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.

Volcker 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.

Obama's War on Fox News Becomes a Quagmire  —  THE WHITE HOUSE - Despite the President's promise of a swift and decisive victory, Obama's War on Fox News has developed all signs of an unwinnable quagmire, making the White House even more isolated in its unilateral attempts to crush the growing media insurgency.

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 …

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 …

Limbaugh goes the extra mile  —  Shock jock turns on Andy Revkin after his comments on population and greenhouse gas emissions  —  US radio host Rush Limbaugh's main reason for existence is to go too far — and then drag mainstream conservative discourse out there with him.

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 …

Oprah hopes Palin has the right stuff to win back viewers  —  Oprah Winfrey, on a campaign to climb back from last season's ratings slump, will attempt to kiss and make up with conservative viewers on Nov. 16 when she has Sarah Palin on her syndicated talk show .

Why we had to get rid of GM's CEO  —  The man who led the auto bailout tells about his shock at the state of the carmaker's finances and management. … Everyone knew Detroit's reputation for insular, slow-moving cultures.  Even by that low standard, I was shocked by the stunningly poor management …

Emanuel at the Epicenter: Then and Now  —  WASHINGTON — When Heath Shuler, the former Washington Redskins quarterback, was thinking about running for Congress in 2006, he found he had a new best friend.  Every time the phone rang, it seemed, it was Rahm Emanuel or someone Mr. Emanuel had told to call.

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 …

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.

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.

Will lower health-care costs mean higher wages?  —  As we went over yesterday, the theory of the excise tax is that employers will buy less costly health-care plans and put the money they save into wages.  Most of you had one question in response to that, which was well expressed …

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 …

Court papers claim Madoff's offices were full of cocaine, topless women  —  Bernie Madoff, cocaine kingpin?  —  New additions to a lawsuit against the jailed Ponzi schemer charge that he presided over an office so fueled by the drug that it was known as the “North Pole.”

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?”