarians,” Sprawl, and Land Use  —  Randal O'Toole has a baffling and bafflingly long post dedicated to trying to rebut my very simple view of the relationship between “sprawl” and land-use regulations.  So I'll just restate my argument in briefer form and ask O'Toole to say what, if anything, in it he disagrees with:

FL-Sen: Crist is broken  —  Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 3/15-17.  Likely voters.  MoE 4% (5% for primary samples).  (11/16-18/2009 results)  —  GOP Senate Primary  —  Charlie Crist (R) 30 (47)  —  Marco Rubio (R) 58 (37)  —  Other polling has shown Rubio blowing past Crist, so that's not so much news.

The right way to mend immigration  —  Our immigration system is badly broken.  Although our borders have become far more secure in recent years, too many people seeking illegal entry get through.  We have no way to track whether the millions who enter the United States on valid visas each year leave when they are supposed to.

Stupak: Health fight has been ‘living hell’  —  Leading a revolt against President Barack Obama's healthcare legislation over abortion has been a “living hell” for Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).  —  The telephone lines in his Washington and district offices have been “jammed” …

Choi Arrested at White House Gates  —  In an act of civil disobedience, Lt. Dan Choi and Jim Pietrangelo have been arrested at the White House gates on Thursday while protesting the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy.  —  Following a Human Rights Campaign rally for DADT repeal …

Obama's Approval Rating Lowest Yet, Congress' Declines  —  Slightly more disapprove than approve of Obama  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's job approval is the worst of his presidency to date, with 46% of Americans approving and 48% disapproving of the job he is doing as president …