Obama Requests That Paterson Drop New York Campaign  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama has sent a request to Gov. David A. Paterson that he withdraw from the New York governor's race, fearing that Mr. Paterson cannot recover from his dismal political standing, according to two senior administration officials …

What Did Dave Matthews Know And When Did He Know It?  —  Good Neil Lewis NYT story on John Edwards today—nothing much that a local TV station, the National Enquirer and kausfiles didn't have more than a month ago, except this fabiulous nugget (from Ex-Fall Guy Andrew Young's book proposal):

Independent prosecutor for ACORN  —  ACORN is in very deep, very public trouble, and the U.S. attorney general should appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate.  What we know so far is due entirely to two amateur reporters, James E. O'Keefe III, 25, and Hannah Giles, 20 …

Even Glenn Beck Is Right Twice a Day  —  IF only it were just about the color of his skin.  —  With all due respect to Jimmy Carter, the racist component of Obama-hatred has been undeniable since the summer of 2008, when Sarah Palin rallied all-white mobs to the defense of the “real America.”

Coprophagia watch  —  There was much warmist trumpeting last week, led by The Independent and the BBC, over a German businessman's claim that two of his ships had managed to sail round the Arctic coast of Russia, writes Christopher Booker in today's column.  —  Indeed there was, with even Time magazine joining the fray last Friday.

Obama weighs in on jobs outlook into next year  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Even as some economic indicators — and the nation's top banker — suggest that the struggling economy may be turning around, President Obama again predicted the country will not see large-scale job growth until next year.

CIA expanding presence in Afghanistan  —  The buildup coincides with new warnings that the Taliban has continued to gain territory and strength.  McChrystal wants to improve intelligence on the Taliban and focus on reducing the number of bombi  —  A special operations plane is readied for a mission in Afghanistan.

Hitting Talk Shows, Obama Defends Health Care Agenda  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama saturated the television talk shows on Sunday to promote his health care agenda as he seeks to build public support for the plan and allay fears that the government is seeking to take over the nation's health care system.

A Better Missile Defense for a Safer Europe  —  THE future of missile defense in Europe is secure.  This reality is contrary to what some critics have alleged about President Obama's proposed shift in America's missile-defense plans on the continent — and it is important to understand how and why.

Poll Finds Deeds Gaining on McDonnell  —  More in N.Va., Women Describe McDonnell As Too Conservative  —  Dramatic shifts among independent female voters and Northern Virginians over the past month have propelled Democrat R. Creigh Deeds to within four points of Republican Robert F. McDonnell …

Obama: Mandate is Not a Tax  —  President Obama signaled in our interview that he was prepared to address some of the concerns raised by key Senator Jay Rockefeller, who called the Baucus bill a “big middle class tax increase” this week.  —  That means he'll support more subsidies for middle class families.

Gov. Perry laughs off recession: 'We're in one?'  —  Speaking to the Houston Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) discounted the fact that Texas is in a deep economic downturn.  In an anecdote to the assembled business leaders, Perry quipped that when he was approached …