I wonder how many single payer advocates are going to make it past the audience screening:

The White House promised a very public campaign on health care by President Obama, and next week he's going prime time.

On the night of June 24, ABC News and Obama will host a health care town hall at the White House. The president will take questions "from an audience made up of Americans selected by ABC News who have divergent opinions in this historic debate," according to the network.

Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer will moderate the program to be held in the East Room. The one-hour telecast starts at 10 p.m. on June 24. The next morning, Sawyer will interview Obama for Good Morning America.

Pam's House Blend: The 'values' at the Values Voters Summit - Obama as a Muslim Aunt Jemima

Firedoglake: McCain/Palin Lies Of The Day Watch...Update

We are respectable negroes: These bloggers have written an ingenious series of posts based on an alternate reality in which 'O'Bama' is a white, Reagan Republican, while Democrat McCain is a womanizing, foul mouthed traitor of low moral character. Sarah Palin is a black welfare queen. Scroll down and read 'em all.

unbossed: "Stop blogging! Stop blogging right now!"

The Opinion Mill's Weekend Bookchat: Robert Stone sees greatness in a book about the war on terror, William Gibson sees an embarrassment of riches and the Great Orange Satan sees ways for activists to use the Internets. And dare you take the Junot Diaz geek test?

WTF is going on?: If elected, Obama's first act as president should be to end the Pentagon's ban on pictures of the coffins of fallen soldiers.

I fear for our culture, part 328957: The six-hundred dollar seven-foot pre-lit upside-down Christmas Tree at Hammacher Schlemmer is sold out. In August. (By the way, anyone seen John "War on Christmas" Gibson lately? Oh nevermind.)

Open thread below.

Bill Ayers: Turns out the "unrepentant terrorist" that Sean Hannity, the hacks at ABC, and other GOP shills, are so obsessed with, has a blog.

The Curious Capitalist: So, uh, when did Charles Gibson turn into a supply-side nut job?

Fafblog! Another edition of BARACK OBAMA: THE FINAL THROES

Of Two Minds: Hilarious music graphs (h/t apostropher)

ANNALS OF JOURNALISM: Bill Moyers says that journalism's mission is to uncover the news that powerful people would prefer to keep hidden. Now somebody tell these guys and these guys...Tim Robbins' no-holds-barred keynote address to the National Association of Broadcasters...Proof of hackery is David Brooks' approval, and James Fallows contempt...The very annoying Washington Post...When the Wall Street Journal puts a "Nude Miss Subways" on page 6...Penetrating analysis...The stupid burns...Torture news strike

Publius does a terrific job describing what ABC News viewers may have seen if the network existed in 1858, and had covered the Illinois Senate race.

MR. GIBSON: So we're going to begin with opening statements, and we had a flip of the coin, and the brief opening statement first from Mr. Lincoln.

LINCOLN: Thank you very much, Charlie and George, and thanks to all in the audience and who are out there. I appear before you today for the purpose of discussing the leading political topics which now agitate the public mind.

We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you think Mr. Douglas loves America as much you do?

LINCOLN: Sure I do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But who loves America more?

LINCOLN: I’d prefer to get on with my opening statement George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: If your love for America were eight apples, how many apples would Senator Douglas’s love be?

It goes on from there. I hope someone sends a copy to Gibson and Stephanopoulos.

President Bush has driven the GOP right into the gutter and it's finally starting to show in the wingnut media. Remember BillO going nuts in New Hampshire when he was given the B-list treatment by Barack Obama? We've covered a few of the latest warriors to fall, but my friend TRex has a more complete list of the losers: (Caution, may not be suitable for work)

Actually, it’s illustrative of the fact that the Pox News Cargo Cult is either dying off in waves (they are all 90 years old, after all), that Heath Ledger’s ghost is having a laugh at Gibson’s expense, or just that the wheels are totally coming off the Right Wing Propaganda Machine.

In the last six months, we’ve seen:

1. Michelle Malkin fired from “The O’Reilly Factor”.

2. Ann Coulter’s book sales tanking and her credit cards getting declined by Publix.

3. Melamine Misstatement fired from her job.

4. Tucker Carlson tossed out on his amply padded backside.

5. And now Jumpin’ John Gibson being taken away to be rendered into fat for cheap tallow candles for The Poor or whatever. Read on...

What does it say about the quality of news being given to the American public when Charles Gibson talks about "Rent-A-Pet" but ignores the FISA proceedings yesterday?

The media wants you to care more about how not to commit to a Pomeranian than the fact that your government is spying on you.

Dan Abrams and even The Scar were offended by John Gibson's mocking of Heath Ledger's death by right wingers. Will O'Reilly read off a few comments made on message boards about Ledger to his audience? You knew some wingnuts would try to play the homophobia card on Ledger because of his role in Brokeback Mountain. Simply amazing. Well, not really...

Abrams: Download | play Download | play The Scar: Download | play Download | play

John Gibson responds via Think Progress to the outcry from his stupidity by "saying that it was just “a little Brokeback Mountain joke” and there is “no point in passing up a good joke.”

UPDATE: GLAAD has started a petition asking Fox News “why they continue to provide a platform for John Gibson’s cruel and tasteless comments.”

UPDATE II: Perez Hilton identifies a list of Fox News’ current advertisers.

Just when you think they can't be more absurd...don't get me wrong, Katie is hardly capable of the "in the field" coverage that CBS used to be known for, but this angle is just ridiculous.

PERRspectives:

As ThinkProgress reported today, Fox News attacked CBS rival and single mother Katie Couric for her upcoming trip to Iraq. But while Neil Cavuto, John Gibson and the gang at Fox grew hysterical about Couric, they remained silent about 26 year old Michelle Ring and other single mothers fighting for the United States in Iraq.

The issue for Fox, of course, is that anyone else's coverage of Iraq inevitably brings the facts of Bush's Baghdad fiasco directly to American television screens. But in a new low even for Fox, Couric (whose husband passed away from colon cancer in 1998) was accused of placing her children at risk all in the name of ratings. As guest Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for American put it:

"She's saying my ratings are more important than my children. That's the bottom line."

If only Fox News would focus such concern on all of the American single mothers who are fighting - and dying - for us in Iraq. That would include women like Michelle Ring of the 92nd Military Police Battalion based in Fort Benning, Georgia. Ring, who joined the Army in 2005, recently reenlisted with the hope of becoming a military police officer. Ring was killed by mortar fire on July 5th while on guard duty.

No More Mister Nice Blog: Lieberman as next Attorney General?

litbrit: Violence is violence is violence

Senate 2008 Guru: Republican Senators, when mired in scandal, place the blame squarely on the media. It's a defense mechanism like possums rolling into a ball or chameleons blending into their surroundings!

The Strange Death of Liberal America: George W. Bush's ethnic cleansing of New Orleans: A Katrina second anniversary in-depth report

Scott Horton: Psychologists and the torture question

Pepper Monkey Press: FOX News' John Gibson warns al Qaeda to attack before Hillary is elected.