Sarah Palin Resigning Governorship Today
Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) will officially resign today, at the governor's picnic in Fairbanks. The big question now: What's next for her in politics? "I cannot express enough there is no plan after July 26. There is absolutely no plan," she told the Associated Press. "The decision (to quit) was made in the vacuum of what was best for Alaska, and now I'm accepting all the options, but there is nothing planned."

Axelrod: Obama Saw Gates Discussion "Veering Off In The Wrong Direction"
Appearing on Face The Nation, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod explained President Obama's decision Friday to clarify his comments on the Henry Louis Gates arrest. "I think he understood that the debate was veering off in the wrong direction and as he said, that his words may have contributed to that," said Axelrod, "so he felt a responsibility to step forward and kind of cool the situation down and acknowledge the fact that he had, as he said, calibrated his words poorly and had contributed to that. So that is what he did and I think it has had the desired effect."

Biden: The Recovery Act Has Been Critical To Progress
In an op-ed piece in the New York Times, Vice President Biden puts forward the case that the stimulus bill has been successful. "The actions we took -- passing the Recovery Act, stabilizing the banking system, pressing to get credit flowing again and helping responsible homeowners -- brought us back from the precipice," Biden writes. "Monthly job losses are down, financial markets are improved, and economic contraction has slowed. We still have a long way to go, but clearly we are closer to recovery today than we were in January. The Recovery Act has been critical to that progress."

Conrad: Democrats-Only Health Care Bill Not Possible -- And Perhaps Not Desirable
Appearing on This Week, Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) said of health care reform: "There are not the votes for Democrats to do this just on our side of the aisle." George Stephanopoulos asked again whether it's not possible to have a Democrats-only bill. "No, it is not possible, and perhaps not desirable either," said Conrad. "We're probably going to get a better product if we go through the tough business of debate, consideration, and analysis of what we're proposing."

DeMint: "Waterloo" Comments "Not Personal"
Also on This Week, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) defended his comments that Republicans can make health care into President Obama's "Waterloo," and can "break" him. "This is not personal against the president. I like the president," said DeMint. "But he's out of control and he's been leading a stampede of more spending, and debt, and taxes and government takeovers."

Gibbs: Obama Will Monitor Pre-Recess Progress On Health Care
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that President Obama will monitor the continued discussion on health care this week, and that Obama established his August deadline in order to prod Congress. "Without poking and prodding not a lot gets done," said Gibbs. He added that if enough gets done by Friday, "having lawmakers go home for their regularly scheduled August recess is probably a good thing."

Pelosi: Private Insurance Industry Has Had Long Enough
Appearing on State of the Union, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) stood by her support for a public option, and also opposed the imposition of a "trigger" mechanism that would delay the public plan. "I think the private insurance industry has had a long enough time to have a trigger," said Pelosi. "We know what happens left to their own devices."

Hillary To Iran: Your Pursuit Of Nukes "Is Futile"
Appearing on Meet The Press, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton declared her full opposition to a nuclear Iran. "We are going to do everything we can to prevent you (Iran) from getting a nuclear weapon," said Clinton. Your pursuit is futile." On the subject of Israel, she said: "The United States stands with you and the United States believes that Israel has a right to security. We believe, however, that this (diplomatic) approach we are taking, holds out the promise of realizing our common objective."