Pelosi Backs Off Set Rates for Public Option  —  WASHINGTON — Under pressure from moderate-to-conservative members of the House Democratic caucus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to propose a government-run insurance plan that would negotiate rates with doctors and hospitals …

Obama Visits Returning War Dead  —  President Obama traveled to Dover Air Force Base early Thursday morning to meet with family members and pay his respects as the flag-draped coffins carrying bodies of 18 American troops killed this week in Afghanistan were returned to the United States.

U.S. Economy Started to Grow Again in the Third Quarter  —  For the first time in a year, the United States economy grew, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.  But even if a recovery is technically in the offing, job seekers likely will not begin to feel the benefits for months to come.

Nervous W.H. intervened in N.J. race; top Obama adviser now in charge  —  One of President Barack Obama's key political advisers has become the central strategist in New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's bruising campaign for re-election, a race the White House desperately wants to win to avert …

Romer on GDP  —  CEA Chief Christina Romer blogs on the GDP numbers: … One of the things that makes American politics weird is that nobody in the administration is really supposed to talk about the fact that this is much more up to Ben Bernanke than it is up to Barack Obama.

Victory for Obama Over Military Lobby  —  When the Obama administration proposed canceling a host of expensive weapons systems last spring, some of the military industry's allies in Congress assumed, as they had in the past, that they would have the final say.

Politicians Butt In at Bailed-Out GM  —  Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg was no fan of the $58 billion federal rescue of General Motors Co., saying he worried taxpayer money would be wasted and the restructuring process would be vulnerable to “political pressure.”  Now the lawmaker says it's his “patriotic duty” to wade into GM's affairs.

Palin: Levi Johnston ‘Mean-Spirited,’ ‘Malicious,’ Selling ‘Body for Money’  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports: Former Gov. Sarah Palin is blasting away at the father of her grandson, issuing a blistering statement today that impugns Levi Johnston's motives in continuing to speak out against the Palin family …

Police: SC state attorney caught with stripper  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. — A deputy assistant attorney general who said he was on his lunch break when an officer found him with a stripper and sex toys in his sport utility vehicle has been fired, his boss said Wednesday.

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands  —  WASHINGTON — An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

How bad should I feel about taking hot showers?  —  I know that taking long, hot showers is an environmental no-no. But now that the weather's getting colder, I just can't face the day without one.  Exactly how much damage am I doing to the planet?  —  Guilt is a tricky thing to quantify.

Iowa Republicans wince at Palin fee  —  A conservative Iowa group's effort to lure Sarah Palin to its banquet next month has had an unintended effect: Rather than exciting conservatives about the prospect of a visit from the former Alaska governor, the group's plan to raise a six-figure sum …

Did Schwarzenegger say f**k you to legislature?  —  Did Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger mean to hide a message in this note?  —  (CNN) - Was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's message to state lawmakers unhappy - or obscene?  —  That's the current debate in California after the governor sent a letter directed to …

Republican vs. Conservative  —  Which side are the Democrats against?  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  You might have heard about the unusual election next week in New York's 23rd Congressional District.  It's unusual for several reasons: It's taking place in an odd-numbered year, there was no primary, and there are three candidates.

Stockton officer defends actions in spite of suspension  —  STOCKTON — A traffic stop involving a young officer and the son of a small-town mayor has the whole town talking.  The mayor of Stockton tried to fire the officer for issuing his son a ticket.  —  Cpl. Joshua Rowell told KSL News he was just doing his job.

Important choice  —  Scozzafava is best qualified for House  —  The national attention focused on the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District has proved exhilarating, frustrating and slightly irrelevant.  —  Political analysts have cast the three-way race in different ways.

NYT Drags German Miracle Through the Mud  —  Okay, I'm not on vacation, but this is a BTP flashback.  My original write-up of this NYT news article was way too positive.  This article was essentially a diatribe against Germany's welfare state.  To make its case, it turned an incredible success story …