Public Option: It's Back  —  ABC News' Jonathan Karl reports:  —  The public option.  The idea was believed to be dead.  Liberals wanted it, but Senate vote counters insisted it simply could not pass the Senate.  The dynamic, however, has changed.  The public option may be back from dead.

Breaking: Palin Supports Hoffman  —  THE WEEKLY STANDARD just received a statement from Sarah Palin endorsing conservative Doug Hoffman for Congress:

It's come to this: White House tries to bar Fox News from interviewing pay czar  —  Decide for yourself what the most disgraceful aspect of this is.  Was it the fact that Gibbs told Jake Tapper explicitly on Monday that the White House wouldn't try to dictate to the press pool …

73% of GOP Voters Say Congressional Republicans Have Lost Touch With Their Base  —  President Obama told an audience at a Democratic Party fundraiser Wednesday night that Republicans often “do what they're told,” but GOP voters don't think their legislators listen enough to them.

The Rachel Maddow Show: Indefensible  —  As Rachel reports, it looks like the vote taken by 30 Republicans to protect contractors rather than rape victims is not playing very well for them in their local papers.  —  Jamie Leigh Jones and her attorney joined Rachel to talk about what happened …

Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment May Be Stripped By Senior Dem, Sources Say  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  An amendment that would prevent the government from working with contractors who denied victims of assault the right to bring their case to court is in danger of being watered …

W.H.: Cheney failed on Afghanistan … No comments yet.  Be the first!

Fewer Americans See Solid Evidence of Global Warming  —  Modest Support for “Cap and Trade” Policy  —  There has been a sharp decline over the past year in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising.  And fewer also see global warming …

Conservatives roar; GOP trembles  —  Many top Republicans are growing worried that the party's chances for reversing its electoral routs of 2006 and 2008 are being wounded by the flamboyant rhetoric and angry tone of conservative activists and media personalities, according to interviews with GOP officials and operatives.

Bong water is an illegal drug, Minn. Supreme Court rules  —  Time to dump your bong water in case the feds show up at your door.  They might think you actually plan to drink it later.  According to a split decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court, a person in possession of more than 25 grams …

Democratic Party Boss Convicted; Christie Accuses Corzine of Enabling Corruption — By: Jim Geraghty  —  Happy October Surprise, Governor Corzine.  —  Today a jury found Joe Ferriero, former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud and two counts of mail fraud.

Angry scenes face far-right leader at BBC  —  Extracts from Nick Griffin's appearance on Question Time, BBC One  —  BNP leader Nick Griffin has insisted he is “not a Nazi” during his first appearance on the BBC's Question Time.  —  The political discussion programme was recorded …

Low Testosterone = A Vote for McCain?  —  Study Shows Testosterone Levels of McCain Supporters Dropped on Election Night  —  Republican men nationwide may have experienced a drop in testosterone levels the night Barack Obama was elected president, according to the results of a small study …

Arguments Against Gay Marriage Literally Stop Making Sense  —  Yesterday, I was sent an e-mail from the Stand for Marriage Maine campaign, which I signed up for under a secondary e-mail account.  The message suggests talking points that opponents of gay marriage might use when calling into local radio stations:

Deeds should've listened to us, senior Obama officials say  —  Top Democrats seek to shield Obama in case of election loss  —  Sensing that victory in the race for Virginia governor is slipping away, Democrats at the national level are laying the groundwork to blame a loss in a key swing state …