Since Kenneth instructs us to “believe the polls”, let’s take a look at them.

Atlantic Philanthropies says it has donated $25 million to HCAN “to push President Obama and members of Congress to support a health plan that covers all Americans, includes a government-run insurance program, and makes medical services more accessible to minorities and poor people.”

But HCAN has not come out in support of the efforts of the progressive members of Congress who say they will vote against any bill that does not have a public option.   I guess they feel that running attack ads against Republicans will get them there.

We enjoy a constitutional right to free speech in the country. It is not an absolute right to say just anything we want, though. For example, we cannot falsely defame someone, we cannot falsely shout “fire” in a crowded movie theatre and spark a stampede, we cannot incite to riot.It is this last example that I want to talk about right now.

The best model, the safest model (relatively speaking) for the White House to get rid of a public option is one of distributed responsibility. Some group (say, a “gang”) stepping forward to announce that they have arrived at a solution that everyone can live with, some abomination that makes the insurance companies happy and has some code language in there for “triggers.” They’ll present it as a “solution,” and won’t mention that the “problem” only exists because they’re willing to join with the GOP in a filibuster but won’t say so.

That camera hog Lieberman has been awfully quiet lately. Wonder if the President has been calling him and twisting his arm?

We once put millions of people back to work with programs like the CCC. We’re staring at 10-17 percent unemployment, but Washington tells us we can’t do anything to change that.

• Still have no idea what we’re doing there.
• What’s Petraeus thinking?
• Jones to McChrystal: STFU.
• Is the public optional alive and well?
• New SCOTUS session starts today.
• MC Steele gets the hammer.
• Rachel slams right on MTP.

They might as well just chant “G.O.P.” instead of “U.S.A.”

Featuring new videos from the Avett Brothers and the Del McCroury Band.

Is Howie Kurtz’s front-page Washington Post treatment of the David Letterman “scandal” and subsequent shakedown really worth a second article on the front of the Style section the same day and a WaPo0 chat Monday? Or is there a word in the scandal that makes a thrill go up the Hacktackular One’s leg? Is that word “intern?”

This Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to vote on a couple of amendments by Russ Feingold proposing significant reforms to the PATRIOT Act and the FISA wiretapping statutes. These votes are the best chance yet to influence the PATRIOT Act reauthorization in the Senate. We’re kicking off a last-minute Twitter- and Faceboo- based activism campaign to pressure key politicians and try to get some media coverage on the issue. Please get involved!

• On Twitter, thank Arlen Specter for his vote last week — and come back Tuesday night and make another tweet about the Patriot Act
• On Facebook, sign up for Tuesday’s Action to fix the Patriot Act and invite your friends
• Help get the word out by sharing this link with your friends (via Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or carrier pigeon).