"Leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico -- the trio known as 'the three amigos' -- gathered in Mexico on Sunday to begin a summit that will likely focus on such vexing issues as drug-cartel violence, immigration, economic recovery and the swine flu… The summit will continue until Monday afternoon, when the trio are expected to address reporters before going home. Harper will come to Washington next month for a Sept. 16 meeting with Obama."

Reuters: "At the top of their agenda are the economy, trade and grappling with Mexican gangs that dominate the drug trade over the US border and up into Canada." 
 
The AP: "President Barack Obama's first North American summit is proving it's a lot easier to agree on battling a killer flu virus than to untangle knotty disputes over cross-border trade." The "main accomplishment will likely be a joint plan of attack for swine flu. But there was little chance of any breakthrough in long-running squabbles over Mexican trucks, or U.S. 'Buy American' rules or how best to curb the deadly flow of drugs across the frontier."

Regarding those town halls, the Obama political arm is fighting back both officially on the White House web site and unofficially via the DNC.
 
On the DNC front, per Politico, "Organizing for America, President Obama's political organization, is urging supporters to visit the district offices of their local member of Congress to urge support for healthcare reform -- another move by Democrats to counter the loud opposition being voiced by conservatives at town halls. In an email message sent Sunday, Organizing for America director Mitch Stewart tries to motivate Obama backers by warning that "[i]nsurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors."

And here's a new Web site the White House has unveiled: "Health Insurance Reform Reality Check." 

"The federal deficit grew by another $181 billion in July," The Hill says. "Bailouts for financial firms and billions in tax revenue lost because of the recession drove the deficit to a record $1.3 trillion in July, according to the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Tax receipts that have fallen due to the poor economy and increased spending to save car companies, banks and mortgage firms were major contributors to the federal deficit, according to CBO, which provides official budget numbers for Congress." 

Wow, um, this headline in the Wall Street Journal isn't exactly comforting. And it comes AFTER the U.S. is claiming credit for killing the top Taliban commander. 

"James Jones, a retired Marine general with experience in Afghanistan, said the United States will know by the end of next year whether the strategy President Barack Obama announced in March is working," AP writes. "In the meantime the White House is redefining how it will measure progress, with new benchmarks expected next month. The outline will be presented to Congress with an eye to creeping skepticism among many Democrats about the war's prognosis and costs. Making the rounds of the Sunday talk shows, Jones said the war is not now in crisis but did little to dispel the growing expectation that Obama would soon be asked to supplement the 21,000 additional forces he already approved for Afghanistan this year." 

More Jones: "The North Koreans have indicated they would like a new relation, a better relation with the United States," he said in on "Fox News Sunday" when asked about former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea last week. ... Jones later said on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that Clinton had stressed to the North Koreans that they must abandon their ambitions to build nuclear weapons and return to six-party talks at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula."

And here's a quote: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that more U.S. troops would be needed to fight in Afghanistan to prevent the same mistakes that sent Iraq into a tailspin. 'Don't Rumsfeld Afghanistan,' Graham said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.'"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have penned an op-ed in USA Today decrying some of the conservative protests at these town halls. "The dialogue between elected representatives and constituents is at the heart of our democracy and plays an integral role in assuring that the legislation we write reflects the genuine needs and concerns of the people we represent," they write. "However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue."

On the other hand, in his appearance on FOX yesterday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell defended the protests, saying: "I think attacking citizens in our country for expressing their opinions about an issue of this magnitude may indicate some weakness in their position on the merits."

Following the lead of former Washington Post Ohio Valley Bureau chief Tom Edsall's reporting in '04 and '06, the Washington Post delves back into Indiana 09, Dem Baron Hill's Cong. District, to see how health care is playing. 

"Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union' that he is committed to getting a bipartisan bill, even if it means sacrificing a public insurance option. 'It doesn't have to be a perfect bill,' Durbin said. 'I support a public option, but yes I am open. I want to make sure we do something positive for the American people.'" But Sen. John Cornyn said that "while 'there's a lot of middle ground where we can meet, I don't see how we can make much headway' unless the public insurance option is off the table entirely."

On Friday, Sarah Palin made this posting on her Facebook page regarding Obama's health-care plans: "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

Meanwhile, "Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lent credence Sunday to Sarah Palin's claim that the healthcare reform legislation will create 'death panels' to judge end-of-life issues. 'Communal standards, historically, is a very dangerous concept,' Gingrich said on ABC's 'This Week.'" And: "In defense of Palin's remarks, Gingrich cited an article written by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and a healthcare policy adviser, that suggested the possibility of population control. 'You're asking us to trust turning over power to the government, when there are clearly people in America who believe in establishing euthanasia, including selective standards,' Gingrich said."
 
Howard Dean on Sunday shot back, saying there's nothing in any of the health-care bills about euthanasia, and that Palin "just made that up. Just like the 'Bridge to Nowhere' that she supposedly didn't support."

More bad news for Mark Sanford, per the AP: "South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford used state aircraft for personal and political trips, often bringing along his wife and children -- contrary to state law regarding
official use, an Associated Press investigation has found."

NEVADA: Get that man a towel to chew on! "Danny Tarkanian, the son of famed University of Nevada Las Vegas former basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, on Monday will become the latest Republican to formally launch a 2010 challenge to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). ... This is not Tarkanian's first run for political office. In 2006, he lost a bid for Nevada secretary of state. He ran for state Senate in 2004 and lost but then filed a civil defamation lawsuit against his opponent. The suit was just recently settled when his opponent, state Sen. Mike Schneider (D), agreed to pay Tarkanian $150,000 in damages."

NEW JERSEY: Star-Ledger columnist George Amick writes of the Democratic ticket: "One could even argue it is upside down," and that the second-in-command candidate Loretta Weinberg is "better equipped to head" the office than Corzine. Unlike Corzine, who had "zero experience in state or local office" before becoming governor in 2006, Weinberg "served 15 years in county and municipal government."  
 
PENNSYLVANIA: Joe Sestak running for Senate leaves open his PA-7 seat, and now Republicans appear to have gotten a top recruit to run for it. "Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan (R), who was running for governor of Pennsylvania in 2010, has begun making calls and telling supporters that he will run for the open 7th district seat instead, according to a GOP source in the Keystone State," Roll Call reports.

VIRGINIA: So how bad are Creigh Deeds' numbers with women and in Northern Virginia? If he's going on a week-long tour to tout his position on abortion, the numbers must be VERY bad. The Washington Post: "Deeds's appeal is directed at moderate suburbanites in Northern Virginia and elsewhere who might be turned off by McDonnell's views. It's also an attempt to rally support from Democrats who have joined Virginia's electorate in recent years but who might be ambivalent about Deeds because of his relatively conservative positions on guns and other issues."

Our question: Is abortion the right issue to try and create a wedge? Do casual voters in Northern Virginia really think abortion rights will get overturned now that Democrats control Congress and the White House? This appears to be the opposite strategy of Virginia Dems in recent elections which was to avoid some of these red-hot culture war issues.

Meanwhile, GOP candidate Bob McDonnell was chosen by House minority leader John Boehner to give the Republican response to President Obama's weekly radio address on Saturday, which "raises his profile just two days after Obama appeared in McLean to campaign for" McDonnell's opponent Creigh Deeds. McDonnell criticized Obama's health-care plan, as well as "card-check" legislation, which would allow unions to forgo a secret ballot. The legislation is "another federal issue he has been trying to link to Deeds," who "says the issue is federal, not a state one." 
 
Me and My RV: Like his opponent before him, McDonnell embarked on a statewide RV tour on Saturday. Called "New Jobs, More Opportunities," McDonnell will visit the five major regions in Virginia, ending at a Labor Day on September 7. While Deeds' RV for his "Deeds Country" tour had "campaign yard signs hand-taped to the sides," it seems as if "McDonnell's campaign has had their RV professionally "wrapped" in campaign wallpaper," resembling "logos that are printed on the side of city buses or commercial trucks." "Indicative of a difference in spending priorities? Political savvy? Or is this just over-analyzing minutiae?"

From NBC's Chuck Todd
Pres. Obama holds his OWN town hall in New Hampshire this Tuesday where the issues of the economy and health care are likely to be the dominant issues. Of course, what many will be watching is to see if this town hall invites the same passion as we've witnessed at town halls for members of Congress this last week.

I suspect we'll see some interesting back-n-forths both in the town hall itself and outside the venue. First, New Hampshire (and New England in general) arguably invented the entire town hall meeting concept so Granite Staters take these forums VERY seriously.

And as much as some might want to believe the White House will be staging the questions, don't believe that hype. The White House knows the political price for being caught doing that is MUCH higher than having to deal with a confrontation or two at the meeting itself. If anything, I'd bet some inside the White House are hoping for a confrontation since they believe the president's demeanor alone will politically play well with the folks the White House cares most about right now, ACTUAL independents.

BTW, here's one invitation NBC News has gotten their hands on from a group rallying against the president. This is from the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition:  

NHRVC members and others,

Barack Hussein Obama will be arriving in Portsmouth on Tuesday to hold a STAGED "Town Hall Meeting", where he will essentially hand pick who the guests will be and what types of questions will be asked of him.

A MASSIVE protest rally is being organized just outside of the facility where Obama will be holding his "Town Hall Meeting" to promote his plan for a government takeover of your healthcare decisions.

There will be news media from all over the world at this event and it will be the ideal opportunity for us to tell the rest of the country exactly how NH voters feel about Obamacare (taxed/rationed healthcare). It will be the most important pro-liberty event of the year in NH and it is critically important that every one of us attend.

If you can, bring a sign that says something like, "OBAMACARE=TAXED/RATIONED HEALTHCARE", etc.

Come anytime between 8am-4pm (peak time will be 11am-4pm)

See you there!!

THE WEEK AHEAD: Congress is off, Obama heads to Mexico and then out West, rowdy town halls, Netroots and Gen. James Jones on Meet the Press.

For our mailbox, submit your questions for next week in the comments section below. We might pick yours.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The State reports, "First Lady Jenny Sanford

announced Friday she is moving with her four sons to Charleston and will no longer live in the Governor's Mansion."

From a statement she released: "It is with this support, and after much careful and prayerful consideration, that I have decided to move back to our home in Charleston with our sons for the upcoming school year. From there, we will work to continue the process of healing our family.  While we will be leaving Columbia, we will return often, and I will remain engaged in activities in my role as First Lady, acknowledging that my responsibilities to my family come first."

And here's Gov. Mark Sanford's statement: "I stand by this family decision and accordingly ask the media to honor the zone of privacy that Jenny has asked for on behalf of the healing process and our four boys going forward."

From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Alex Beinstein
New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney

has reversed course and decided against a challenge to New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2010, the New York Times reports.

The Times: "A person close to Mrs. Maloney, a Democrat from Manhattan, said she made her decision not to run after days of agonizing over the fact that running meant she would have to leave her current job at a point when she had significant seniority in Congress. 'It's been a tough decision for her,' said the Maloney associate who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter."

Maloney's decision is not much of a surprise. New York liberals were irritated that Gov. David Paterson nominated a centrist to replace Hillary Clinton. They thought Gillibrand's position on guns, in particular, was too out of step with the whole of New York State. Gillibrand

had to hold more conservative positions than officials from New York City, for example, because she ran -- and won -- in an Upstate district that was traditionally held by Republicans.

Maloney became the leading opposition primary voice to Gillibrand. But New York's senior senator, Chuck Schumer, took Gillibrand under his wing. Gillibrand has since shifted to a more liberal position on guns and gun control and also got some TV time in being able to introduce Sonia Sotomayor, who will be sworn in as the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice tomorrow.

From NBC's Mark Murray
American democracy? Or angry -- and orchestrated -- mobs?

That has become the political question as members of Congress have returned to their districts and states this August recess to discuss contentious issues like President Obama's plans for health care.

For liberals and Democrats, these are protests at town hall meetings coordinated by conservative groups -- the same people who organized those earlier Tea Party events.

Video: Rep. Brian Baird, D-Washington won't hold any health care town hall meetings this month because he says the crowds being dispatched to shut down these meetings have a "lynch mob mentality." Rachel Maddow is joined by Rep. Brian Baird.

For conservatives and Republicans, these are citizens expressing their 1st Amendment rights to criticize Obama's plans.

But some of these protests have now taken a troubling turn:
-- six people, including a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter, were arrested at a town hall sponsored yesterday by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO)
-- at event yesterday sponsored by SEIU and a state senator, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) tried to speak for nearly 15 minutes but the crowd drowned her out, chanting, "You work for us,'' Also: "Tyranny, tyranny,'' and "Tell the truth! Tell the truth!" "Read the bill!" "Forty-million illegals! Forty million illegals!"
-- also, an effigy of a freshman Democratic congressman (Frank Kratovil, D-MD) was hung
-- and even one Democratic congressman (Brad Miller, D-NC) said he received a death threat

Video: Newsweek's Jonathan Alter joins Countdown's Keith Olbermann to discuss why the right-wing's health care reform sabotage campaign may not have anything to do with health care reform.

Democrats and liberals have now begun to mobilize in response to these protests. Here's an email Obama's Organizing for America released yesterday: "It's up to us to show Congress that those loudly opposing reform are a tiny minority being stirred up by special interests, and that a huge majority strongly supports enacting real health insurance reform in 2009. Your representative ... has been working to move us towards reform. Can you call the local office...? Let the person who answers know that you're a constituent. Then tell them: "Thank you for your work so far. I'm counting on you to keep working for real health insurance reform until it's passed in 2009. If you stand up for health insurance reform, voters like me will stand up for you."

One thing is clear: These meetings this August could play an important role influencing members of Congress on the direction of the health-care debate.

From NBC's Chuck Todd and Mark Murray
First Read has confirmed that Florida GOP Sen. Mel Martinez

, who already announced he is not running for re-election in 2010, is resigning from the Senate by the end of the month -- possibly announcing this early as today. It'll be official at some point this month, with the hope of having a replacement in office when the Senate comes back.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist -- who is already running for Martinez's seats -- will now have to appoint a replacement to fill out the remainder of Martinez's term. The expectation is that Crist WON'T appoint himself, but would rather appoint a placeholder. One rumor is former GOP. Gov. Bob Martinez. Another rumor we've heard is former GOP Sen. Connie Mack.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Despite the news that the unemployment rate dropped, Republicans are issuing statements seizing on the 247,000 jobs lost in July -- the lowest job decline lost since Aug. 2008.

In short, Republicans are doubling down that the jobs report is an aberration -- risking looking out of touch if the economy does start picking up steam.

Here's RNC Chairman Michael Steele: "In the month of July alone 247,000 Americans lost their jobs, which means more than 2.8 million Americans have lost their jobs since the president took office. The president said his stimulus bill would keep unemployment from rising higher than 8 percent. It hasn't."

Video: The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week by 38,000, to 550,000. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

Here's the National Republican Congressional Committee: "False Promises Exposed: High Unemployment Numbers Persist As Democrats Push Big-Spending Agenda."  

Here's the National Republican Senatorial Committee: "As Harry Reid and President Obama attempt to cast today's unemployment numbers as a victory for the Democrats, the fact remains that our country's deficit has skyrocketed under this Administration and hundreds of thousands of Americans still lost their jobs during the month of July."

And here is House Minority Leader John Boehner: "Nearly six months ago, the Administration promised its 'stimulus' would provide a 'jolt' to our economy, create jobs immediately, and hold unemployment below eight percent. Yet more than two million Americans have lost their jobs since the 'stimulus' became law. Every American has the right to ask 'Where are the jobs, Mr. President?'"

Then again, the economy lost 3.1 million jobs in George W. Bush's final year in office.

NBC's Chuck Todd reports that President Obama signed the "Cash for Clunkers" bill at about 9:45 am ET this morning.

From NBC's Mark Murray
Breaking News: Per the AP, "Employers throttled back on layoffs in July, cutting just 247,000 jobs, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate dipped to 9.4 percent. It was a better than expected showing that offered a strong signal that the recession is finally ending."

From NBC's Ken Strickland
The Senate is now debating the Cash for Clunkers bill, with a final vote planned for later this evening. But first the chamber will debate and vote on seven amendments to the bill.

Video: The Senate took on the car business with unusual haste Thursday in deciding whether to extend the popular "cash for clunkers" program. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports from Capitol Hill.

Because supporters of the bill are seeking an immediate infusion of $2 billion to keep the program going, the Senate must pass the House-passed version with no changes or amendments. So Majority Leader Harry Reid

must defeat all the amendments, and he is cautiously optimistic he will able to.

Each amendment -- and there are seven -- is allow up to 30 minutes of debate.  After all the time is used or yielded back, the Senate will vote on each amendment. That will be followed by a vote on final passage.

If Reid is successful in defeating every amendment and the bill passes, then it's sent to the president for his signature. Done. But, if even one amendment passes, the bill goes back to the House for a vote there in September when they return from recess. 

If all the time is used, this will be wrapped up between 8 and 9 p.m. But it could obviously happen sooner. We'll keep you posted.

From NBC's Athena Jones

President Obama today thanked the Senate for confirming Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, calling it a "wonderful day" for America.

The Bronx-born Sotomayor, who was approved by a 68-31 vote, will become the court's first Hispanic justice when she is sworn in Saturday morning by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. She was spending the day in New York, according to the White House, and was not present for the president's comments.

In brief remarks delivered just moments after the vote, Obama declared himself "very happy" with the 68 votes Sotomayor received and said he was filled with pride at this achievement.

Video: President Obama comments on the Senate's vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"With this historic vote," he said, "the Senate has affirmed that Judge Sotomayor has the intellect, the temperament, the history, the integrity and the independence of mind to ably serve on our nation's highest court."

The Senate's role in confirming judges helped ensure that equal justice under the law was not just a phrase inscribed above the courthouse door, but a description of what happens inside the courtroom each day, the president said.

"These core American ideals -- justice, equality, and opportunity -- are the very ideals that have made Judge Sotomayor's own uniquely American journey possible," he continued. "They're ideals she's fought for throughout her career, and the ideals the Senate has upheld today in breaking yet another barrier and moving us yet another step closer to a more perfect union."

Obama echoed comments made earlier in the day by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who said the administration wanted to commend Democrats and Republicans for getting her confirmed quickly so that should could begin participating in the Court's activities in September and do the work necessary before the term begins.

The president thanked the Senate Judiciary Committee for giving Sotomayor a "thorough and civil hearing" over the past 10 weeks, singling out committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy and ranking member Sen. Jeff Sessions for special thanks.

From NBC's Pete Williams

Though Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed today by the Senate to become the next Supreme Court justice, she is technically not yet "Justice" Sotomayor. She won't be until she takes both the federal oath and the judicial oath on Saturday.

A White House official says Sonia Sotomayor will stay out of public view today.  She's at her chambers at the federal courthouse in New York.

Video: Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., officially announces that Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Senate.

She'll be sworn in on Saturday at the Supreme Court by Chief Justice Roberts.  (That event will be available for TV pool coverage, which will be a first for the court.)

Justice Sotomayor will be the court's second-youngest member, at age 55. Only Roberts, who turned 54 in January, is younger.

*** UPDATE *** Here's what the Supreme Court now says about the swearing in:

Sotomayor will be sworn in as the 111th Justice of the Supreme Court on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 11 a.m. at the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., will first administer the Constitutional Oath in a private ceremony in the Justices' Conference Room attended by members of the Sotomayor family. The Chief Justice will then administer the Judicial Oath in the East Conference Room before a small gathering of Judge Sotomayor's family and friends.

The Judicial Oath ceremony in the East Conference Room will be open to pool coverage. There will be no opportunity for interviews or questions at the ceremony.

A formal investiture ceremony will take place on Tuesday, September 8, at 2 p.m. at a special sitting of the Court in the Courtroom.

From NBC's Mark Murray
The Senate confirmed Sonia Sotomayor

to the Supreme Court by a 68-31 vote.

West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd (D) was able to vote, and her voted for her. 

Sotomayor's 68 votes were greater than Samuel Alito received (58) but less than what John Roberts got (78).

From NBC's Mark Murray
On the very day President Obama stumps for Creigh Deeds

in Virginia, a new poll shows the Democratic gubernatorial candidate trailing Republican Bob McDonnell by eight points, 51%-43%. (Hat tip: J-Mart.)

As we mentioned in First Thoughts this morning, the Northern Virginia vote will be key for Deeds, and the poll shows getting 65% of the vote there, which matches up favorably to what Tim Kaine and Obama were able to get. But McDonnell

is crushing Deeds among independents, 55%-40%. And Deeds also is underperforming among African Americans (22% of them say they're undecided).

Another thing from the poll: Obama's approval in Virginia is 51%-44%. While Research 2000 polls tend to have Obama's overall approval a bit higher than in other national polls, those Virginia numbers are almost identical to Obama's margin in the state from last November -- 53%-46%.

From NBC's Betsy Cline
In a speech this morning to the Economic Club of Washington, Christina Romer

, chair of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, presented what she called a "clear-eyed assessment" of the stimulus and where it goes from here.
 
In her remarks, Romer reassured the audience that the government's fiscal stimulus was working, as demonstrated by a slowing in the rise of unemployment and better-than-expected GDP numbers.
 
She even compared the Recovery Act to an antibiotic prescribed for an infection, saying it's important to follow the regimen for the entire course before determining whether or not it was successful. Romer added she would continue watching the economy's progress through the end of the year before considering a second stimulus. "I think we ought to give it time to work," she said. "If by the end of the year we're not seeing results, we'll start seeing what other things need to be done."

Video: Christina Romer, head of the Council of Economic Advisers joins MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan to discuss the U.S. economy's better-than-expected showing in the second quarter.

When asked about a tax increase for middle-class families, Romer jokingly asked if she could leave now. She went on to say that health-care reform will lower the deficit, thereby reducing the need to tax middle income Americans. But -- like Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and chief White House economics adviser Larry Summers did over the weekend -- she didn't entirely rule out a middle-class tax increase.
 
The biggest problem that the stimulus has faced so far? Romer recounted when a blogger misinterpreted an entry and erroneously reported that the government had spent a million dollars on two pounds of ham. In fact, the administration bought 760,000 pounds of ham, in two-pound packages, for food banks, which Romer called a "pretty good value at about $1.50 a pound."

From NBC's Kelly O'Donnell and Mark Murray
Ohio Republican George Voinovich

says he will vote for Sonia Sotomayor, becoming the ninth GOP senator to signal support for the Supreme Court nominee. 

Voinovich, of course, isn't running for re-election next year. And this means that four of the six retiring Republican senators are voting for Sotomayor. (Note: Earlier today, we said that Voinovich voting for her would make it four of five, but we forgot Sam Brownback's retirement.)

Video: The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan and Msnbc's Joe Scarborough discuss why the Republicans' decision to aggressively vote against Sonia Sotomayor is short-sighted and ill-timed.

To put it another way, about half of the Republicans voting for her are retiring....

*** UPDATE *** Here's Voinovich's statement: "Judge Sotomayor is not the nominee I would have selected if I were president, but making a nomination is not my role here today. My role is to examine her qualifications to determine if she is fit to serve... I believe the factors to be examined in determining whether a Supreme Court nominee is qualified include her education, prior legal and judicial experience, judicial temperament, and commitment to the rule of law. Based on my review of her record, and using these factors, I have determined that Judge Sotomayor meets the criteria to become a Justice on the Supreme Court."

From NBC's Mark Murray
The AP reports:

The former mistress of John Edwards has arrived at a federal courthouse in Raleigh where a grand jury is meeting — an appearance that comes as federal investigators examine the two-time presidential candidate's finances.

Rielle Hunter walked into the building Thursday morning...

Edwards has acknowledged a federal investigation into how he handled campaign funds. Grand jury proceedings are secret, and the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh has declined to confirm or deny an investigation.

From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** To be bipartisan? We know you've heard this before, but it does seem like the Senate Finance Committee is getting closer to a bipartisan deal on health care. The Washington Post reports the emerging deal "would shave about $100 billion off the projected trillion-dollar cost of the legislation over the next decade and eventually provide coverage to 94 percent of Americans… It would expand Medicaid, crack down on insurers, abandon the government insurance option that President Obama is seeking and, for the first time, tax health-care benefits under the most generous plans." This news comes as the bipartisan working group -- Democrats Max Baucus, Jeff Bingaman and Kent Conrad, and Republicans Mike Enzi, Chuck Grassley and Olympia Snowe -- meets with President Obama today at the White House at 11:15 am ET.

Video: Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, talks about the health care reform negotiation process and why a taking a comprehensive look at the entire reform package is more important than setting deadlines.

*** Or not to be bipartisan? Yesterday, in his interview with NBC News, Obama said it was his hope to get a bipartisan bill. But he also said he's not willing to wait forever. "I am glad that in the Senate Finance Committee there have been a couple of Republicans … who've been willing to negotiate with Democrats to try to produce a bill," Obama said. "But they haven't yet. And I think at some point, some time in September, we're just going to have to make an assessment." More: "I would prefer Republicans working with us on that, because I think it's in the interest of everybody. It shouldn't be a partisan issue... Look, the bottom line is the American people, the American economy, and the federal budget, have to have some sort of reforms in the health-care system. And failure is not an option this year." Just askin', but how are the president and Democrats responsible for whether the bill is bipartisan when only three Republicans are willing to come to the table? Also just askin': Will the GOP leadership concede, in a political sense, any deal with just three Republicans is bipartisan?

Video: "The Ed Show" guest host Lawrence O'Donnell speaks with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about right wing efforts to spin fake grassroots protests as real dissatisfaction with Obama's leadership on health care.

*** Sotomayor and Clunkers: Today, the Senate completes its big work before departing for its August recess. According to NBC's Ken Strickland, the final confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is set for 3:00 pm ET. With all Senate Democrats set to vote for her (minus the absent Robert Byrd and Ted Kennedy), plus at least eight Republicans (Lamar Alexander, Kit Bond, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Judd Gregg, Dick Lugar, Mel Martinez, and Olympia Snowe), she's set to receive at least 66 votes, which is more than the 58 Alito got but less than Roberts' 78. The only key undecided vote is Ohio Republican George Voinovich. And if Voinovich does support her, that will mean that FOUR of the party's five retiring senators so far will have voted her, suggesting the role politics -- especially primary politics -- is playing here on the GOP side. Once the Senate finishes voting on Sotomayor, Strick says, it will turn to "cash for clunkers." The final vote on that will take place later this evening.

Video: Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., discusses Republicans' votes against Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, who has more federal judicial experience than any other nominee in the last century.

*** All about Fairfax: If you want to know why McLean, VA is the location for President Obama's rally tonight at 7:10 pm ET for Virginia gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds (D), consider this: In the attorney general race Deeds lost by just about 300 votes in 2005, he underperformed Tim Kaine -- who was at the top of the ticket that year -- by almost 10,000 votes in Fairfax County, where McLean happens to be. As it turns out, Deeds lagged Kaine in all the big Northern Virginia counties, in the African-American Hampton Roads area, and near Richmond. By contrast, Deeds, who hails from rural Bath County, did better than Kaine in the western and southwestern part of the state.

*** Is geography destiny? Indeed, Deeds' race against Bob McDonnell (R), who won that '05 attorney general race, flips the usual Dem-vs.-GOP map in Virginia. In the past few years, Kaine, Jim Webb, and Barack Obama used (more or less) a simple formula to winning this battleground state: rack up HUGE margins in Northern Virginia, be competitive in the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas, and try to improve your margins in rural Southwest Virginia. But Deeds hails from Bath County in the western part of the state -- which he overwhelmingly won in 2005, but which Kaine lost -- and McDonnell grew up in Northern Virginia, which gives him an attachment to the state that someone like, say, Jerry Kilgore (R) didn't have four years ago. In short, November's marquee race could very well come down to this: Does Deeds match the Kaine-Webb-Obama performance in Northern Virginia? Or does McDonnell match what he achieved in 2005?

*** Striking the balance: But geography isn't Deeds' only challenge. Per non-partisan Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth, Deeds is facing a political environment where Democrats aren't as enthusiastic as they were a year ago, where Obama isn't as popular as he was three months ago, and where Deeds is trying to distance himself from Obama's policies on energy and card check. Holsworth adds that Deeds is still trying to negotiate how he balances tapping into the excitement still surrounding the president but also keeping his distance on some of the policies. And that's one of the more interesting things to watch for tonight.

*** Obama's perception problem, part 2: Yesterday, we mentioned how some Americans are conflating the stimulus with the auto and bank bailouts. And here's another perception problem for the White House: There are those who believe that the tax increases on the wealthy -- either through health-care reform or through the expiration of the Bush tax cuts -- are coming this year. One of the questions that the president received from an Elkhart resident was why he was raising taxes during a recession. Obama's answer: "We have not proposed a tax hike for the wealthy that would take effect in middle of recession." Folks, the hikes aren't coming until later. And if the economy hasn't turned around by then, then Obama has a MUCH bigger problem than a tax increase.

Video: David Lane, CEO of grassroots organization ONE, discusses Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tough words for Kenyan leadership, whose government is plagued with corruption and poverty.

*** Hillary's "tongue-lashing": NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports that Secretary of State Clinton, while in Kenya, continued to speak out against the Kenyan government's corruption and tolerance of political violence. She urged the audience at a University of Nairobi town hall to take more active roles in cleaning up their government. Kenyan newspapers are headlining what they are calling the secretary's "tongue-lashing." This is continuing with the Obama administration's theme of responsibility and better governance begun by President Obama in his Accra speech. Also, Clinton is meeting with the President of Somalia, whom the U.S. is trying to support in its efforts against that country's Islamist movement. She then heads to South Africa later today.

*** Odds and ends: Elsewhere today, Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer already gave a speech this morning on the economy, arguing that the stimulus is working. "It is providing a crucial lift to aggregate demand at a time when the economy needs it most. And we anticipate that the effects will build through the end of this year and the beginning of the next," she said. Also today, John Brennan, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, will deliver remarks at 11:00 am ET on the administration's policies to counteract terrorism.

*** TGIT -- Thank Goodness It's Thursday: A note to our readers: Beginning tomorrow, we won't be publishing our First Read morning news analysis and round up on Fridays this August. However, we'll certainly update the Web site when news warrants (like when tomorrow's job numbers come out). We're still going to be around on Fridays this month, but we just won't be setting our alarm clocks for 5:00 am on those mornings…

Countdown to Election Day 2009: 89 days
Countdown to Election Day 2010: 453 days

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The New York Times: "Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion… The new attention to the agreement could prove embarrassing to the White House, which has sought to keep lobbyists at a distance, including by refusing to hire them to work in the administration. The White House commitment to the deal with the drug industry may also irk some of the administration's Congressional allies who have an eye on drug companies' profits as they search for ways to pay for the $1 trillion cost of the health legislation."

Video: Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., explains why insurance reform and cost containment are the two most important issues in the health care reform battle.

Obama takes his traveling health-care road show to Portsmouth, N.H., next Tuesday. "It will be Obama's first foray into the Granite State while president. He stumped there in October, just before the November election. In his electoral landslide, he won the state, despite Republican John McCain's popularity there."

Per a front-page New York Times article, "The Obama administration intends to announce an ambitious plan on Thursday to overhaul the much-criticized way the nation detains immigration violators, trying to transform it from a patchwork of jail and prison cells to what its new chief called a 'truly civil detention system.'" More: "Details are sketchy, and even the first steps will take months or years to complete. They include reviewing the federal government's contracts with more than 350 local jails and private prisons, with an eye toward consolidating many detainees in places more suitable for noncriminals facing deportation — some possibly in centers built and run by the government."

Video: TODAY's Amy Robach reports on the Obamas' upcoming vacation.

The Obamas will be vacationing in Martha's Vineyard from Sunday, Aug. 23rd to Sunday, Aug. 30th. There will be no public events while there. The arrival and departure will be open to the press, reports the Boston Globe.

Time reports on Obama's golf game.

And asked about a Kenyan man's offer in 2000 of 40 goats and 20 cows for Chelsea Clinton's hand in marriage, Secretary of State Clinton said the decision would be up to her daughter. "My daughter is her own person, very independent, so I will convey this very kind offer," Clinton said. The man wrote a letter conveying the offer to Bill Clinton nine years ago.

The Washington Post: "Senate negotiators are inching toward bipartisan agreement on a health-care plan that seeks middle ground on some of the thorniest issues facing Congress, offering the fragile outlines of a legislative consensus even as the political battle over reform intensifies outside Washington… Even if the partnership does not result in legislation, Democratic leaders are already contemplating ways to preserve much of what it produces as they look to unite their party and pick up Republican votes when the health-care debate moves to the Senate floor in the fall."

"After a meeting among Senate Democrats to hone their message on revamping health care, some centrist lawmakers who could deliver crucial votes expressed confidence Wednesday that they would be able to sign on to the legislation and sell it to their constituents back home," the New York Times adds.

Video: Does health care reform needs bipartisan support in order to be successful? The Nation's Chris Hayes discusses with Countdown's Keith Olbermann.

"In an interview, Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, said he was committed to forging a bipartisan consensus on legislation that overhauls the U.S. health-care system," the Wall Street Journal says. "But Sen. Enzi said voters so far didn't seem impressed by what the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill has come up with, and predicted members of the House and Senate are in for 'some nasty, nasty town meetings' over the August congressional recess. 'I don't think they like what they see so far,' the senator said of voters.

Stu Rothenberg calls for a detente of sorts: "A month away from Washington, D.C., even to try to 'sell' the Democratic health care agenda, could well re-energize Pelosi and Hoyer. And given the intensity of the legislative sprint that started at Obama's inauguration, both parties — as well as the American public — could use a breather."

The Senate confirmation vote for Sonia Sotomayor will take place at 3:00 pm. NBC's Ken Strickland reports that retiring New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg yesterday became the eighth Republican to say he'll vote for her. "Although Judge Sotomayor and I may not see eye-to-eye on all issues or share the same political ideologies, our democratic system should allow for such differences. Judge Sotomayor is President Obama's choice, and she is obviously well qualified to be the next Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court," he said in a statement.

Video: Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor picks up another GOP vote, as Missouri Senator Kit Bond announces his support for her. NBC's Tracie Potts reports.

Worth noting: John Roberts was confirmed 78-22. And Sam Alito was confirmed by a much smaller number, 58-42.

Sarah Palin isn't the only Republican with a book. Mitt Romney is coming out with another one. The title: "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness." Romney has criticized President Obama for what he says is apologizing for America around the world. The Boston Globe: "[I]t seems to outline a campaign manifesto for a possible 2012 presidential bid."

Video: Msnbc political analyst Eugene Robinson joins Countdown's Keith Olbermann to talk about the rough tactics being employed by town hall meeting agitators opposed to health care reform.

The AP has a nice wrap of the back-and-forth between Republicans and the White House over the activists who have showed for many congressional town halls. "Conservative activists are vowing to keep up their fight against President Barack Obama's health care plans, even as the Democratic Party pushes back hard, accusing Republicans of organizing angry mobs… 'To sit back and say that this is some Republican cabal is a bunch of baloney,' Steele said."
 
More: "The protests have echoes not just of the Tea Parties held around tax day this year, but also of protests during the Florida election recount in 2000 and in the early- to mid-1990s, when Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled the country to promote then-President Bill Clinton's health overhaul plan, which ultimately failed. There's no doubt government attempts to change health care can incite real anger. In 1989, a pack of screaming senior citizens angry about a planned change to Medicare surrounded the car of then-House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Dan Rostenkowski of Illinois. They shouted 'Liar!' and 'Recall!' and hit Rostenkowski's car with picket signs. Congress subsequently undid the Medicare change. One thing that's different this time around is the Internet, which allows groups to communicate and mobilize on a large scale." 
 
The Boston Globe: "Repeated heckling and shouted interruptions - 'Answer the question!' 'We're your employers!' 'You don't get it!' - overtook a town hall-style meeting in rural Maryland this week, as US Representative Frank M. Kratovil Jr. withstood a verbal beating from a partisan crowd airing its displeasure with the healthcare overhaul working its way through Congress. The freshman Democrat fielded question after question about rationing, euthanasia, and abortion, as two state troopers stood guard and Kratovil's staffers looked on nervously. But at least Kratovil was not hung in effigy, as he had been at a recent protest outside his district office."
 
And: "This summer, the Rockwellian ideal of neighbors gathering to discuss community issues in a neighborly way is gone, replaced by quarrelsome masses hollering questions downloaded from activist websites, as video cameras record every word of the squirming lawmaker's response. Many seem to be following advice laid out in a memo circulating on the Internet advising activists to 'watch for an opportunity to yell out' early in the presentation and 'have someone else follow up with a shout-out.'" (Here's the memo.)