Hark!  The Voters Speak!  —  In Ohio, citizens marched to the polls on Tuesday and voted to allow gambling casinos in the state.  This was a obviously a message to President Obama that independent voters are not happy with the way the health care bill is going.  —  Really, I don't see how else you can interpret it.

Lindsey Graham warns GOP against going too far right  —  The morning after Republicans lost an upstate New York House seat, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned that conservative activists will bring destruction to the Republican Party if they drive out moderate candidates across the country.

Conservatism Didn't Lose in NY-23  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: These are my thoughts on New York 23.  In the first place I'll have to double-check this but I'm reasonably sure that this was the highest percentage of the vote ever won on the Conservative Party line by a House or Senate candidate.

Bachmann calls for ‘scare’ tactics  —  In a conference call Wednesday night with bloggers and activists for the advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) called on protesters to “scare” members of Congress into killing the proposed health care reform bill.

House leaders prepare for rare Saturday vote on health-care bill  —  CBO: GOP measure would cover few uninsured  —  House leaders put in motion the machinery to hold a rare Saturday vote on the most far-reaching expansion of the health-care system in more than 40 years.

Prejean Sex Tape Triggers Settlement  —  Carrie Prejean demanded more than a million dollars during her settlement negotiations with Miss California USA Pageant officials — that is, until the lawyer for the Pageant showed Carrie an XXX home video of her handiwork.

Huckabee, Romney, Palin See Most Republican Support for '12  —  Huckabee, Romney viewed as most qualified of possible Republican presidential candidates  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Looking ahead to the 2012 presidential election, 71% of Republicans say they would seriously consider voting for Mike Huckabee.

Morning Fix: Courting Sarah Palin  —  1. The news that Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk (R) is actively seeking the backing of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in his Senate primary race is the latest evidence of the power the 2008 vice presidential nominee carries — thanks to the fact that she has become the voice of the angry right.

Sen. Snowe: Tuesday's results ‘certainly gives pause on how you approach’ health reform - Yanks are world champs  —  BIRTHDAYS: Autumn Hanna VandeHei, the hottest and smartest wife-mother-friend (boot tip: Jimmy) ... Sloan Rappaport big 4-0 birthday (hat tip: Margaret and Freddie) …

Letter to Reid on healthcare from former Surgeon General Koop shuts Senate  —  A letter about healthcare reform to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) from former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop triggered a security scare that briefly shut down much of the Senate on Wednesday.

Michelle Obama to star with Nigella Lawson as she becomes first presidential wife to appear on a reality show  —  Michelle Obama is to be the first presidential wife to appear on a reality TV series.  —  The First Lady will make a guest appearance on ‘Iron Chef America’ which features British cook Nigella Lawson as a judge.

Unhealthy America  —  The moment of truth for health care is at hand, and the distortion that perhaps gets the most traction is this: … That self-aggrandizing delusion may be the single greatest myth in the health care debate.  In fact, America's health care system is worse than Slov—er, oops, more on that later.

Kerik Expected to Accept Prison Term in Corruption Case  —  Bernard B. Kerik, New York City's former police commissioner, is expected to plead guilty on Thursday to a single conspiracy charge in an agreement that would resolve the three pending federal criminal trials he faces in New York and Washington …

Dick Armey Is Back on the Attack  —  I.  —  At sunset on a September evening, Dick Armey, the former House majority leader, strode to a lectern set up in the parking lot of a Harley-Davidson dealership in Hickory, N.C., where about 300 people had gathered to hear him speak.

Obama Uses Malia's Test Scores as a Teaching Example  —  MADISON, Wisconsin - President Obama marked the first anniversary of his election on Wednesday by calling on states to toughen their education standards - and wound up calling on parents to toughen theirs, too, as he confessed …

That's NOT YOUR CAKE, Barack Obama!  —  That's BLUE GAL'S Anniversary Cake!  Her blog is five years old today!  —  I don't know how FOX News can claim they aren't a propaganda arm of the Republican Party after they sent you a half-eaten (Cavuto, natch) “aborted white babies” theme cake.