Congressman Earl Blumenauer‘s timeline detailing how the end-of-life provisions he added to the health care bill became — with the powerful helping hand of Sarah Palin– is fascinating in a number of regards, but specifically because Palin is once again about to be handed a very large microphone. Is the MSM prepared to vet the next vicious news cycle?

Dylan Ratigan is the host of MSNBC’s “Morning Meeting,” which airs weekdays from 9 to 11. He went to MSNBC on the heels of a very successful stint hosting “Fast Money,” the CNBC show he co-created in 2006. Since joining MSNBC in late June, Ratigan has made a bit of a stir with his quick-wit and sometimes confrontational style. His interview with Betsy McCaughey over the Health Care debate got a lot of attention for being “one of the most brow-beating interviews in history as McCaughey called it.

Why do people keep letting crazy Birther lady Orly Taitz on their TV shows? Maybe because she’s Rod Blagojevich say-anything kee-razy with a head of hair to match? Joy Behar‘s show is new, and everyone needs the buzz, so there you have it: Orly Taitz was on Joy Behar last night, accusing President Barack Obama [...]

Betsy McCaughey (the former Lt. Gov. of New York and “Death Panel” term originator) debated Rep. Anthony Weiner about health care last night in New York City, and they went for an encore performance today on MSNBC’s Morning Meeting.

But one thing they didn’t factor in – host Dylan Ratigan. Weiner was left in the dust while Ratigan and McCaughey went at it for more than 12 minutes.

Myths and falsehoods about health care reform,” that brings clarity to the misrepresentations and obfuscations about the Health Care debate over the past few weeks. It’s a depressing read though: As you go through it, myth by myth, the distortions are clear and incredibly frustrating to see. (They also come almost exclusively from Fox, which by no means is the only place spreading misinformation but, from this document, certainly seems to do so reliably!) Take a look.

Last night, Jon Stewart had on GOP health care demagogue Betsy McCaughey — and patiently, politely, and firmly smacked down her exaggerations, misrepresentations and lies.

McCaughey walked on set all smiles with a giant binder containing the legislation, and proceeded to refer to it knowledgeably as though that would be enough to convince Stewart that her fanciful interpretation of it was correct. It was not. I hope every other newscaster in America was watching.

Looks like Senator Arlen Specter learned a little something from that feisty health care town hall he held last week — at least on Twitter, where rants are at least limited to 140 characters. Specter’s target: Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who has emerged as a voice promoting the “death panel” myth.

James Fallows isn’t being subtle about pointing the finger at Betsy McCaughey for spreading the “Death Panel” rumour. Neither is the New York Times, or Joe Conason at Salon, or Greg Sargent at the Plumline, singling out McCaughey on the front page for derailing the health care debate with pernicious rumours. Again.