Oval Office gets a makeover  —  While President Obama was on vacation, his West Wing office got a bit of a face lift, complete with a new rug, fresh wallpaper and paint, and new furniture — all done at no taxpayer expense, the White House says.  —  Details of the renovation were released to the pool reporter this morning.

Obama declares end to U.S. combat mission in Iraq  —  President Obama officially declared an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom Tuesday night, saying the time has come to “turn the page” on a war that has lasted almost eight years.  —  “Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended,” Obama said.

President Obama's Oval Office speech on Iraq — text  —  Oval Office Remarks by President Obama, as provided by the White House  —  Good evening.  Tonight, I'd like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild our nation here at home.

Joe Miller Set to Win Alaska Senate Primary  —  Sources in Alaska have informed Big Government that the trend in the count of absentee ballots makes it virtually impossible that Sen. Murkowski will overtake Joe Miller in the GOP Senate Primary.  A trusted and well-placed operative told BG:

Counting of absentee ballots begins  —  From Sean Cockerham at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage —  Joe Miller's lead over Lisa Murkowski just grew slighly with absentee and questioned ballots from the Mat-Su.  —  Miller now leads Mukowski by 1,460 votes.

ALASKA SENATE COUNTDOWN TODAY UPDATE: MURKOWSKI TO CONCEDE?  UPDATE: Miller Margin Now 1,292 Votes With Absentees From Districts 13-16 UPDATE: Miller Campaign Spokesman Expects ‘Good Day at the End of the Day’  —  UPDATE 8 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local) — Dan Riehl and Big Government were first to break this …

Health Care Reform Has Endangered the Democratic Majority  —  This Politico piece by Jim VandeHei, Alex Isenstadt, and Mike Allen got a lot of play last week: … There is no mention of health care reform in this piece.  The economy is referenced several times.  So is the President's inability to control the narrative.

Republican leads Senate race in Pennsylvania  —  (Reuters) - Republican Pat Toomey has opened a 10-point lead over Democrat Joe Sestak among likely voters in a Senate race in Pennsylvania dominated by economic worries, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Glenn Beck may be unlikely leader for conservative Christians  —  A few weeks before organizing a massive rally on the Mall that had the feel of a religious revival, Glenn Beck sought the blessing of some of the country's most prominent conservative Christian leaders.