Bush Campaign Chief and Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman: I'm Gay  —  Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay.  —  Mehlman arrived at this conclusion about his identity fairly recently, he said in an interview.

Miller's lead slims; Murkowski awaits absentees  —  Joe Miller's lead over U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski slightly narrowed to 1,668 votes with all the election precincts counted Wednesday.  A stunned Murkowski said she is not giving up hope until absentee ballots are counted starting next week.

Democrats privately fear House prospects worsening  —  Top Democrats are growing markedly more pessimistic about holding the House, privately conceding that the summertime economic and political recovery they were banking on will not likely materialize by Election Day.

Alleged anti-Muslim attacker works at pro-Park51 group  —  The apparent anti-Muslim assault on a New York city cabbie by a man shouting “Assalamu Alaikum.  Consider this a checkpoint” produced an immediate round of recriminations over its connection to opposition to a New York Islamic Center and an apparent rising tide of Islamophobia.

Tea Party Group Hit With Death Threats  —  One of Washington's principal supporters of the Tea Party movement, former GOP Majority Leader Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, has been receiving death threats and profanity-laced phone calls as it gets involved in the fall elections.

Party-less Charlie Crist faces harsh reality  —  WEST MIAMI, Fla. — First, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was supposed to be the Republican nominee for Senate.  Then he seemed on track to be the de facto Democratic candidate.  Now, following Rep. Kendrick Meek's victory in Tuesday's Democratic primary …

Fire Alan Simpson  —  I always thought that the deficit commission was a bad idea; it has only looked worse over time, as the buzz is that Democrats are caving in to Republicans, leaning ever further toward an all-cuts, no taxes solution, including a sharp rise in the retirement age.

TRENDING: New York's Bloomberg: We are all Muslims  —  Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of “God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World,” is a regular CNN Belief Blog contributor.  —  By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN

Glenn Beck rally will be a measure of the tea party's strength  —  When Fox News and talk radio host Glenn Beck comes to Washington this weekend to headline a rally intended to “restore honor” to America, he will test the strength - and potentially expose the weaknesses …

Key Karzai Aide in Corruption Inquiry Is Linked to C.I.A.  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The aide to President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan at the center of a politically sensitive corruption investigation is being paid by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to Afghan and American officials.

Corbett, Toomey leading, poll says  —  F&M poll director says the only question is how badly Democrats will lose in November election  —  Intelligencer Journal Lancaster New Era  —  Republicans Pat Toomey and Tom Corbett are running far ahead of their Democratic opponents in congressional …

Quayle surprises even himself  —  After a cascade of accusations and ever-shifting denials that he wrote for a raunchy website under the name of a fictional porn star, it seemed even Ben Quayle thought he was going to lose a 10-way Republican primary in Arizona.

10 week to-do list: Your ideas for Obama, Republicans  —  (CNN) — Strategists on both sides of the political aisle weighed in this week on what President Obama and Republicans must do before the November midterms to give their parties a boost.  —  The 10-week to-do lists resulted in thousands …

MSNBC's Ed Schultz goes bonkers  —  MSNBC talk show screamer Ed Schultz had a meltdown in the network's 30 Rock newsroom, shouting at staff, “I'm going to torch this [bleep]ing place.”  —  The hot-tempered anchor of “The Ed Show” lost it during a phone call in the packed studio and slammed down the phone before exploding.

Despite Reform, Banks Have Room for Risky Deals  —  When Congress passed a new financial regulation bill last month, it sought to prevent federally insured banks from making speculative bets using their own money.  But that will not stop banks from making bets that some critics deem risky …

FACT CHECK: Stimulus assessments overly optimistic  —  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration claimed this week that $100 billion invested in innovative technologies under the economic stimulus law is “transforming the American economy” by putting the nation on track for technological breakthroughs …

LA GOPer: November A Choice Between An Atheist Society And A Christian Nation  —  Appearing before the Republican Women of Bossier with Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) cast the November elections as a choice between godlessness and Christianity.  He also called bipartisanship impossible.

Another ‘Moderate’ GZ Mosque Supporter Can't Bring Himself to Call Hamas a Terrorist Organization  —  Last night, I was on David Asman's Fox Business Channel show, Scoreboard, debating Imam Dawoud Kringle of the New York State prison system, a GZ mosque supporter.

Z STREET v IRS Commissioner  —  IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA  —  Z STREET,  —  Plaintiff,  —  v.  —  IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS  —  COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE,  —  Defendant.  —  COMPLAINT  —  COMES NOW the Plaintiff …