Tweet from Sen. McCain: "Late evening with Col. Qadhafi at his "ranch" in Libya - interesting meeting with an interesting man."

President Obama puts out the message that rationed care and bureaucrats denying health coverage are indeed serious concerns -- that is, they happen right now under the present system. That and other political news in today's TPMDC Saturday Roundup.

Yesterday in 100 Seconds: Wild in the West

Senate Democrats have given a seat at the bargaining table to a senator who first endorsed the "death panel" canard and is now going around hawking copies of Glenn Beck books.

Full-size video at TPMtv.com.

Has it really come to this?

Watching the current "debate" over healthcare reform, I find myself in the strange position of giving thanks for John McCain. His behavior during the election was anything but classy, but he did refuse to take that final step of endorsing the fully crazy wingut memes (Obama is a Kenyan Muslim terrorist, etc.) even though certain folks were urging him to go there. When I see how easily the "death panel" and other completly-divorced-from-reality memes have taken hold of the public and the media, I can't help but wonder if such crap would have propelled McCain to victory, if he had chosen to embrace it. Oh, the irony: McCain's last shred of integrity saved us from a McCain presidency.

Even if this isn't true, you can bet this is the lesson the GOP will take into 2012. What we're seeing right now is a preview of the election (God help us).

Slideshow: Behind the Scenes at the Obama White House, Summer of 2009.

Dick Armey resigns from lobbying firm over his role in orchestrating teabag protests, town hall shut downs.

Conrad: I'll vote against a bill if it includes a public option.

Health Care tweet war breaks out between two 70-something senators.

That's about where Congressional Republicans are on the escalating health care debate. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) just sent out a letter that tells voters, among other things, that "When mama falls and breaks her hip, she'll just lie in her bed in pain until she dies with pneumonia because her needed surgery is not cost efficient."

Watch: Colbert mourns Glenn Beck's loss of advertisers.

The Chris Christie/US Atty scandal story continues to percolate in the New Jersey press. And there's a point that's come up in discussions I've had with several NJ political watchers over the course of the week.

When Bob Menendez (D) ran for senate in 2006, after being appointed by Jon Corzine, Republicans knew that it was such a strong Democratic year that beating Menendez would be very difficult. And because of that they signaled early on that they would try to make political corruption the centerpiece of their campaign. (Remember this GOP allied ad from October 2006 with over-the-top caricatures of Italian-American mafiosos saying how Menendez was their guy? If you don't take a look. It will help give you a sense of the tenor of the campaign.) It's not too much to say that leaks about a corruption investigation into Menendez (what Christie eventually provided) was the one thing the GOP needed more than anything else to get their guy Tom Kean, Jr. elected and maintain control of the senate.

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Leaked memo shows energy industry execs sending employees to industry sponsored events to play average citizens outraged about cap-n-trade.

With all the hoopla about Democratic town halls across the country, the GOP ones have generally flown under the radar -- the assumption being that because the members are already committed to opposing reform, there's not going to be much ruckus. But a lot these have actually been not held at all, private or admission restricted to supporters. That deserves some more attention.

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) says President Obama told him that he'll pass health care reform, even if it means he would be a one-term president. That and other political news in today's TPMDC Morning Roundup.

CEO of Whole Foods goes on the record: Screw health care reform, just shop at Whole Foods and you'll be fine.

Yesterday in 100 Seconds: Death (Panel) Wish

From TPM Reader TM ...

From where I'm placed, I have to say that I agree with TPM Reader CS about how our side is losing the message war, and TPM as well. Even if the lies are not believed by a majority, they are believed by a significant number, and those people are well represented in Ohio, based on my experiences canvassing for healthcare reform in the last couple of weeks. Then there's the layer of people who know that the palaver about death panels is nonsense but are very fearful that they have much to lose from a public option. I have had a tough time with seniors and those who believe (or want to believe) that their insurance policies will insulate themselves and their families from any peril. We know that there is a significant generational divide, and I think that divide is also regional, and I wouldn't be surprised if there is also an urban vs. rural divide as well. I'm in a rural area.

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