Obama Rules Out Large Reduction in Afghan Force  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama told Congressional leaders on Tuesday that he would not substantially reduce American forces in Afghanistan or shift the mission to just hunting terrorists there, but he indicated that he remained undecided …

Bill Ayers No Dream  —  There I was, sitting in Reagan National Monday morning, sipping a Starbucks by the United counter before going through security.  I had a little time, so I was browsing through the news.  Some military guys had borrowed a chair from my table.

Dems let Rockefeller ponder vote  —  Democrats are tiptoeing around Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) these days.  —  Ever since President Barack Obama twice pressed him to support Sen. Max Baucus's (D-Mont.) healthcare bill, Rockefeller's fellow Senate Democrats have avoided the subject.

Dem: House GOP is “80 percent male, 100 percent white”  —  The National Republican Congressional Committee is urging Gen. Stanley McChrystal to put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “in her place” for weighing in on Afghanistan — prompting one female Pelosi ally to blast the House GOP as …

Approval of U.S. Congress Falls to 21%, Driven by Democrats  —  Lowest rating for Congress since January  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month's 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March.

Paralysis in the Debt Markets Is Deepening the Credit Drought  —  A year after Washington rescued the big names of American finance, it's still hard to get a loan.  But the problem isn't just tight-fisted banks.  —  The continued disarray in debt-securitization markets …

Working hard or hardly working?  —  Like most Americans, members of the House are expected to report promptly — no excuses — when summoned by their bosses for the start of another workweek.  One difference: For lawmakers, starting time doesn't come until about 6:30 Tuesday evening.

Should Gen. McChrystal stop speaking publicly about Afghan war strategy?  —  Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. commander in Afghanistan, set off the rumbles of a political storm last week by saying publicly, during a speech in London, that a more limited strategy than the one he's proposing …

First on the Ticker: Obama enlists Hollywood in new ad  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama is turning to a handful of Hollywood stars to judge a contest that asks grassroots supporters to create a television commercial promoting health care reform.  —  Musician Will.I.Am, actor John Cho …

Durbin's office blacklists STARadio stations  —  A spokesman for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) says the senator's office will no longer send media information to Quincy's oldest radio station because the station decided to let the public know he was coming to town.

The criticism that Ralph Lauren doesn't want you to see!  —  Last month, Xeni blogged about the photoshop disaster that is this Ralph Lauren advertisement, in which a model's proportions appear to have been altered to give her an impossibly skinny body ("Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis").

Deeds points finger at Washington  —  Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds said in an interview that he was lagging in the polls entering the final weeks of the campaign in part because of voter concerns over his national party's agenda.  —  “Frankly, a lot of what's …

Charlie sneaks $3M in pork for CCNY  —  WASHINGTON — Two years after creating a center in his own name at City College, Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel has come through with a $3 million defense grant for the school — for a project the Pentagon doesn't even want, The Post has learned.

Tom DeLay to Quit Dancing with the Stars  —  It's the end of the road for Tom DeLay.  —  Sources tell PEOPLE that the former Republican House Majority Leader will withdraw from Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday's live results show due to stress fractures in both of his feet.

Democratic Money Mandarins Meet In D.C.  —  The Mandarin Oriental plays host to the Democracy Alliance today, the gathering of philanthropic Democrats whose pooled money helped to catalyze the party's recent renaissance.  The members of the Alliance, all wealthy donors, will hear from organizations and individuals who want their money.

Ensign Says He Won't Step Down  —  WASHINGTON — Even as fellow Republicans continued to withhold public support for him, Senator John Ensign of Nevada said Tuesday that he had done nothing improper on behalf of a former aide with whose wife he had an affair and that he would not resign his seat.

In defense of Glenn Beck  —  The left detests him, and some conservatives say he's undermining the cause.  The truth is, he must be doing something right.  —  For a self-described rodeo clown who frequently admits he isn't that bright, Glenn Beck must be doing something right.