Obama strategy: Marginalize critics  —  This is the first of a two-part look at the marginalization of the GOP.  Tomorrow: GOP officials fear that the party's image is being defined increasingly by boisterous conservative commentators.  —  President Obama is working systematically …

House Dems want Medicare for everyone  —  Say hello to “Medicare Part E” — as in, “Medicare for Everyone.”  —  House Democrats are looking at re-branding the public health insurance option as Medicare, an established government healthcare program that is better known than the public option.

Carnegie Hall Stagehand Moving Props Makes $530,044  —  Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) — After you practice for years and get to Carnegie Hall, it's almost better to move music stands than actually play the piano.  —  Depending on wattage, a star pianist can receive $20,000 a night at the 118-year-old hall …

Democrats lock Republicans out of committee room  —  Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren't present.  —  Towns' action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican …

Volcker's Voice Fails to Sell a Bank Strategy  —  Listen to a top economist in the Obama administration describe Paul A. Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who endorsed Mr. Obama early in his election campaign and who stood by his side during the financial crisis.

The GOP's New York Fiasco  —  Republicans try to lose a House seat.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Republicans are telling themselves that a political wave is building that could carry them to big election gains next year.  Judging by their performance so far in a special election in New York …

U.S. deeply split on troop increase for Afghan war  —  Majority says nation lacks clear strategy  —  As President Obama and his war cabinet deliberate a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, Americans are evenly and deeply divided over whether he should send 40,000 more troops there …

General Powell  —  is one of the most distinguished and admired men in America.  As a four-star General, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State Gen. Powell has experienced leadership at the highest levels.  Gen. Powell shows you precisely what it takes to be a leader …

Limbaugh to NYTimes environment reporter Revkin: “Why don't you just go kill yourself”  —  From the October 20 edition of Premiere Radio Network's The Rush Limbaugh Show:  —  Please upgrade your flash player.  The video for this item requires a newer version of Flash Player.

Grassley Warns HHS Web Site May Be ‘Propaganda’  —  Senate Finance ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is raising concerns that a Department of Health and Human Services Web site that urges visitors to send an e-mail to President Barack Obama praising his health care reform plan may violate rules against government-funded propaganda.

Clinton helps Deeds — sort of  —  It's doubtful that any of the few hundred people who turned up for Democrat Creigh Deeds at a Northern Virginia campaign office needed a reminder that their candidate is trailing badly in his race for governor.  —  They got one anyway …

America's secular saboteurs  —  There are many ways cultural nihilists are busy trying to sabotage America these days: multiculturalism is used as a club to beat down Western civilization in the classroom; sexual libertines seek to upend the cultural order by attacking religion …

Obama urges GOP to ‘get a mop’ and clean up Bush administration mess  —  President Barack Obama urged Republicans to help clean up the mess the Bush administration left behind in comments at a Tuesday night fundraiser.  —  Obama, speaking to donors to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) …

CDC shocker: Swine Flu killing young people at surprising rate … The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have confirmed what public health officials have been saying for some time.  The Swine Flu, pandemic H1N1, is unusually deadly for young people in the United States.

The auto bailout: How we did it  —  The man who led the effort gives an inside look at the bankruptcies that shook America. … Reporting for my first day of work on the auto task force, I lingered outside a guard shack on Pennsylvania Avenue.  My clearance into the fortress-like Treasury building …

Former rivals Plouffe, Schmidt team up  —  (CNN) - Nearly a year after Election Day 2008, the campaign managers for John McCain and Barack Obama, who spent last year at war, have joined forces.  —  McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt and David Plouffe, his counterpart on the Obama campaign …

A Drone Strike and Dwindling Hope  —  TWO deafening explosions shook the walls of the compound where the Taliban held us hostage.  My guards and I dived to the floor as chunks of dirt hurtled through the window.  —  “Dawood?” one guard shouted, saying my name in Arabic.  “Dawood?”

Voting Present Is Not an Option — By: Victor Davis Hanson  —  While our Narcissus-in-Chief is frozen gazing at his perfect image in his private pool, choices have to be made in Afghanistan.  Consider the following:  —  (a) We have a Democratically controlled Congress that by and large has supported …

Health-care lobbyists continue spending spree  —  The August recess did little to slow the Washington lobbying frenzy over health-care reform, as insurers, drugmakers and hospitals continued to spend millions to attempt to sway the emerging legislation, according to new disclosure reports filed with Congress.

Senior broadcasters on cocaine ‘praised for creative genius’  —  Broadcasting executives addicted to cocaine are routinely praised by bosses for their “creative genius”, a former BBC producer told MPs.  —  Sarah Graham, who worked on children's programmes for the corporation and took cocaine for nine years …