Charles Johnson Now So Anti-Racist He's Denouncing Fake Racist Quotes  —  Charles Johnson was against fake but accurate before he was for it.  —  No link for the idiot.  I'll just quote him.  From a thread: … That link I've left in provides a flurry of extremely dubious Limbaugh “quotes” — and not a single link or citation.

Health Insurers Emerge as Obama's Top Foe in Reform Effort  —  Now they have an enemy.  —  For months, President Obama and his administration waged their fight for a health-care overhaul without a clear opponent, even courting the industry executives and interest groups that helped kill reform efforts 15 years ago.

Americans, In Reversal, Now Back Afghan Troop Surge  —  As President Obama mulls the military's request for a big troop build-up in Afghanistan, Americans have swung in favor of such a move, according to a new IBD/TIPP Poll.  —  The survey of 927 adults found that a plurality of 48% favors sending …

Geithner Aides Reaped Millions Working for Banks, Hedge Funds  —  Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) — Some of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's closest aides, none of whom faced Senate confirmation, earned millions of dollars a year working for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and other Wall Street firms …

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler to step down  —  U.S. House of Representatives member Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, a self-described “fire-breathing liberal,” defender of Israel and friend of both President Barack Obama and Gov. Charlie Crist, is quitting Congress to head a think tank seeking peace in the Middle East.

The war on Beck  —  Fox News has taken a relatively cautious line toward the White House attacks on the network, leaving the real fireworks to Glenn Beck, who Monday accused the White House of being “more worried about the war on Fox than the actual war in Afghanistan.”

Saudis Seek Payments for Any Drop in Oil Revenues  —  Saudi Arabia is trying to enlist other oil-producing countries to support a provocative idea: if wealthy countries reduce their oil consumption to combat global warming, they should pay compensation to oil producers.

Poll shows Specter staring at ‘near fatal’ 31 percent re-election figure  —  TRIBUNE-REVIEW  —  HARRISBURG — Only 31 percent of Pennsylvania voters believe Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter should be re-elected, and 59 percent believe it's time to give someone else a chance, a state poll released today shows.

Olbermann: Without ‘Fascistic Hatred,’ Malkin Is Just a ‘Mashed-Up Bag of Meat with Lipstick’  —  On Tuesday's Countdown show, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann spewed bile at conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, accusing her of possessing “fascistic hatred,” and comparing her to a “mashed-up bag of meat with lipstick on it.”

Now who loves America more?  —  Twenty-five years ago, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Jeane Kirkpatrick famously lambasted Democrats as “blame America firsters” and a party plagued by “self-criticism and self-denigration” of America.  It was a speech at pace with an emerging political stereotype …

‘Chill out,’ Graham tells critics  —  GREENVILLE - An often clamorous crowd blasted, grilled and occasionally cheered Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in a town hall meeting Monday that centered on health care reform but returned repeatedly to his positions on climate change, judicial appointees and immigration.

Daisy Chain of Cheneys  —  I imagine that if you called the new consulting firm of Cheney, Cheney & Cheney and got put on hold, you'd hear the “Ghostbusters” theme: … It's hard to believe that the Bush dynasty, which limped away in disgrace after smashing our economy and the globe, has spawned another political dynasty.

Pro-Obamacare Republicans in the pay of the health industry  —  As the White House dismissed the insurance lobby's critiques of the Senate health care bill as self-serving corporate disinformation, President Obama used his weekly radio address to laud four former Republican officials for supporting the push for “reform.”

Subprime and the Banks: Guilty as Charged  —  “There has not been a case made that there is an enforcement problem with banks,” Edward Yingling, the head of the American Bankers Association, said last week.  “There is a problem with enforcement on nonbanks.”

Still on the Job, but at Half the Pay  —  MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — The dark blue captain's hat, with its golden oak-leaf clusters, sits atop a bookcase in Bryan Lawlor's home, out of reach of the children.  The uniform their father wears still displays the four stripes of a commercial airline captain, but the hat stays home.

Feeling Strategically Reassured  —  Reuben Johnson writes for the website today on the ChiCom parade two weeks ago celebrating Mao's victory over Chiang.  He notes that “the female troops were all marching in miniskirts and fancy leather ‘these boots were made for walkin’ boots.”