Visitor Records  —  As part of President Obama's commitment to government transparency, we are providing records of White House visitors on an ongoing basis online.  In December 2009, we will begin posting all White House visitor records for the period from September 15th onwards under the terms of our new voluntary disclosure policy.

Lieberman Marching Further Right in 2010  —  Subway Series: Former Dem Veep Candidate Plans to Campaign for GOP  —  Sounding more like an independent than a Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., tells ABC News he will campaign for some Republican candidates during the 2010 midterm elections …

Deal Reached in Honduras to Restore Ousted President  —  MEXICO CITY — A lingering political crisis in Honduras seemed to be nearing an end on Friday after the de facto government agreed to a deal that would allow Manuel Zelaya, the deposed president, to return to office.

Attention Bush Apologists: Reagan Greeted Fallen Americans at an Air Force Base, Idiots  —  It appears my post yesterday got the teabaggers all riled up.  —  Apparently, their position is that George W. Bush's refusal to honor fallen Americans as they return to this country for the last time …

MSNBC Airs Uncensored Breast Self-Exam  —  This reminds me when Fox News plays a constant b-roll of girls in bikinis during, say, Spring Break while proclaiming, “Ohhhh, isn't that terrible!  That's so inappropriate!”  —  MSNBC's Dr. Nancy — who's show gets terrible ratings …

Gore Vidal: Thirteen-year-old Roman Polanski rape victim was a ‘hooker’  —  Author Gore Vidal says he refuses to feel any sympathy for Roman Polanski's rape victim, whom he dubs a “hooker.”  —  In an interview with The Atlantic, the controversial 83-year-old author of such books as …

CREW LAWSUIT RESULTS IN RELEASE OF NOTES OF CHENEY'S FBI INTERVIEW IN WILSON LEAK CASE  —  30 Oct 2009 // Washington, D.C. - Today, after successfully winning a lawsuit against the Department of Justice, under court order, CREW received documents related to former Vice President Dick Cheney's interview …

Do They Need the Public Option?  —  Much discussion of the House Democrats' health care bill has focused on its inclusion of the “public option,” which most observers see as a Trojan Horse intended to serve, ultimately, as the vehicle for socialized medicine as private insurers are driven from the market …

Dozens in Congress under ethics inquiry  —  House ethics investigators have been scrutinizing the activities of more than 30 lawmakers and several aides in inquiries about issues including defense lobbying and corporate influence peddling, according to a confidential House ethics committee report prepared in July.

Pat Robertson on hate crimes bill: ‘The noose has tightened around the necks of Christians.’  —  Yesterday on the Christian Broadcasting Network, televangelist Pat Robertson aired a segment slamming President Obama for signing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.

Gavin Newsom quits race for California governor  —  San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has been seen as a leading contender to be the next governor of California, announced today that he is quitting the race.  —  Newsom is withdrawing from the Democratic primary amid lackluster poll numbers and meager fund-raising receipts.

Biden campaigning for Owens in NY 23  —  The White House is sending Vice President Joe Biden to upstate New York to campaign for Democrat Bill Owens in a last-minute push to help Democrats pick up the longtime Republican House seat.  —  The Biden rally will be taking place next Monday morning in Watertown.

What the NY-23 Special Election Is Really About  —  In the span of a few short weeks, the special election in New York's 23rd congressional District has become the one result that the savviest church members are polishing off our sharpest metaphors for.  —  But what would a victory by the Democrat …

Source: Afghan election talks break down  —  Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his election opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, have broken down, a Western source close to the Afghan leadership told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Friday.

NRCC Pulling Out of NY-23?  —  I'm hearing that the NRCC is pulling out of NY-23.  It's coming from a credible source familiar with the operation inside of the beltway Committee.  —  That being said I just reached out to Matthew Burns, Spokesman for the Scozzafava campaign, who denied this claim.

Stimulus creates 650,000 jobs  —  White House releases first broad look at stimulus-funded employment, focusing on $150 billion in spending.  —  WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — The largest stimulus program in the nation's history has created or saved at least 650,000 state and local jobs …

The Defining Moment  —  O.K., folks, this is it.  It's the defining moment for health care reform.  —  Past efforts to give Americans what citizens of every other advanced nation already have — guaranteed access to essential care — have ended not with a bang, but with a whimper …

The Death of Private Investment  —  The Bureau of Economic Analysis released third-quarter gross domestic product numbers yesterday, and overall real growth at 3.5 percent was pretty good.  —  But examining the components of GDP reveals a more disturbing picture.

The Pay Czar Is Unconstitutional  —  Kenneth Feinberg hasn't been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Last week's announcement that “Pay Czar” Kenneth Feinberg slashed compensation for executives at seven large financial firms by an average of 50% stunned Wall Street …

Daily Show Heckled, Attacked For Airing Interview With Leader Of Palestinian Nonviolent Democratic Movement  —  This past Wednesday, The Daily Show aired an interview with Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American peace activist and author of Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories …

Allies turn Afghan insurgents into partners  —  ISAF seeks to reintegrate insurgents back into society  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — A new initiative to persuade low- and mid-level Afghan insurgents to lay down their weapons and rejoin society is already bearing fruit and holds great promise for the future …

White House announces end to HIV travel ban  —  Your Browser Does Not Support IFrames.  —  Updated 12:30 p.m.  —  By Garance Franke-Ruta  —  President Obama called the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals a decision “rooted in fear rather than fact” …

The Return of Israel's Existential Dread  —  In tabloid cartoons and dinner conversations, Israelis brace themselves for war with Iran.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  Jerusalem  —  The postcard from the Home Front Command that recently arrived in my mailbox looks like an ad from the Ministry of Tourism.

Fox News Poll: Most Blame Bush for Economy  —  Here's a somewhat surprising result from the new Fox News poll.  Asked which president is “more responsible for the current state of the economy,” only 18 percent say President Obama.  Fifty-eight percent say former President George W. Bush.

New York 23: When a Nation Calls  —  The Tea Party movement has been quiet since the September 12 massive rallies in Washington, Quincy, Dallas, and elsewhere.  Paul Krugman was so bold as to write on October 26, “the tea baggers have come and gone.”  On the same day, CBS News blogger Charles …

Why do other countries care more about health care cost control?  —  Ralph Sisson, a loyal MR reader, asks me: … Putting normative questions aside, let's focus on the positive comparison.  I can think of a few factors here:  —  1. Americans have the “anything I want, whenever I want it” mentality of consumer spending.