Okay, Prove You Didn't Say It!  — By: Mark Steyn  —  For some reason, Rush Limbaugh's mooted purchase of a sports franchise has prompted CNN and others to distribute far and wide what appear to be entirely fabricated racist quotes by Rush.  As Tim Blair points out: … Just so.  What's the theory here?

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 …

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 …

Schumer To Reid: The Fate Of The Public Option May Be In Your Hands  —  Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) threw down the gauntlet on the public option for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) last night.  Appearing on The Rachel Maddow Show, Schumer essentially put the fate of the public option …

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.

The Curious Resignation Of Robert Wexler  —  Today, Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), a well-regarded young congressman with a good job and enough seniority to ensure that he is comfortable, will announce his resignation from the House of Representatives.  The reason: he intends to perform other work in a “public policy” capacity.

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.”

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.

The Baucus Bill Is a Tax Bill  —  Middle-class families would get hit with a double-digit increase in their marginal tax rate.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Remember when health-care reform was supposed to make life better for the middle class?  That dream began to unravel this past summer …

Apartment residents told to take down U.S. flags  —  Residents of the Oaks Apartments in Albany have reportedly been told to take down their flags.  Even this one, on the back of a motorcycle, is part of the reported ban.  —  ALBANY, Ore. - At the Oaks Apartments in Albany …

Boehner downplays Dow 10,000  —  Dow 10,000 just isn't that big a deal, House Republican leader John Boehner said Wednesday morning.  —  And anyone who places significance on the stock market hitting this symbolic number is “certainly not talking to the American people.”

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 …

House Republicans accuse Muslim group of trying to plant spies  —  Four House Republicans are accusing a Muslim advocacy group of trying to plant spies.  —  Republican members of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus say the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), tried to plant …

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.

Bush memoirs to haunt GOP  —  For Republicans looking forward to the first Bush-free election in a decade, the book publishing schedule is the bearer of bad news: Between New Year's Day and next November, as many as five Bush administration officials — including the former president himself — will rehash history in hardback.

The Rising: Strawn's Youth Movement in Iowa  —  You may not have heard of Matt Strawn but every Republican who is pondering a run for president in 2012 has him on their speed dial.  —  That's because Strawn, at the tender age of 35, has ascended to one of the most coveted perches in the political world …