Do Pelosi and the Democrats Have the Health Care Votes?  Here's the Math  —  ABC's David Chalian reports: President Obama and Speaker Pelosi (with an apparent assist from Mrs. Kucinich) successfully convinced Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, to change his position and support …

Hypocrisy: A Parliamentary Procedure  —  Any veteran observer of Congress is used to the rampant hypocrisy over the use of parliamentary procedures that shifts totally from one side to the other as a majority moves to minority status, and vice versa.  But I can't recall a level …

The Crisis  —  Was Obama's confrontation with Israel premeditated?  —  JERUSALEM—Suddenly, my city feels again like a war zone.  Since the suicide bombings ended in 2005, life in Jerusalem has been for the most part relatively calm.  The worst disruptions have been the traffic jams resulting …

Why's Obama going on Fox?  —  With Robert Gibbs appearing on “Fox News Sunday” and Timothy Geithner stopping by Fox Business yesterday, it's clear that top administration officials are willing to engage the much-criticized network a lot more these days.  —  Now tonight, President Obama sits …

Allies everywhere feeling snubbed by President Obama  —  The contretemps between President Obama and Israel needs to be seen in a broader global context.  The president who ran against “unilateralism” in the 2008 campaign has worse relations overall with American allies than George W. Bush did in his second term.

Bibi's Tense Time-Out  —  So, Barack Obama can lose his temper without a teleprompter.  And we have the supremely aggravating Bibi Netanyahu to thank for that.  —  On St. Patrick's Day, of all days, we wouldn't want to think that our president did not know how to pick his donnybrooks.

Hawaii considers legislation to ignore birthers.  —  The birther conspiracy continues to live on, despite definitive proof showing that President Obama was indeed born in the United States.  Hawaii's government agencies are becoming so frustrated with the delusional birthers that the state …

ACLU sues gov't over drones  —  The American Civil Liberties Union sued the federal government Tuesday to learn the use of unmanned drones for targeted killings by the military and CIA.  —  “In particular, the lawsuit asks for information on when, where and against whom drone strikes can be authorized …

FACT CHECK: Premiums would rise under Obama plan  —  WASHINGTON - Buyers, beware: President Barack Obama says his health care overhaul will lower premiums by double digits, but check the fine print.  —  Premiums are likely to keep going up even if the health care bill passes, experts say.

Democrats: Vote your conscience on health care  —  I feel your pain.  Eighteen years ago, I was elected on the coattails of a popular young Democratic president who promised a post-partisan Washington.  A year later, with partisan gridlock capturing the Capitol, there was a razor-thin vote …

Oberstar will back final bill  —  Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, an ardent backer of the House abortion restrictions, will vote for the final package after a further review of the Senate's language, giving top Democrats a critical endorsement as they lean on their rank-and-file to back the Senate bill.

McConnell Strategy Shuns Bipartisanship  —  WASHINGTON — Before the health care fight, before the economic stimulus package, before President Obama even took office, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican minority leader, had a strategy for his party: use his extensive knowledge of Senate procedure …

Kucinich Remarks as Prepared for Delivery  —  Each generation has had to take up the question of how to provide for the health of the people of our nation.  And each generation has grappled with difficult questions of how to meet the needs of our people.  I believe health care is a civil right.

Sometimes you have to burn a village to rule it  —  I'm going to pull a reverse-Brooks in this post, but break the rules and simply tell you what I'm doing at the beginning: On the deem and pass question, Democrats are wrong, but Republicans are wronger.  —  The problem with deem and pass isn't, well, deem and pass.

Jobs Bill Passes in Senate With 11 Votes From Republicans  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate approved and sent to President Obama on Wednesday what Congressional Democrats hope will be the first in a series of bills spurring employment by providing tax breaks and other hiring incentives to businesses.

The Medicus Firm Physician Survey: Health Reforms Potential Impact on Physician Supply and Quality of Medical Care  —  Key Findings from The Medicus Firm Survey  —  Physician Support of Health Reform in General  —  62.7% of physicians feel that health reform is needed but should be implemented …

Was Medicare popular when it passed?  —  For some time, I've been trying to find good polling from the passage of Medicare.  According to Greg Sargent, though, the Democrats beat me to it: … I wonder how many of the legislators who took the tough vote to move Medicare forward regret doing that today.

If bin Laden is found, he'll be killed, Holder says  —  Holder: If bin Laden found, he'll be killed  —  Osama bin Laden “will never appear in an American courtroom,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. told House members at a hearing Tuesday.  —  “Let's deal with the reality here,” …

Krauthammer's Amateur Sociology  —  Here's Charles Krauthammer chatting last night with Bill O'Reilly about why Americans don't like universal health care: … Several observations:  — Many Americans are not descended from Europeans.  — Many countries predominantly inhabited …