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.

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.

Glenn Beck “Restoring Honor” Rally Crowd Estimate Explained  —  As part of our coverage of Glenn Beck's “Restoring Honor” rally Saturday, CBS News commissioned the company AirPhotosLive.com to offer an independent estimate of how many people showed up for the event.

Drunkblogging Obama's Iraq Speech  —  One way or another, Absolut Victory will be declared tonight.  —  4:53PM Tonight, after 18 tumultuous months in office, President Obama faces his toughest challenge yet: To claim credit in Iraq without driving a thankful nation to laughter and tears, but mostly laughter.

How Did Democrats Get Here?  —  We talked this morning about the Democrats' poor electoral position — already shaky, it is probably now deteriorating further — but we haven't talked as much about why they're in this predicament.  This is for a good reason: once you get past the premise …

HALPERIN'S TAKE: Pawlenty's Efforts to “Limit” ObamaCare in Minnesota  —  This is a classic Pawlenty move that combines....  ...governing principle with clever 2012 positioning.  Leaving aside now the substantive merits of the Minnesota governor's executive order, barring some huge development …

Why Wall St. Is Deserting Obama  —  Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund manager, was one of Barack Obama's biggest backers in the 2008 presidential campaign.  —  A registered Democrat, Mr. Loeb has given and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democrats.

Busted!  Fox's Carlson Catches Gibbs In A Naked Lie—Asks 6 Times If Obama Will Credit Bush Tonight  —  Gibbs's lie was so deep, I had to freeze frame so you could see exactly what Obama said about the surge in 2007.  He's one smug, flippant jerk too.

John Cusack Calls for ‘Satanic Death’ of Fox News, GOP Leaders  —  During the 2008 election, Cusack spoke out against John McCain for MoveOn.org.  —  Actor John Cusack went on a caustic Twitter rampage Sunday evening, attacking former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Fox News.

Steve Schmidt, Former McCain Campaign Chief, On Mehlman Fundraiser: Same-Sex Marriage Becoming Conservative Cause  —  What's Your Reaction: … A major same-sex marriage fundraiser hosted by former RNC chairman Ken Mehlman and other Republicans provides one of the sharpest illustrations …

TRENDING: DGA ‘matches’ $1M News Corp. contribution to RGA  —  The Democratic Governors Association has raised over $1 million off of the news that News Corporation gave $1 million to the Republican Governors Association.  —  (CNN) - The Democratic Governors Association announced Tuesday …

Simpson to disabled vets: You cost too much  —  Fresh off of being forgiven by the White House, Simpson has a new target. … Just like the irony of millions of Americans paying into Social Security on the promise that they would receive benefits back, while the rich get off the hook …

Exclusive: Meghan McCain Writes that Palin Brought ‘Drama, Stress ... Panic’ to Campaign  —  Sen. John McCain's Daughter: Sarah Palin's Rise Was ‘Too Fast,’ ‘Too Easy’  —  For the first time since the end of her father's 2008 presidential bid, Meghan McCain, Sen. John McCain's daughter …