A few morning reads...

1. In today's New York Times, Paul Krugman gives his take on the progress of the health care debate on the Hill and asks, "How bad does a bill have to be to make it too bad to vote for?" Details matter this go around and much infighting is to be expected. Stay tuned...
2. After former President Jimmy Carter's controversial comment earlier this week, Eugene Robinson weighs in on the "explosive subject"of race. (Note: Catch Mr. Robinson on our political roundtable this Sunday on "Meet the Press"!)
3. Both Republican and Democratic senators have expressed concern over Pres. Obama's decision to ditch the previous administration's effort to build a missile-defense system in Eastern Europe, saying they were "kept in the dark".
4. Matt Bai writes on "The Truth About Bureaucracy" -- an interesting take on the inner-workings of our nation's government.
5. The National Journal's Ron Brownstein analyzes whether Democrats are struggling to keep their lead in the Mountain West. How will this increasing shift affect the 2010 midterm elections and eventually the 2012 presidential race?