Doctors' Group Opposes Public Insurance Plan  —  WASHINGTON — As the health care debate heats up, the American Medical Association is letting Congress know that it will oppose creation of a government-sponsored insurance plan, which President Obama and many other Democrats see as an essential element …

Grief, Shock After a ‘Gentle Giant’ Loses His Life in the Line of Duty  —  Colleagues called Stephen T. Johns “Big John,” for he was well over 6 feet tall.  But mostly friends recalled the security guard's constant courtesy and friendliness.  —  “A soft-spoken, gentle giant,” said Milton Talley …

David Letterman responds to flap over Sarah Palin jokes  —  Taping tonight's episode of The Late Show, David Letterman took a few minutes to respond to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who called him “pathetic” in a radio interview after he made her and her family the butt of a recent Top 10 list.

What If Israel Strikes Iran?  —  The mullahs would retaliate.  But things would be much worse if they had the bomb.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Whatever the outcome of Iran's presidential election tomorrow, negotiations will not soon — if ever — put an end to its nuclear threat.

Pelosi loses up to $1 million on AIG investment  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is not immune to market fluctuations, according to her personal financial disclosure report, filed last month.  —  The disclosures, which were accidentally made public this week before the scheduled Friday release …

Libtalker Roseanne Barr Denounces Obama On Leftist Radio Program  —  NO HOLDS BARR-ED  —  Roseanne: 'Everybody's On The (Obama) Kool-Aid'  —  Now that he's in office, should dedicated Obamists support the president even as key campaign promises are broken and empty rhetoric becomes the order of the day?

US bond yields spark concern  —  By Michael Mackenzie and Kiran Stacey in New York and David Oakley in London  —  US long-term interest rates continued to push psychologically important levels on Thursday morning as investors worried about the level of national debt and whether …

Election 2009: Virginia Governor Election  —  Virginia Governor: Deeds (D) 47%, McDonnell (R) 41%  —  Newly chosen Democratic gubernatorial nominee R. Creigh Deeds leads his Republican opponent, former Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, by six points in the first poll of Virginia voters released since Tuesday's Democratic primary.

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT THE OUTRAGEOUS SPENDING IS BECOMING A PROBLEM FOR OBAMA?  Well, there's the poll showing a sizable plurality in favor of cancelling the stimulus spending.  And there's the dead-even generic Congressional ballot.  —  But the biggest indicator is that Obama's …

Dem mutiny on climate bill grows, says Peterson  —  More and more Democrats are ready to vote against Speaker Nancy Pelosi's climate change bill, according to a congressional committee chairman who opposes his leader.  —  The House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) …

Republicans Down on Their Own Party  —  Almost 4 out of 10 Republicans have unfavorable image of their party  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Almost 4 out of 10 (38%) Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have an unfavorable opinion of their own party, while just 7% of Democrats …

Senators fly high on taxpayers' dime  —  Sens. John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer each spent more than $140,000 in taxpayer money on travel in the first half of the fiscal year — roughly 10 times as much as some of their thriftier colleagues.  —  Cornyn, a Republican, racked up the highest travel bill …

Videos Reveal Sotomayor's Positions on Affirmative Action and Other Issues  —  WASHINGTON — Judge Sonia Sotomayor once described herself as “a product of affirmative action” who was admitted to two Ivy League schools despite scoring lower on standardized tests than many classmates …

E-mail shows Fed strong-armed BofA  —  A day before Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis is due on Capitol Hill, e-mails detail the pressure the Fed put on BofA to complete its merger with Merrill Lynch.  —  WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis heads to Capitol Hill on Thursday …

WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun  —  Long-awaited announcement signals first global epidemic in 41 years  —  GENEVA - The World Health Organization has told its member nations it is declaring a swine flu pandemic — the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Baucus Aides Warn K Street  —  Top aides to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) called a last-minute, pre-emptive strike on Wednesday with a group of prominent Democratic lobbyists, warning them to advise their clients not to attend a meeting with Senate Republicans set for Thursday.

Paul Rahe: Obama's gestures  —  Paul Rahe is the learned professor of history at Hillsdale College and author of the three-volume study Republics Ancient and Modern.  Professor Rahe's Soft Despotism, Democracy's Drift: Montesquieu, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and the Modern Prospect has just been published.