It appears that Bill Clinton may have done something right. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pardoned Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two American journalists who were arrested in March and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, after holding talks with former president Clinton.

Trina Thompson, who recently graduated from Monroe College with a GPA of 2.7, is suing her alma mater because she cannot find a job. Thompson is demanding tuition reimbursement and additional compensation for the stress of her three-month job search. Thompson claims the college's career center unfairly discriminated against her because of her poor GPA. "They favor more toward students that got a 4.0. They help them more out with the job placement," she said. Apparently, merit-based rewards aren't fair. The National Association of Colleges and Employers estimates that only 19.7 percent of the class of 2009 is employed. But clearly, Thompson is the real victim here.

Thompson's full complaint against Monroe College can be read here.

While President Obama prepares for the most important diplomatic event so far in his administration, tonight's all-important "beer summit" between Officer Crowley and Professor Gates, the Democrats in the House are seeing attempts at compromise on health care fall apart on both sides of the political spectrum. 

Yesterday, the more conservative Blue Dog Democrats emerged from talks with Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with an agreement on how to lower the costs of health care reform. The New York Times and other media outlets declared a victory for the Democrats.

But apparently the Health Bill is still at an Impasse. Politico reports that House Speaker Pelosi is now struggling to appease both the Blue Dogs and the progressive wing of her party who claim that conservatives have hijacked health care. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), one of the group of progressives who met with Pelosi several times yesterday, said:

“Waxman made a deal that is unacceptable. We signed a pledge to reject any plan that doesn’t include a robust public option, and this plan doesn’t have a robust public option"

Rep. Barney Frank, (D-M.A.) a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is upset that their principles have been sacrificed to further President Obama's agenda. “I don’t think it would pass the House," Frank said of the Blue Dog/Waxman deal.  "I wouldn’t vote for it."

This division among the Democrats comes as Obama's approval ratings drop to their lowest point yet.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the most unpopular political figure in America. Her Response? "I don't care," the speaker told Politico. Pelosi said:

I think I’m trusted. I certainly want to be trusted. I’m not particularly concerned if I’m liked.

Polling shows Pelosi isn't liked or trusted by a vast majority of Americans.

Pro-life groups are taking sharp aim at the already troubled Obamacare this week. The groups, which include Focus on the Family, are insisting that the current health care proposal amounts to a stealth abortion mandate, and are fighting against any taxpayer funding of abortion. Charmaine Yoest, president of Americans United for Life, the group sponsoring the "Stop the Abortion Mandate" campaign, says:

Almost no one wants to fund abortion, regardless of their position on abortion as a whole.

A few weeks ago, 19 pro-life House Democrats, including John Murtha of PA, wrote a letter to Speaker Pelosi warning that:

Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in the a government subsidized heath care plan under general health care.

These pro-life Democrats insisted they would oppose any attempt at health care reform that would "directly or indirectly" provide coverage for abortions.

President Obama will be discussing health care in a a prime time network address this evening, (his fourth since taking office) but he will most likely avoid the abortion issue.

Critics are slamming President Obama's pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin, for her weight, saying that her size prevents her from serving as the public face of health in a nation with a growing obesity problem. The discussion of the highly credentialed Benjamin's girth comes just after Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared on Sunday's "Meet the Press" to discuss health care reform, and talked about the responsibilty Americans have to stay fit. Sebelius (who, incidentally, has a much more svelte frame) said:

We're also hoping that that personal responsibility extends to lifestyle... we need to make some basic changes in what we eat, how much we exercise...

Seeing as we're currently fighting against a massive government takeover of the health care industry, Benjamin's weight is hardly America's top concern. Besides, if Obama can sign tobacco legislation and then sneak off for a cigarette, Benjamin can certainly preach about healthy eating and then drive through McDonald's.

In an interview with The New York Times Magazine, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discusses the concept of abortion as a way to control population growth, specifically of certain groups. Ginsburg, who was commenting on the role of women on the court and the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, said "Reproductive choice has to be straightened out." She then went on to say, in response to a question about the availability of abortion for poor women and the case Harris v. McRae (in 1980 the court upheld the Hyde Amendment, which forbids the use of Medicaid for abortions):

Yes, the ruling about that surprised me. Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion. Which some people felt would risk coercing women into having abortions when they didn’t really want them. But when the court decided McRae, the case came out the other way. And then I realized that my perception of it had been altogether wrong.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel suggested in an interview yesterday with the Wall Street Journal that the administration would be willing to adopt a health care reform bill that did not include a public option. Emanuel said:

The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest. The goal is non-negotiable; the path is negotiable.

Today, President Obama fired back all the way from Russia, with a statement saying:

I am pleased by the progress we're making on health care reform and still believe, as I've said before, that one of the best ways to bring down costs, provide more choices, and assure quality is a public option that will force the insurance companies to compete and keep them honest. I look forward to a final product that achieves these very important goals.

Apparently the path isn't as "negotiable" as Rahmbo thought.

Politico.

The University of Arizona has rescinded its unconstitutional security fee for a David Horowitz event hosted by the College Republicans. The University forced the student group to have security at the event due to its controversial nature, and then billed the group for the services. The club then went to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) for help. FIRE wrote to the university, saying:

Any requirement that student organizations hosting controversial events pay for extra security is unconstitutional because it affixes a price tag to events on the basis of their expressive content. The Supreme Court addressed precisely this issue in Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, 505 U.S. 123, 134-135 (1992).

University of Arizona's decision to absorb the security cost is a victory for free speech on college campuses. Adam Kissel, Director of FIRE's Individual Rights Defense Program, said:

One by one, universities are remembering their duty to protect controversial speech, rather than unduly burdening it or letting it be shouted down. Those who fulfill the important task of bringing dissenting viewpoints to the university must be protected from those who respond to dissent with violence or disruption.

Read more about the case here.

Rep. King, who released a video over the weekend criticizing the Michael Jackson coverage, continued his rant against Jackson last night on CBS, calling the media's coverage of Jackson "an orgy of glorification." King, whose previous comments can be seen here, said on Monday:

Yes, he did violate young boys. He did put them in terribly inappropriate positions. And that's a terrible signal to be sending out to society -- that we're somehow condoning that behavior. And you are condoning it when you give him the type of --- when we give him the type of regal coverage! And millions of people fighting to get to this mega-memorial! I mean, this is --- this is wrong!

King's remarks certainly place him in the minority. Rep. Charles Rangel responded to King's remarks, saying:

I'd rather leave it alone. It's unfortunate that it's been said. I hope he's sorry he said it, but talking about it is not going to help or ease the pain that he has caused.

All the major media outlets are currently covering Jackson's star-studded mass memorial, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

James Carville, a Democratic strategist who ran Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, is advising Afghan president Hamid Karzai's challenger, former Afghan finance minister Ashraf Ghani. Ghani received a PhD from Columbia University and worked at the World Bank.

Carville says he did not discuss the Afghan elections with former president Clinton or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and that his role as adviser to Ghani should not be read as U.S. approval for a new Afghan leader. Carville, who has worked on campaigns in 18 countries, said:

I don’t think anybody would veto me doing this. I’ve worked in Israel when Bill Clinton was president. It’s what I do.

Read more here.

Over Fourth of July weekend, Congressman Peter King (R-NY) recorded a video calling on the media to stop covering "some pervert like Michael Jackson" and focus instead on real American heroes.
King acknowledged that Jackson was a good singer and dancer, but said:

Bottom line is, would you let your child or grandchild in the same room as Michael Jackson?

Nineteen Congressional Democrats wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, warning her that they would not support any health care reform legislation that did not specifically exclude government funding for abortion. Family Research Council was active in getting members of Congress to commit to this effort. The Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life organization that supports pro-life members of Congress, has also been alerting their members to the letter and is conducting a nationwide "Stop the Abortion Bailout!" campaign.

A key passage of the letter reads:

Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in the a government subsidized heath care plan under general health care. The health care reform package produced by Congress will be landmark, and with legislation as important as this, abortion must be addressed clearly in the bill text.

But Michael Cannon, the Cato Institute’s director of health policy studies who has been on the front lines in the battle over the Obama health care plan, warns, “The Democrats’ demand in this letter does not go nearly far enough. If either an 'individual mandate' or an 'employer mandate' passes, Americans will eventually be forced to pay for abortions.”

The letter was signed by Rep. Dan Boren (Okla.), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Travis Childers (Miss.), Jerry Costello (Ill.), Kathy Dahlkemper (Penn.), Lincoln Davis (Tenn.), Steve Driehaus (Ohio), Tim Holden (Penn.), Paul Kanjorski (Penn.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio), Mike McIntyre (N.C.), Charlie Melancon (La.), John Murtha (Penn.), Jim Oberstar (Minn.), Solomon Ortiz (Texas), Collin Peterson (Minn.), Heath Shuler (N.C.), Bart Stupak (Mich.) and Gene Taylor (Miss).

The letter from these pro-life Democrats reads:

As the debate on health care reform continues and legislation is produced, it is imperative that the issue of abortion not be overlooked. Plans to mandate coverage for abortion, either directly or indirectly is unacceptable.

We believe in a culture that supports and respects the right to life and is dedicated to the protection and preservation of families. Therefore, we cannot support any health care reform proposal unless it explicitly excludes abortion from the scope of any government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan. We believe that a government-defined or subsidized health insurance plan, should not be used to fund abortion.

Furthermore, we want to ensure that the Health Benefits Advisory Committee cannot recommend abortion services be included under covered benefits or as part of a benefits package. Without an explicit exclusion, abortion could be included in a government subsidized health care plan under general health care. The health care reform package produced by Congress will be landmark, and with legislation as important as this, abortion must be addressed clearly in the bill text.

Furthermore, funding restrictions save lives by reducing the number of abortions. The Guttmacher Policy Review, a leading pro-choice research organization noted “that about one third of women who would have had an abortion if support were available carried their pregnancies to term when the abortion fund was unavailable.”

Thank you for taking the time to consider our request. By ensuring that abortions are not funded through any health care reform package, we will take this controversial issue off the table so that Congress can focus on crafting a broadly-supported health care reform bill.

Townhall has not heard word from any Democratic pro-life senators, such as Bob Casey (PA) as to whether they will be sending a similar letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV), who claims to be pro-life himself.
[# More #]
Click on the images below to read the original letter.  

The Washington Times reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to get the president to speak out against the situation in Iran. The article says:

Mrs. Clinton had been advocating the stronger U.S. response, but the president resisted. When he finally took her advice, the aides said, he did so without informing her first. This was the first known example of awkwardness between the two former rivals for the Democratic nomination for president since they made up following Mr. Obama's election. The disagreement also gave some insight into the Obama administration's foreign policy decision-making process five months into its term.

Apparently, Republicans weren't the alone in thinking that Obama's stance on Iran was too weak.

A commentary piece in The National Journal sheds new light on the importance of the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to overturn Ricci v. DeStefano. Author Stuart Taylor Jr. explains:

The Supreme Court's predictable 5-4 vote to reverse the decision... does not by itself prove that the Sotomayor position was unreasonable... What's more striking is that the court was unanimous in rejecting the Sotomayor panel's specific holding. Her holding was that New Haven's decision to spurn the test results must be upheld based solely on the fact that highly disproportionate numbers of blacks had done badly on the exam and might file a "disparate-impact" lawsuit -- regardless of whether the exam was valid or the lawsuit could succeed.

Taylor points out that even liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who authored the dissent, objected to Sotomayor's opinion that disparate racial results alone justified the city of New Haven for throwing out the results of the exam. Read the full piece here.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs did his best to spin the Supreme Court's reversal of Sotomayor's ruling in Ricci vs. DeStefano today during his briefing. Gibbs said that the high court's decision that the white firefighters were, in fact, unfairly denied promotions because of their race will not delay Sotomayor's confirmation process. Gibbs said:

There's little political significance to whatever the court decided today in terms of Judge Sotomayor except to render a fairly definitive opinion that she follows judicial precedent and that she doesn't legislate from the bench.

Gibbs went so far as to suggest that today's ruling actually helped Sotomayor, and should halt any concerns that she is an activist judge, saying:

One thing is clear, that the ruling by Judge Sotomayor was based on the precedent of the Second Circuit. ... The Supreme Court clearly had a new interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Apparently, the North Korean regime wants you to follow their tweets. AP reports that

A feed under the name "kcna_dprk"—acronyms of Pyongyang's state Korean Central News Agency and the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea—provides links to hundreds of the agency's English-language stories. The background of the Twitter page for the feed shows the North's red-and-blue national flag.

"kcna_dprk" has over 2,800 followers.

The Washington Post's lead editorial today, "A Dissident Deflected," pointed out the Obama administration's unwillingness to support Cuba's pro-democracy opposition. Normally, the honorees of the National Endowment for Democracy's annual Democracy Award travel to Washington to have a meet and greet with the president. The Obama administration declined to honor this year's honorees, five leaders of Cuba's pro-democracy opposition. The Post points out that Obama is not simply too busy to deal with Latin America in general, noting that he heaped praise on Chile and met with Hugo Ch?vez. The Post says,

Message to Mr. Ch?vez and the Castro brothers: We can work with you. Message to Cuba's democratic opposition: We don't have time for you.

Obama quickly wrote a brief statement in support of this year's honorees after the Post inquired, commending

"all the brave men and women who are standing up for the right of the Cuban people to freely determine their country's future."

For a president who is already being criticized for his failure to speak out on behalf of Iranian freedom, Obama does not need anyone else to point out that he isn't exactly a champion of democracy.
You can read the full editorial here.

New polling data from the Pew Center suggests that support for Obama's health care plan is falling across the board. Pew compared current public opinion on health care with data from when Clinton first attempted health care reform in 1993.

"But there is less support for completely rebuilding the health care system than there was during the early stage of the Clinton administration’s unsuccessful effort to revamp health care. In April 1993, a majority of Americans (55%) said the health care system needed to be completely rebuilt. As discussion of Clinton’s proposals progressed, support for completely rebuilding the health care system declined. By June 1994, just 37% said the health care system needed to be completely rebuilt. Support for a complete rebuilding of the health care system is lower than in early 1993 among all partisan groups."

The full report is available here.

Congressman Barney Frank backpedaled on his recent criticism of the Obama administration's brief upholding DOMA, which cited cases involving incest (Catalano v. Catalano) and people marrying children (Wilkins v. Zelichowski), saying that the language in the brief wasn't really so bad, actually:

“When I was called by a newspaper reporter for reaction to the administration’s brief defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act, I made the mistake of relying on other people’s oral descriptions to me of what had been in the brief, rather than reading it first. It is a lesson to me that I should not give in to press insistence that I comment before I have had a chance fully to inform myself on the subject at hand... But after rereading this brief, I do not think that the Obama administration should be subject to harsh criticism in this instance.”

Gay activists, already angry at Obama for his lack of action on issues like gay marriage and Don't Ask, Don't Tell, are now condemning Frank, saying the openly gay congressman threw them under the bus. The full statement from Frank's office is available here. Perhaps Congressman Frank will use his new understanding of the importance of actually reading documents in his role as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.