Sarah Palin on Islam and China  —  I've been bluntly critical of Sarah Palin before when I felt it warranted, but I've never had anything but respect for her formidable intellect and political saavy.  I think she's easily the most credible challenger to President Obama in 2012 and while I still …

Republicans decide not to introduce Grayson resolution  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Republicans changed course on Wednesday and decided not to move forward with a resolution condemning Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, for saying that the GOP health care plan calls for sick people to “die quickly.”

Carper quietly devises third option  —  Sen. Tom Carper bided his time on health care reform.  —  Rarely in the spotlight, and unfailingly restrained, the Delaware Democrat never staked out a public position on the government insurance option, solidifying his status as the model of an undecided moderate in need of persuading.

Stimulus Spending Doesn't Work  —  Our new research shows no evidence of a Keynesian ‘multiplier’ effect.  There is evidence that tax cuts boost growth.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The global recession and financial crisis have refocused attention on government stimulus packages.

Politico: Freaky-deaky Edwards love child scandal even freaky-deakier than thought  —  Add six cups of freaky, a quart of deaky, stir well, then let chill overnight.  The next day: Voila.  If you're reading this on the east coast, where it's already past nine, I'd advise turning on a light …

Roman the Rapist  —  A Commentary By Susan Estrich  —  He had sex with a 13-year-old girl.  He got her to go to Jack Nicholson's house by promising that she would be in a photo shoot.  When she got there, he fed her a Quaalude and alcohol — champagne for a 13-year-old, how enticing — and then he raped her.

The Sordidness of Polanski's Crime Justifies U.S. Adjudication  —  Sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl isn't ‘a little mistake.’  —  FIRST, THERE was: “He's a brilliant guy, and he made a little mistake 32 years ago.”  Next came: “Whatever you think about the so-called crime . . . it is a shocking way to treat such a man.”

Iran Meets U.S. and Allies for Nuclear Talks in Geneva  —  GENEVA — Critical talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions began Thursday morning in the Geneva countryside, with Washington and its allies hoping to draw Iran into a serious negotiation that will open up the country to serious nuclear inspections …

Obama's not-so-secret plan to raise taxes  —  Does President Obama have a secret plan to raise taxes on middle-class Americans — and,well, pretty much everybody else — with a European-style, value-added tax?  Actually, it's not such a big secret.  Connect the dots:

Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants, POLITICO has learned.

Exclusive: Comcast in Talks to Buy NBC-Universal from General Electric (updated)  —  Deal was negotiated at a meeting among bankers in New York on Tuesday.  Comcast denies a deal is done, but does not deny talks  —  Comcast, the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment …

National Review's John Derbyshire: Women Should Not Have The Right To Vote  —  John Derbyshire, a British-American conservative author and columnist for the National Review, has written a new book titled We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism.  The book contains a section called “The Case Against Female Suffrage.”

Portsmouth PD: Shea-Porter was removed from Bush town hall by two police officers  —  Two officers of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire Police Department removed Carol Shea-Porter and Susan Mayer from a February 2005 town hall event hosted by then-President George W. Bush at the request of the owner …

Pennsylvania Senate Seesaw Tips To Toomey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama's Approval Drops Below 50 Percent  —  The seesaw 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania tips to Republican Pat Toomey, who has 43 percent to recently converted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter's 42 percent, too close to call …

Obama Can't Outsource Afghanistan  —  George Bush succeeded in Iraq by talking to his generals regularly.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  So our top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has told CBS's “60 Minutes” that he has spoken with President Barack Obama only once since June.

Owner of Dallas topless club The Lodge stripped of entrepreneur award  —  Dawn Rizos had been named ‘entrepreneur of the year’ by Gingrich-led group  —  gjeffers@dallasnews.com  —  Dawn Rizos didn't need any formal recognition that The Lodge, one of the best-known gentlemen's clubs in Dallas, was a successful small business.

Obama, Dictators and democrats  —  How many rogue nations can President Obama hold in one hand?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  In his Inaugural Address, President Obama spoke directly to the world's rogue nations.  “[W]e will extend a hand,” he said, “if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

House Leaders Trying to Give All Democrats a Say  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate poses the main hurdle to President Obama's effort to overhaul the health care system.  But passing so far-reaching a bill in the House is not going to be easy either.  —  Few Democrats doubt that ultimately …

Tracking the recovery: One in four households has suffered a layoff over the past year  —  The official unemployment rate hovers near 10%, suggesting that one in 10 American workers is out of work.  But that figure masks the extent to which unemployment has devastated American families.

Key Dems confident card-check will pass  —  A key Senate negotiator trying to advance a contentious union-organizing bill said a modified version could pass the upper chamber this year, despite his reservations with the changes.  —  Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is one of a half-dozen senators trying …

Possibility of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Alarms Arabs  —  CAIRO — As the West raises the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, Arab governments, especially the small, oil-rich nations in the Persian Gulf, are growing increasingly anxious.  But they are concerned not only with the prospect …

Burned by Obama  —  Wall St. execs feel betrayed  —  In the depths of the financial crisis last year, people like Morgan Stanley's John Mack, BlackRock's Larry Fink, Greg Fleming (then of Merrill Lynch), JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein were telling everyone …

Senate Rankings, September 2009 Lightning Round Edition  —  Well, there are all of about five hours left in September, and I haven't gotten the monthly Senate rankings out to you.  What follows is an abbreviated version; it's been a relatively dull month, besides, for movement in most of these Senate races.

Consumers Union joins health care battle  —  The venerable advocacy group Consumers Union, best known for publishing Consumer Reports, will dive into the health care fray Monday with a television ad making the case for passing health care reform legislation.