By ANN McFEATTERS, Scripps Howard News Service

WASHINGTON - "Don't you say anything bad about Sarah Palin," admonished one of my sisters. "We love her. Be nice to her."

"What is this infatuation about Sarah Palin all about?!" said another sibling. "I can't understand it. She has no real solutions. All she does is criticize and look hot."

There is something about that familiar phrase, "White House summit," that induces mental fatigue and makes you realize we're in trouble.

Before leaving for a trip through many time zones to Asia, standing in front of a portrait of George Washington, President Obama announced that he is planning a jobs summit to be held at the White House sometime in December.

II remember it well. My husband had just had serious surgery, and I was asked to leave the hospital to write about congressional hearings on the flu vaccine shortage.

Grumbling, I was informed by an editor that a national flu vaccine shortage was nothing to sneeze at and getting to the whys and wherefores was essential.

Three years ago 77 percent of Americans believed the Earth is getting warmer. Today, despite more scientific evidence that global warming is a real threat, only 57 percent agree.

HONOLULU, Hawaii - Here, where President Barack Obama spent formative years, there is a beautiful memorial cemetery where soldiers from many wars lie. In huge letters there is a quotation from a letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to a grieving mother.

Because the cost of living index has flattened, for the first time in decades Social Security recipients won't get an increase in benefits next January.

Terrified of senior rage, the White House is proposing a one-time $250 check to every recipient. This is a mistake.

A short time ago I was stopped in traffic when a car behind me rammed into the rear end of my car. The driver was texting his wife that he was late for work.

Thankfully, nobody was injured. But my lovingly maintained car was damaged, and the other driver was even later for work.

The military's advice to President Barack Obama seems clear enough: Deploy more troops to get the job done in Afghanistan.

Vice President Joe Biden has this to say: Enough is enough. Reduce the number of soldiers fighting the Taliban and go after al-Qaeda.

Inside the White House, there's a different opinion for nearly every senior staffer.

You don't trust us. You really don't.

That's the message to the media from a new poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press. It's a devastating look at how little respect Americans have for mainstream newspapers and television news.

President Obama went to the well of the House and the House welled up with discord.