Media Challenge: Will They Take The Palin Bait?  —  Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate, has every right to submit an opinion piece on health care to the Wall Street Journal's op-ed page, and they've got every right to print it.  —  But Palin's existence …

Pelosi and Reid Tell President: We Have the Votes; President Wants Bill Passed Soon  —  While White House spokesman Robert Gibbs today refrained from telling reporters whether President Obama in his speech Wednesday night will set a deadline for passing health care reform …

Why the public option matters  —  Most arguments against the public option are based either on deliberate misrepresentation of what that option would mean, or on remarkably thorough misunderstanding of the concept, which persists to a frustrating degree: I was really surprised to see Joe Klein worrying …

How Obama Survived August  —  At the beginning of the month, I predicted that August might turn out be a bloodbath for Democrats.  At the time, the Democratic self-containment on health care had dissolved, cranks were taking over constituent meetings, and that real anxiety about Obama had found …

Congress has already exempted itself from Public Option  —  One of the clearest messages from the Town Hall forums during the August congressional recess was that people want Congress to be covered by the same health care reform plan they impose on the rest of us.

Taliban Ambush in Eastern Kunar Kills Four U.S. Marines  —  In a sad for the U.S. Marine Corps, four Marines have perished in Afghanistan.  Lamenting their deaths and praying for their families is appropriate, but it's also important to note the circumstances surrounding this incident.