White House Gets Republican Backing for Bipartisan Reform  —  Urged by the White House, Republicans Speak Up for Bipartisan Health Fix  —  Seeking to provide fresh evidence of bipartisan support for health-care reform, the White House is orchestrating a series of endorsements from GOP heavyweights around the country.

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.

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.

Fed Frets Over Commercial Real Estate  —  With Banks Slow to Take Losses, Fears of a Residential-Bust Repeat; ‘More Pain Likely Lies Ahead’  —  Banks in the U.S. “are slow” to take losses on their commercial real-estate loans being battered by slumping property values and rental payments …

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 …

The Cup of Coffee: White House's David Axelrod Meets With Fox News' Roger Ailes  —  On a recent visit to New York, White House adviser David Axelrod met over coffee with Roger Ailes, the president of the Fox News network, which President Obama has described as a “television station …

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 …

Deep Denial  —  Toughened by their frontier ethos, steeled by serial wars, Israelis are not prone to flattery.  Most, in fact, eschew using the closest equivalent to the Hebrew word for flattery—chanupa— in favor of the derisive Yiddish-derivative, firgun.

The Beauty of Artificial Virginity  —  If you're a woman in a conservative Muslim country, you had better bleed on your wedding night.  If you don't, your husband or his family will know you aren't a virgin.  For that, you could be beaten or killed.  —  If you're a man, on the other hand …

Finally!  A Mayoral Forum With Character(s)!  —  Of all the mayoral debates and forums that have been held so far this campaign season, perhaps the most bizarre was the one sponsored Tuesday night at the University of Memphis' Rose Theatre by the NAACP.  Three of the 12 candidates on stage …

Support Builds for Tax Credit to Help Hiring  —  The idea of a tax credit for companies that create new jobs, something the federal government has not tried since the 1970s, is gaining support among economists and Washington officials grappling with the highest unemployment in a generation.

Rep. Louie Gohmert: Hate crimes bill will lead to Nazism, legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality.  —  Led by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) last night, lawmakers convened for a special session of floor speeches urging a repeal of Don't Act Don't Tell.

Chicago Violence Haunts Obama as Gun-Control Backers Left Cold  —  Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) — At least 47 school-age children in Chicago have been killed in homicides, mostly by guns, since the month President Barack Obama took office.  —  The latest youth homicide in his adopted hometown …

A new mommy tax  —  When Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus proposed taxing medical devices to raise $40 billion over the next 10 years for his health care plan, opponents started digging in and looking at what would be taxed.  It turned out feminine products, like tampons …

‘Code Pink’ rethinks its call for Afghanistan pullout  —  In Afghanistan, the US women's activist group finds that their Afghan counterparts want US troop presence - as well as more reconstruction.  —  KABUL, AFGHANISTAN -  —  When Medea Benjamin stood up in a Kabul meeting hall this weekend …

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").

Carter Joins New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Buffalo News, Minneapolis Star-Tribune in Calling for Chairman to Step Down  —  (WASHINGTON, DC) - House Members Wednesday will have to cast a recorded vote on whether it is acceptable …

Weak himself, Obama draws strength from Bush  —  Senior Political Analyst  —  In trying to understand what is happening in the nation and world, we all employ narratives — story lines that indicate where things are going and what is likely to happen next.