Officials: U.S. Aware of Hasan Efforts to Contact al Qaeda  —  Army Major in Fort Hood Massacre Used ‘Electronic Means’ to Connect with Terrorists  —  U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda …

Paranoia Strikes Deep  —  Last Thursday there was a rally outside the U.S. Capitol to protest pending health care legislation, featuring the kinds of things we've grown accustomed to, including large signs showing piles of bodies at Dachau with the caption “National Socialist Healthcare.”

Fort Hood Gunman Gave Signals Before His Rampage  —  KILLEEN, Tex. — It was still dark on Thursday when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan left his aging apartment complex to attend 6 a.m. prayers at the brick mosque near Fort Hood.  Afterward, he said goodbye to his friends there and asked forgiveness from one man for any past offenses.

Life After the End of History  —  For most of the last century, the West faced real enemies: totalitarian, aggressive, armed to the teeth.  Between 1918 and 1989, it was possible to believe that liberal democracy was a parenthesis in history, destined to be undone by revolution …

The GOP's women problem  —  Conservatives say they pushed Dede Scozzafava out of the House race in New York's 23rd District a week ago because of her left-of-Republican social views — and not because she is a woman.  —  But the growing schism between the Republican Party's ascendant right wing …

Some Democrats to fight abortion amendment in health bill  —  Some Democrats vow to block final passage if amendment stays  —  President Obama and Senate Democrats sought on Sunday to generate momentum from the House's passage of health-care legislation, even as a new hurdle emerged …

Murdoch may block Google searches  —  Murdoch's plan for paywalls ‘raises questions of anti-trust law’  —  Rupert Murdoch says he will remove stories from Google's search index as a way to encourage people to pay for content online.  —  In an interview with Sky News Australia …

Fred Hiatt on stepping closer to universal health care — and bankruptcy  —  The House passage of health-care reform Saturday night should be a moment of celebration.  In a country as wealthy as America, no one should have to go without medical care.  As in other developed nations …

Obama Doesn't “Get” the Military He Commands … Life is full of mysteries, but chief among them in this Marine wife's mind at the moment is, “Just how stupid does this White House think we are?”  If the events of the past few months have shown us anything, it's that Barack Obama has little enthusiasm for …

Chavez Says Venezuela to Prepare for War as Deterrent  —  Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told the military and civil militias today to prepare for war as a deterrent to a U.S.-led attack after American troops gained access to military bases in neighboring Colombia.

FIRST THOUGHTS: SENATE GETS THE BATON  —  From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg  —  *** Senate gets the baton: After Saturday night's historic, contentious, and very narrow health-care vote in the House of Representatives, the action now moves to the Senate, where things won't get any easier.

Iran Said to Ignore Effort to Salvage Nuclear Deal  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration, attempting to salvage a faltering nuclear deal with Iran, has told Iran's leaders in back-channel messages that it is willing to allow the country to send its stockpile of enriched uranium to any of several nations …

Morning Fix: The toughest votes on health care  —  1. The House health care vote late Saturday night was a classic of the genre — shouting, cheers, boos and a VERY narrow 220-215 passage.  As always in close decisions in Congress, there were a few “yeas” (and “nays") cast that could complicate …