Reid to Baucus: Stop Chasing GOP Votes on Health Care  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday ordered Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to drop a proposal to tax health benefits and stop chasing Republican votes on a massive health care reform bill.

The Odd Lies Of Sarah Palin: A Round-Up  —  Some readers have asked me to put all the various odd lies of Sarah Palin that the Dish has compiled in one helpful place.  So that's what we've done.  A couple of months ago, I asked an intern to re-fact-check all of them to make sure new details hadn't emerged that might debunk some.

The Man Who Crashed the World  —  Almost a year after A.I.G.'s collapse, despite a tidal wave of outrage, there still has been no clear explanation of what toppled the insurance giant.  The author decides to ask the people involved—the silent, shell-shocked traders of the A.I.G. Financial Products unit …

40% of GOP Voters Say Resignation Hurts Palin's Chances in 2012  —  Forty percent (40%) of Republican voters nationwide say Sarah Palin's decision to resign as governor of Alaska hurts her chances of winning the party's presidential nomination in 2012.  —  A new Rasmussen Reports national …

UPDATED: Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general, expected to teach at Texas Tech University  —  Alberto Gonzales, who resigned as the Bush administration's embattled attorney general nearly two years ago, has lined up a fall-semester teaching spot at Texas Tech University, the university confirmed today.

GOP Ad Paints Franken As Angry Maniac — Using Footage Of Him Talking About Paul Wellstone  —  The National Republican Senatorial Committee has just released a new Web ad featuring footage of Senator Al Franken that makes him look like an out-of-control, Red Bull-guzzling cross between Jim Carrey and the Hulk.

Rove deposed in U.S. attorney probe  —  Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove was deposed Tuesday by attorneys for the House Judiciary Committee, according to Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the panel's chairman.  —  Rove's deposition began at 10 a.m. and ended around 6:30 p.m, with several breaks, Conyers said.

Pope Urges Forming New World Economic Order to Work for the ‘Common Good’  —  VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday called for a radical rethinking of the global economy, criticizing a growing divide between rich and poor and urging the establishment of a “true world political authority” …

Former Gitmo Inmate Leading Fight Against U.S. in Helmand  —  As U.S. forces are pushing ahead with the massive Operation Khanjar in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand, Mullah Zakir is leading the Taliban fight against them.  —  FOXNews.com  —  A former Guantanamo Bay inmate …

Of NICE and Men  —  Speaking to the American Medical Association last month, President Obama waxed enthusiastic about countries that “spend less” than the U.S. on health care.  He's right that many countries do, but what he doesn't want to explain is how they ration care to do it.

Los Angeles Targets Cannabis Clubs  —  LOS ANGELES — Daniel Halbert moved here from Phoenix this year to invest his life savings in what he hoped was a golden opportunity: the medical-marijuana business.  —  But on Tuesday, the Los Angeles City Council told him to shut down his dispensary …

U.S. May Not Free Acquitted Detainees  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Tuesday it may continue to imprison non-U.S. citizens indefinitely even if they have been acquitted of terrorism charges by a U.S. military commission.  —  Jeh Johnson, the Defense Department's chief lawyer …

GAO: Major Security Flaws at Federal Buildings  —  The police agency in charge of protecting thousands of federal buildings nationwide has failed to keep bomb-making materials out of several high-security facilities in the past year, according to Congressional testimony provided by Senate aides.

Johnson Opens the Door to Post-Acquittal Detentions  —  Defense Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson moved the Obama administration into new territory from a civil liberties perspective.  Asked by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) the politically difficult but entirely fair question …

Does Obama Want to Own the Airlines?  —  Welcome to government for the benefit of government officials and their hangers-on.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Only luck and falling oil prices saved Washington from having to face mass bankruptcy of the airline industry last year.  Now the specter is rising again.

Obama girls take Russia by storm  —  MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) — An unexpected visitor wandered into the bedroom of President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in the wee hours of Tuesday morning — but the Secret Service wasn't worried about a security breach.

Ex-contractor with Murtha ties charged over kickbacks  —  Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh have charged a former executive for a defense contractor with ties to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) with taking nearly $200,000 in kickbacks from a subcontractor.  —  Richard Ianieri, former president …

Alec Baldwin interested in congressional run  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - Emmy Award winner Alec Baldwin is eyeing a post-acting career that could take him off a Hollywood soundstage into the halls of Congress.  —  Baldwin, who currently stars in the NBC comedy “30 Rock,” told Playboy magazine …

Without Health Care, My Patients Will Die: Please Don't Sacrifice Them for Single Payer  —  Over the last six years I've evaluated and treated hundreds of patients who have very little access to health care.  These patients qualified for mental health care, but a great many didn't qualify …

Senators Settling Into New Roles to Weigh Sotomayor Nomination  —  WASHINGTON — More than two decades ago, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a nominee for a district court judgeship in Alabama and was rejected by the panel over charges of racial insensitivity.

Oh No, Ohio?  —  A Quinnipiac poll today has Barack Obama's approval rating tanking in Ohio: he's now at 49 percent approve and 44 percent disapprove in the Buckeye State, according to Quinnipiac, whereas back in May, they had him at a healthy 62-31.  —  Obama's approval ratings …

Down is Up, Unfair is Fair and Ignorance is Bliss  —  I woke up in the middle of the night and realized the trick.  —  You see, evil doesn't just show up.  It disguises itself as something nice; so you'll let it in.  It tricks you.  —  Murdering babies is called Pro-Choice.

How Do You Know What Dishonest Is, You're Not a Lawyer!  —  When lawyers bloviate about the “rule of law,” the first thing you should always think is “rule of lawyers.”  Their object is to convince you that the world is so complex, so overflowing with statutes, codes, rules, regulations …