Public Option: It's Back  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports:  —  The public option.  The idea was believed to be dead.  Liberals wanted it, but Senate vote counters insisted it simply could not pass the Senate.  The dynamic, however, has changed.  The public option may be back from dead.

On the NY23 Race, We Have A Practical Choice To Make  —  In the statement and audio clips below, Speaker Gingrich explains his decision to endorse Dede Scozzafava in the NY 23 special election:  —  Through my experience as Speaker of the House and building a Republican majority in 1994 …

W.H.: Cheney failed on Afghanistan … No comments yet.  Be the first!

Conservatives roar; GOP trembles  —  Many top Republicans are growing worried that the party's chances for reversing its electoral routs of 2006 and 2008 are being wounded by the flamboyant rhetoric and angry tone of conservative activists and media personalities, according to interviews with GOP officials and operatives.

It's come to this: White House tries to bar Fox News from interviewing pay czar  —  Decide for yourself what the most disgraceful aspect of this is.  Was it the fact that Gibbs told Jake Tapper explicitly on Monday that the White House wouldn't try to dictate to the press pool …

Fewer Americans See Solid Evidence of Global Warming  —  Modest Support for “Cap and Trade” Policy  —  There has been a sharp decline over the past year in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising.  And fewer also see global warming …

Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment May Be Stripped By Senior Dem, Sources Say  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who denied victims of assault the right to bring their case to court is in danger of being watered …

Hoffman visits the Times  —  We just had a wacky hour at the Watertown Daily Times.  —  Blogger Robert Stacy McCain, who is following Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman around today, banged out a story at my desk while I was inside the editor and co-publisher's office watching the fireworks.

For Some Parents, Shouting Is the New Spanking  —  JACKIE KLEIN is a devoted mother of two little boys in the suburbs of Portland, Ore. She spends hours ferrying them to soccer and Cub Scouts.  She reads child-development books.  She can emulate one of those pitch-perfect calm maternal tones to warn …

AHIP Lobbyist To GOP: Don't Give “Comfort To The Enemy” On Health Care  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A top lobbyist for the major private insurance industry trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), urged Congressional Republicans to not even consider helping Democrats pass …

Low Testosterone = A Vote for McCain?  —  Study Shows Testosterone Levels of McCain Supporters Dropped on Election Night  —  Republican men nationwide may have experienced a drop in testosterone levels the night Barack Obama was elected president, according to the results of a small study …

Senate Approves Broadened Hate-Crime Measure  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate voted on Thursday to extend new federal protections to people who are victimized because of their gender or sexual orientation, bringing the legislation close to reality after years of fierce debate.

A message for America  —  Pat Condell has a message to America.  —  Transcript of Pat Condell's Video: Wake up, America (hat tip KGS)  —  You remember the cartel of Islamic dictatorships that hijacked the United Nations Human Rights Council don't you?  And then promptly passed a resolution banning the criticism of religion?

REM call for Guantanamo closure  —  Rock bands including Pearl Jam and REM have joined a coalition of musicians to support the US president's efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison.  —  The National Campaign to Close Guantanamo, which also includes former military officers, launched on Tuesday.

Court Deals Blow to Owners of Apartment Complex  —  The state's highest court dealt a financial blow on Thursday morning to the already beleaguered owners of the sprawling Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village complexes in Manhattan when it ruled that they improperly began charging market rents on thousands of apartments.

Nazi looted art found at future site of Bush presidential library  —  Two valuable works of art looted by the Nazis during World War II have been discovered at Southern Methodist University (SMU), which is the future home of the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

Two Democrats buck Rep. Towns, call for Countrywide VIP mortgage probe  —  Two junior Democrats are urging their leaders to open an investigation into the Countrywide VIP mortgage program.  —  Rep. Paul Hodes (N.H.), who is in his second House term, and freshman Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) …