Kennedy Taps Clinton for Panel on Health Care

Senate seat the perfect ending to her 'fairy tale'

(NEWSER) - Sure, you can make a case against it, but Caroline Kennedy becoming a senator would be the perfect ending to a "modern fairy tale," Ruth Marcus writes in the Washington Post. Putting aside her tendency to "recoil from political dynasties," Marcus points out that there are plenty of politicians who didn't exactly pay their dues—does Jesse Ventura ring a bell? More»

But GOP hopeful is a big Hillary Clinton fan

(NEWSER) - Christine O’Donnell seemed stymied when asked during last night's debate to name a Democratic senator she’d feel comfortable working with. She gave two names—but neither is currently a Democratic senator. First she mentioned Hillary Clinton, acknowledging “she’s not a senator any more.” Then she interrupted opponent Chris Coons’ critical response by citing Joe Lieberman, who is now an independent. More»

Former president blasts his former political rival in interview, book

(NEWSER) - For a man with the Nobel Peace Prize on his mantel, Jimmy Carter sure can hold a grudge. In an interview with 60 Minutes airing Sunday, he goes after Ted Kennedy—who challenged the incumbent president for the Democratic nomination in 1980—on two fronts, reports the Boston Globe :

• Health care: He says the nation would have "comprehensive health care" today had Kennedy not blocked Carter's compromise bill back then by insisting on national health insurance. "It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill." (An entry from his new book White House Diary condemns Kennedy's "irresponsible and abusive attitude" over the measure.

Dems' options if Brown wins not looking good

(NEWSER) - With polls showing the majority of Americans opposed to the Democrats' health care reform bill, a victory for Scott Brown in Massachusetts today could sound the death of the party's yearlong effort at health reform. If Dems try to proceed with the reforms in the wake of a Brown victory, the GOP will have a strong case that a liberal minority is ignoring the will of voters to push its own agenda, the Washington Post reports. More»

Mass. Senate candidate compared Obama's mother to Bristol Palin

(NEWSER) - Frantic Democrats are circulating a 2008 interview in which Scott Brown insinuated that Barack Obama was born out of wedlock. While discussing Bristol Palin's pregnancy during the Republican convention, Brown drew a parallel to Obama's mother, who was 18 when he was born. When another interviewee on the program noted that she was married, Brown responded, "Well, I don't know about that" and laughed. More»