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- On the eve of President Obama's public address on health-care reform, we learn, contrary to earlier reports, that Olympia Snowe is still opposed to a public option, Nancy Pelosi is willing to work through the August recess, Republicans still oppose the public option because it'll make care cheaper; and David Leonhardt describes what's at stake in the debate.
- There's no reason to be suspicious of a new Quinnipiac poll showing a dead heat in a hypothetical Specter-Toomey Pennsylvania Senate matchup. Quinnipiac, after all, does good work. Of course, it's too early to say anything about next year's elections -- we don't even know if Specter will be the Democratic candidate -- but I am confident in predicting that the inevitable "conservative comeback" storyline just got a major shot in the arm.
- In yet another example of why the U.S. Senate is an institutional anachronism, a John Thune (R-states' rights)-sponsored amendment that would have allowed concealed weapons permits to be honored across state lines was defeated despite having 58 votes in its favor. Which isn't to say the Thune amendment was a good idea. It's actually quite ridiculous. But if someone can give me an explanation as to why we need the privilege of being secretly armed at all times that doesn't rely upon a Hobbesian conception of life, I'll be happy to reconsider.
- I quite enjoyed this Stephen Walt post in Foreign Policy on the 10 foreign policy topics serious pundits should never question, particularly items two and three, because it exposes one of the most annoying contradictions in American strategic thinking: that we can have both a policy that is opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons, while simultaneously believing firmly in the deterrence theory of nuclear weapons. If deterrence theory is valid, after all, then shouldn't everyone have nukes to ensure the peace?
- As Adam observed yesterday, the whole birther phenomenon has transitioned from an entertaining sideshow to something more than a little disturbing. And if I didn't already possess zero media influence, I wouldn't even bring it up, lest the story gets legs (even mockery is semi-legitimizing exposure) in the mainstream media. Oh, wait...
- Remainders: The F-22 loses Jack Murtha and the House's support; student loan reform makes some progress; the Obama White House borrows a couple more pages from Bush; and this is excellent news for libertarians.
--Mori Dinauer
