Democrats Seem Set to Go Alone on a Health Bill  —  WASHINGTON — Given hardening Republican opposition to Congressional health care proposals, Democrats now say they see little chance of the minority's cooperation in approving any overhaul, and are increasingly focused on drawing support for a final plan from within their own ranks.

Barney Frank goes toe to toe at health care town hall  —  (CNN) — Most Congress members conducting town hall meetings this month have chosen a noncombative posture to deal with angry participants who disrupt the proceedings.  Not Rep. Barney Frank.  —  At a lively two-hour meeting Tuesday night …

Axelrod's ties targeted in health fight  —  Critics of President Obama's health-care overhaul are zeroing in on his senior adviser David Axelrod, whose former partners at a Chicago-based firm are the beneficiaries of huge ad buys—now at $24 million and counting—by White House allies in the reform fight.

A Conservative's Road to Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy  —  Theodore B. Olson's office is a testament to his iconic status in the conservative legal movement.  A framed photograph of Ronald Reagan, the first of two Republican presidents Mr. Olson served, is warmly inscribed with “heartfelt thanks.”

Sweden newspaper: Israel kills Palestinians, harvests their organs  —  A leading Swedish newspaper reported this week that Israeli soldiers are abducting Palestinians in order to steal their organs, a claim that prompted furious condemnation and accusations of anti-Semitic blood libel from a rival publication.

ObamaCare Is All About Rationing  —  Overspending is far preferable to artificially limiting the availability of new procedures and technologies.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Although administration officials are eager to deny it, rationing health care is central to President Barack Obama's health plan.

CNN Fails to Report Woman Comparing Obama to Hitler is a Lyndon LaRouche Democrat  —  CNN's Larry King showed the above video of Barney Frank laying the smack down on a woman at a townhall meeting who compared Obama to Hitler.  CNN left out the fact that this woman is a Lyndon LaRouche Democrat.

New Doubts Raised Over Famous War Photo  —  After nearly three-quarters of a century Robert Capa's “Falling Soldier” picture from the Spanish Civil War remains one of the most famous images of combat ever.  It is also one of the most debated, with a long string of critics claiming that the photo …

Baucus, and the Debate on Health Care, Go West  —  BOZEMAN, Mont. — Senator Max Baucus can be hard to decipher at times, and not just because he talks fast and is prone to mumbling.  He was trying to discuss health care in an interview, but kept having to compete with a loud TV set …

Congressman: Public option just like the post office  —  A public (or “government-run") healthcare option for Americans would function similarly to the way the post office does, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.) suggested Tuesday night.  —  Jackson, in an appearance on CNN …

At Least 95 Killed in Series of Attacks in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — At least 95 people were killed and 563 wounded in a series of truck bombings and other attacks on Wednesday that rocked areas around official buildings in central Baghdad, the Interior Ministry said.

Senate bid dogged by Fiorina's failure to vote  —  (08-18) 19:51 PDT — Republican Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, took her first formal step Tuesday to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer - but does she pass the Citizenship 1o1 test?

In Appraisal Shift, Lenders Gain Power and Critics  —  Mike Kennedy, a real estate appraiser in Monroe, N.Y., was examining a suburban house a few years ago when he discovered five feet of water in the basement.  The mortgage broker arranging the owner's refinancing asked him to pretend it was not there.

Obama to Take Questions on Conservative Talk Radio Show  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: The White House has arranged for President Obama to appear as a guest of a conservative talk radio host who endorsed his candidacy, to answer questions from callers on health care reform on Thursday, a White House aide tells ABC News.

IRS gets a key to Swiss bank accounts  —  Government reaches deal to access as many as 5,000 UBS accounts that U.S. investors might have used to avoid taxes.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday that it has reached a deal with the Swiss government …

Keep Off the Astroturf  —  WITH the “public option” part of President Obama's health care reform plan looking dead in the water, many of its supporters are taking issue with the legitimacy of its opposition.  “We call it ‘Astroturf,’ ” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said of the protesters at town-hall meetings.

Election 2010: Florida GOP Senate Primary  —  2010 Florida GOP Primary: Crist 53%, Rubio 31%  —  Conservative Republicans in Florida may be rumbling about Charlie Crist's run for the U.S. Senate, but so far the governor is well ahead of his chief 2010 GOP Primary challenger.