Harkin: Reconciliation is a go  —  Sen. Tom Harkin told POLITICO that Senate Democratic leaders have decided to go the reconciliation route.  The House, he said, will first pass the Senate bill after Senate leaders demonstrate to House leaders that they have the votes to pass reconciliation in the Senate.

For Tuesday I Walk to the Village  —  Yesterday was election day in Texas, and I voted.  And I voted.  And then I voted some more.  If my count was correct, I voted fifty-two times.  I voted for Governor, and I voted for U.S. House and Texas House and Texas Senate...OK …

Rangel Steps Aside From Post During Ethics Inquiry  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York announced on Wednesday that he would temporarily step down from his powerful post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in an attempt to avert a politically bruising fight …

With Leno, Palin Pushes Back Against ‘Family Guy’  —  In an interview Tuesday night on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” Sarah Palin once again criticized “Family Guy,” the Fox animated series, for a joke she believed was directed at her family, and rebuked the news media for not giving …

The Chief  —  You think it's so great being Rahm Emanuel?  —  One of the enduring mysteries about White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is why he took the job in the first place.  At the time he accepted it, he was the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, a position he'd attained with considerable effort.

Governor Christie: “Time to Hold Hands and Jump Off the Cliff” - Chris Christie For President?  —  In an amazingly candid appraisal of the sorry state of affairs in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie laid it on the line in a speech to about 200 mayors at the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

Argentina celebrates diplomatic coup as Hillary Clinton calls for talks over Falklands  —  Giles Whittell, Hannah Strange, Catherine Philp and Martin Fletcher in Stanley  —  Argentina was celebrating a diplomatic coup yesterday in its attempt to force Britain to accept talks on the future …

A minority of 59  —  Who sounds like the majority party in this exchange, and who sounds like the minority party? … And keep in mind, it's not the Republicans offering a deal here.  It's one Republican.  Bob Corker of Tennessee.  Give him his deal, and it's still Democrats voting …

GOP casts doubt on parliamentarian  —  Senate Republicans are waging a pre-emptive strike against the Senate's parliamentarian — a hitherto little-known official who could determine the fate of the Democrats' health care reform efforts.  —  In interviews with POLITICO …

Michael Moore: 'Democrats are a bunch of wusses...It's disgusting... I'm sick of them'  —  America's top documentary filmmaker talks “Capitalism,” politics and Oscars with Raw Story  —  Just over a year ago, Michael Moore vigorously campaigned for President Obama and the Democratic Party.

Exclusive: Lieberman Details DADT Repeal Bill  —  Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut on Wednesday will introduce the Senate's first “don't ask, don't tell” repeal bill along with eleven Democratic cosponsors including Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, but no Republicans.

Incorporating the Best Ideas from Both Parties  —  Yesterday the President sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining four additional Republican ideas he'd be willing to include.  These ideas were identified as priorities by GOP members attending Thursday's bipartisan meeting:

The Next Battles for Marja  —  THIS year will be the third in a row that tens of thousands of new United States troops have arrived in Afghanistan with plans to “clear, hold and build” areas controlled by the Taliban.  Those previous surges have achieved little success at holding or building …

Fuel Taxes Must Rise, Harvard Researchers Say  —  To meet the Obama administration's targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, some researchers say, Americans may have to experience a sobering reality: gas at $7 a gallon.  —  To reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector 14 percent …

A major victory for privacy  —  Share This: Digg!  —  Yesterday, there was a major victory for privacy.  Unfortunately, it was not in the US.  The German Constitutional Court threw out as unconstitutional a law which required storage of all flavors of electronic data on everyone.

Paterson Should Stay, Despite Lowest Approval Ever, New York State Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Independent Prosecutor Should Probe Gov, Voters Say 2-1  —  New York Gov. David Paterson should finish his term, rather than resign, New York State voters say 61 - 31 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released today.