Romancing the CBO/ How to get a better score for your bill.

Slate "Here are some of the most common tricks to make your bill look good and how the health care bill does or doesn't use them: "...

“If you don’t tie our hands, we will keep stealing”

Hot Air "What this guy’s actually copping to is nothing less than the collapse of representative government. They could take up entitlement reform, but preserving the long-term economic viability of the United States simply isn’t enough incentive. Nothing short of a public initiative demanding that they behave in a responsible manner will get them to act responsibly." I think this story could be big.

What the Senate Bill Would Do To America

Heritage "The reconciliation bill being drafted is nothing more than thin political cover for House Democrats who believe the Senate bill is terrible public policy but want to please their leadership and the President by voting for it anyway. As we detailed yesterday, there is no bill but the Senate bill. Once the House passes the Senate bill, the President will sign it. Game over. It has been almost three months since the Senate passed their bill in the dead of night on Christmas Eve. A review of just how terrible it really is, is in order:"

America in Retreat

Commentary "Obama intended to address “our standing in the world”. Little did we imagine where this was heading — a more innocuous and less reliable America, which is fast becoming an easier mark for despotic regimes."

A Middle East Without American Influence?

Slate "In the Middle East, however, there is nothing that reeks so much of weakness as beating up on an ally in public. Moreover, this tongue-lashing comes shortly after the White House swallowed the open taunts of its adversaries." Gonna be a long three years. Seven if we don't stop getting our voting recommendations from celebrities.

The Gunny speaks

Military Times "Military Times recently interviewed R. Lee Ermey, combat veteran of Vietnam and Drill Instructor extraordinaire, on important subjects such as Don't Ask Don't Tell, rules of engagement, tattoos, and stationary (sic)." Via Blackfive

Capturing Bin Laden

From Grim at Blackfive "It happens that these don't. Islamic law has its own ideas about what is just and righteous in war, and it happens that al Qaeda is in violation of those standards too. These are not criminals; they're the enemies of civilization. Not "the enemies of our civilization," but of all civilizations. We can apply the laws and justice of war to them without violating any standard to which they have a right to appeal." Oh, yeah, by the way: Lawfare - ACLU sues over drones "And since when was it the job of the ACLU to determine the "wisdom" of using drones, much less the "legality"? Does it also claim the right to determine the "wisdom" and "legality" of artillery strikes? Air strikes? "

Republicans cast Nancy Pelosi as health care villain

Politico "Health care reform might be President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy, but not if you ask Republicans running for the House this year. According to them, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the driving force behind the enterprise, assisted by an army of subservient lieutenants."

Media Critic: Baier's Obama Interview Antidote to Brian Williams' Bow

Newsbusters " 'Still as a journalist and media critic, I salute Baier for putting the president to the test and respectfully challenging him on his contradictions and reversals -- and the subsequent flaws in the legislation he hopes to see on his desk in a matter of days.' Well, at least someone in the mainstream media thinks Baier did a good job. "

CIA director says secret attacks in Pakistan have hobbled al-Qaeda

WaPo via Heritage "So profound is al-Qaeda's disarray that one of its lieutenants, in a recently intercepted message, pleaded with bin Laden to come to the group's rescue and provide some leadership, Panetta said. He credited improved coordination with Pakistan's government and what he called "the most aggressive operation that CIA has been involved in in our history," offering a near-acknowledgment of what is officially a secret war." Give the Obama administration for this one.

Losing the War

Robert Rector "The War on Poverty created a destructive feedback loop: Welfare promoted the decline of marriage, which generated the need for more welfare. Today, out-of-wedlock childbearing and the resulting growth of single-parent homes are the most important causes of child poverty. If the poor women who give birth out of wedlock married the fathers of their children, two-thirds would immediately be lifted out of poverty. "

Twisting path to 216 for Pelosi

Politico "Two-hundred sixteen Democrats who remain in the House voted "yes" the first time, while 37 voted against it. Pelosi is sure to lose some of those "yes" votes, so the question is how many "nos" can she flip. " Remember that, in the end, they're still Democrats.