Calling 'Em Out: The White House Takes on the Press  —  There was never a single moment when White House staff decided the major media outlets were falling down on the job.  There were instead several such moments.  —  For press secretary Robert Gibbs, the realization came in early September …

Opt Me Out of Public Option Purism  —  Some of the usual suspects are out this morning with criticism of Tom Carper's compromise proposal to insert a robust public option into the Democrats' health care bill, but allow states to opt out of it by legislative or popular action.

Barack Obama: Taleban can be involved in Afghanistan future  —  President Obama is prepared to accept some Taleban involvement in Afghanistan's political future and is unlikely to favour a large influx of new American troops being demanded by his ground commander, a senior official said last night.

Rep. Michele Bachmann Says MSNBC Hosts Are ‘Stalkers,’ One of them Responds  —  On “The O'Reilly Factor” last night, Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann talked about having “personal stalkers” eluding to certain, though unnamed, MSNBC anchors.  —  O'Reilly: “Does it bother you that NBC News …

Barack Obama adviser says Sharia Law is misunderstood  —  President Barack Obama's adviser on Muslim affairs, Dalia Mogahed, has provoked controversy by appearing on a British television show hosted by a member of an extremist group to talk about Sharia Law.

McDonnell Widens Lead in Virginia Governor's Race  —  Republican Withstands Rival's Attacks on Conservative Social Views  —  Republican Robert F. McDonnell has taken a commanding lead over R. Creigh Deeds in the race for governor of Virginia, as momentum the Democrat had built with an attack …

A President's Brave—And Meaningful—Ambassadorial Appointment  —  The president has a troubled relationship with a vocal minority group.  To mollify his critics, the president appoints a member of this minority group to an ambassadorship.  It's a symbolic gesture, it doesn't require …

Little Soldier Girl “Didn't Want to Let Go”  —  Four-year old Paige didn't want to say goodbye to her daddy before he was shipped off to Iraq  —  A family photo that shows a little girl beside her father and his fellow soldiers in uniform as they prepare to go to war has resonated well beyond the tight knit Bennethum clan.

No DNA match for sperm found on Channon Christian's underwear  —  Test shows sperm does not match any suspect in torture-slaying death, or boyfriend Chris Newsom.  —  SEVIERVILLE — Former President George W. Bush addressed a capacity crowd Wednesday night at the Wilderness Resort and Convention Center in Sevierville.

ROMAN POLANSKI BACKERS GAVE $34K TO BARACK OBAMA, DNC  —  Movie industry types calling for the release of director Roman Polanski last year gave $34,000 to Obama's presidential campaign and the Democratic Party, FEC records show.  —  Polanski's arrest late last month by Swiss authorities …

French minister in ‘boy sex’ row  —  France's Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand is facing intense pressure over a book he wrote that described paying for “young boys” in Thailand.  —  The book was written four years ago, before he joined the government, but is back in the headlines following …

Fair and Decent?  —  Scott Rasmussen periodically polls Americans on whether their country is “generally fair and decent,” as opposed to “basically unfair and discriminatory.”  The former view, of course, tends to predominant, but the latest results are rather sad: … Note where the change has come:

Broun: Pelosi A ‘Domestic Enemy Of The Constitution’  —  At a town hall in Commerce, Ga., last week, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “domestic enem[y] of the Constitution.”  —  “When I was sworn into the Marine Corps, I was sworn to uphold the Constitution against every enemy, foreign and domestic,” he said.

Treason and Sedition  —  Article III of the Constitution defines treason against the United States in three ways: levying war against the country, adhering to the country's enemies, or giving aid or comfort to enemies.  The punishment for treason is death, but the article requires a high burden of proof.

How long can Dems stand by Rangel?  —  In his trademark gravelly New York brogue, Charlie Rangel has been known to say: “I'll be with you 'til I can't be with you.”  —  Now, even some Democrats who have stuck with him through his messy financial problems are beginning to wonder if they can't stick with him anymore.

Asia steps in to support dollar  —  By Kevin Brown in Singapore, and Peter Garnham and Chris Giles in London  —  Asian central banks intervened heavily in the currency markets on Thursday to stem the appreciation of their currencies against the US dollar amid fears that their exports could be losing ground against China.

House GOP leaders voting against defense bill  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) are voting against the House/Senate fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill — because it contains hate crimes provisions designed to protect gays and lesbians.

A historian's account of Democrats and Bush-era war crimes  —  (updated below - Update II - Update III)  —  The American Propsect's Adam Serwer notes that, yesterday, Sen. Joe Lieberman successfully inserted into the Homeland Security appropriations bill an amendment …