By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Speaking to state and national audiences, Governor Deval Patrick today defended the idea of government ensuring near universal health care, even as he called on lawmakers, health care providers, and the business community to work jointly on controlling its cost. The twin targets reflected his role both as leader of the state and a top surrogate speaker for President Obama. The Democratic incumbent is defending his federal health care overhaul from criticism by Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

His friendship with President Obama has sparked talk of a Cabinet appointment should the Democrats retain the White House this fall. His travel to presidential primary states and book-writing have prompted speculation about his own presidential candidacy in 2016 should Obama lose. And some time away from the office has fueled the opinion he’s lost interest in his current job. An amused-but-exasperated Governor Deval Patrick today has an answer for all the chatter: “I’m not going anywhere.”

By Callum Borchers, Globe Correspondent

Governor Deval Patrick and Representative Barney Frank on Sunday downplayed the politics of President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage last week. The assertions of the Massachusetts Democrats are contested by some observers who believe Obama’s announcement was dictated by political strategy and that it could make a difference in certain states on Election Day. But Romney and other Republicans have minimized the gay marriage debate, perhaps sensing that it ranks lowly on most voters’ priority lists.

By Callum Borchers, Globe Correspondent

Governor Deval Patrick praised President Obama for his “clear and principled position” Sunday, four days after Obama became the first president to endorse same-sex marriage. “It’s about convictions; it’s not about politics,” Patrick said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Patrick also tried to undermine Romney’s number one selling point -- that he would manage the nation’s economic recovery better than the president.

By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick’s much-vaunted surrogate speaking on behalf of President Obama has largely been limited to the kind of party activist speeches he will deliver tonight when he addresses a Democratic dinner in South Carolina. But his higher value may be on display Sunday, when he appears on the CBS program “Face the Nation” to discuss President Obama’s gay marriage switch this week. He leads Massachusetts, the first state to legalize gay marriage. His predecessor, Mitt Romney, opposes it.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

US Senator Scott Brown, in a move sure to keep the controversy over Elizabeth Warren’s Native American identity alive, today called on the Democrat to authorize her employers to release her job applications. “Her changing stories, contradictions, and refusal to answer legitimate questions have cast doubt on her credibility and called into question the diversity practices at Harvard,” the senator said in a statement. The statement is the most aggressive Brown has personally been amid questions about whether Warren’s claim boosted her career advancement.