Tea-Party Activists Complicate Republican Comeback Strategy  —  PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — The rise of conservative “tea party” activists around the country has created a dilemma for Republicans.  They are breathing life into the party's quest to regain power.  But they're also waging war …

White House Says No to Antigay Referenda  —  In response to an inquiry from The Advocate, the White House sent the following statement regarding President Barack Obama's position on same-sex relationship recognition voter referenda in Maine and Washington.  —  “The President has long opposed divisive …

Lieberman says he would vote to let health care reform motion proceed  —  U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-Conn., whose vote could be crucial to breaking an expected GOP filibuster on health care legislation, Thursday said he would consider voting to move the bill forward …

Obama to conservatives: Grab a mop and help me clean up your mess  —  The good news: The “socialist mop” line made me laugh.  The bad news: He'll be telling us it's our mess that he's cleaning up until, oh, 2015 or so at the earliest.  How he's planning to blame the stimulus waste …

NFL Owners Who Use the N-Word and Wet Their Pants On Stage  —  And now a word from an NFL owner: … Amidst the uproar over Rush Limbaugh having to step aside from his participation in the bid to purchase the NFL's St. Louis Rams over racially insensitive statements he never actually made …

Interview Sets Off Skeptics of Balloon Drama  —  Updated |  10:45 a.m. It was, apparently, a heartwarming tale — the 6-year-old Colorado boy who was reportedly carried aloft in a wayward helium balloon on Thursday, only to turn up several hours later after a frantic, widely televised search.

John Edwards, Sarah Palin Both See Favorable Ratings Slide  —  Edwards' popularity down 27 points since January 2008  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Former presidential and vice presidential candidate John Edwards, embroiled in personal scandal, is rated favorably by 21% of Americans and unfavorably by 59%.

An Unconstitutional Nobel  —  People can, and undoubtedly will, argue for some time about whether President Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.  Meanwhile, though, there's a simpler and more immediate question: Does the Constitution allow him to accept the award?

A strange, lonely and troubling death . . .  The news of Stephen Gately's death was deeply shocking.  It was not just that another young star had died pointlessly.  —  Through the recent travails and sad ends of Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and many others, fans know to expect the unexpected …

A Hatchet Job So Bad It's Good  —  In the past, the insurance industry's power has been a major barrier to health-care reform.  Most notably, the industry paid for the infamous “Harry and Louise” ads that helped kill the Clinton plan.  But times have changed.

C.I.A. Is Still Cagey About Oswald Mystery  —  WASHINGTON — Is the Central Intelligence Agency covering up some dark secret about the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  —  Probably not.  But you would not know it from the C.I.A.'s behavior.  —  For six years, the agency has fought …

Congressional leaders signaling move to repeal 'Don't ask, don't tell'  —  Congress could move early next year to repeal the “Don't ask, don't tell” policy on gays serving in the military.  —  The move would play to the liberal base of President Barack Obama's administration …

Ted Turner Passed Cash ‘Like a Joint,’ Now Feels ‘Like a Dummy’  —  Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) — Ted Turner, the cable television pioneer who became one of the richest Americans, recalls the pain of losing his job at Time Warner Inc., his wife, the actress Jane Fonda, and $7 billion of his fortune.

The Reality Moment  —  That which can't continue doesn't.  A nation can spend and spend, pile debt upon debt, but eventually there comes a reality moment when some leader emerges to say enough is enough and when decent people, looking around at themselves and their own best nature, respond by demanding a return to responsibility.

Maddow Calls Out Americans for Prosperity President: ‘Parasite Who Gets Fat On Americans’ Fears'  —  In May, the Wonk Room first reported on the sordid history of Republican operative Tim Phillips — who now heads the front group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) — with respect to his long history …

Barney Frank, Predatory Lender  —  Almost two-thirds of all bad mortgages in our financial system were bought by government agencies or required by government regulations.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Recent reports that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will suffer default rates …

Don't Call Me a Slut  —  Blogs and Stories  —  Hours after The Daily Beast's Meghan McCain posted a self-portrait on Twitter it made national news and she was a pariah.  But she says it's the media who are the real boobs.  —  On Wednesday I posted a hastily-taken self-portrait on Twitter …

Another Goldman executive named to key government post as its profits skyrocket  —  (updated below)  —  Apparently, the U.S. government didn't have enough Goldman Sachs executives in key financial and regulatory positions, so the following happened this week:

The Very Separate World of Conservative Republicans  —  Democracy Corps  —  Research Categories … Executive Summary  —  The self-identifying conservative Republicans who make up the base of the Republican Party stand a world apart from the rest of America, according to focus groups conducted by Democracy Corps.