Democrats add fiscal austerity as a campaign issue  —  The candidate was outraged - just outraged - at the country's sorry fiscal state.  —  “We have managed to acquire $13 trillion of debt on our balance sheet,” he fumed to a roomful of voters.  “In my view, we have nothing to show for it.”

On Economy, Democrats Face a Lack of Unity and Time  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats are entering the fall sprint to the midterm elections lacking a unifying message to address the lackluster economy, scrambling to come up with further job-creating remedies and out of time to show substantial results before voters go to the polls.

Blackwater Won Contracts Through a Web of Companies  —  WASHINGTON — Blackwater Worldwide created a web of more than 30 shell companies or subsidiaries in part to obtain millions of dollars in American government contracts after the security company came under intense criticism for reckless conduct in Iraq …

Brewer: No more debates - period  —  PHOENIX - Arizona voters won't be seeing any more debates between the top gubernatorial contenders.  —  Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer said Thursday she has no intention of participating in any more events with Democrat Terry Goddard.

Tea Party candidate sparks backlash in Delaware  —  The Tea Party Express launched new ads supporting Delaware Republican primary Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell.  —  Washington (CNN) - Fresh on the heels of Joe Miller's surprising win over Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the Alaska Republican Senate primary …

Rahmism  —  Jon Cohn's post about what the administration may be considering, and what it isn't considering, makes we want to cry.  —  Look: early on the administration had a political theory: it would win bipartisan legislative victories, and each success would make Republicans who voted no feel left out …

Oh my: Chris Christie endorses Mike Castle  —  In which Team Castle tosses tea partiers a curveball: If the right's new rock star thinks he's conservative enough, shouldn't they think so too?  I'm ... not so sure they should, partly because Christie's own “true conservative” …

Loving Their Grandkids To Death — sacrificing them to the Market Gods  —  Loving Their Grandkids To Death  —  Howie has a great post up today about the social security con game which you should in full.  I just wanted to riff on one little piece of it because it struck me that we haven't been clear about what's going on.

Repeal the 17th amendment?  —  During our discussion of the filibuster today — which you can stream over at C-SPAN's Web site — Heritage's Brian Darling talked a bit about the Senate's important role as a voice for the states.  Responding to a questioner, he went so far as to say he'd consider repeal …

Oval Office rug gets history wrong  —  A mistake has been made in the Oval Office makeover that goes beyond the beige.  —  President Obama's new presidential rug seemed beyond reproach, with quotations from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy …

Alaska Winner, Lover of Privacy, Loses His Own  —  FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The man with the best chance of becoming the next senator from Alaska lives at the end of a long gravel road here at the edge of the continent.  Tribulation Trail is the name of his street.  Signs warn against trespassing.

Dems have few options on economy  —  With another tepid jobs report in the books Friday, Democrats desperate for quick policy action to boost the economy face an excruciating dilemma, experts say.  —  The few things that might pass Congress — such as a payroll tax holiday or extended research …

US envoy Oren warns: Hizbullah has 15,000 rockets on border  —  Ambassador says Islamist group amassing arsenal in southern Lebanon with long enough range to hit Eilat; missiles now hidden beneath hospitals, homes and schools to avoid Israeli Air Force strikes.  —  Talkbacks (16)  —  Iranian Threat

Pakistan Taliban threaten attacks on US and Europe  —  A senior commander in the Pakistan Taliban last night announced it was planning terror strikes against targets in the US and Europe similar to the Times Square bomb plot.  —  Qari Hussain Mehsud, who commands suicide squads …

Taxpayers likely to face initial loss on GM IPO: sources  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. government is likely to take a loss on General Motors Co in the first offering of the automaker's stock, six people familiar with preparations for the landmark IPO said.  —  Subsequent offerings …

The irony of Jesse Jackson's stripped SUV  —  Add Jesse Jackson's ride to prominent vehicles being stripped in Detroit.  —  Following the embarrassing news that Mayor Dave Bing's GMC Yukon was hijacked by criminals this week, Detroit's Channel 7 reports that the Reverend's Caddy Escalade SUV …

Pentagon declined to investigate hundreds of purchases of child pornography  —  A 2006 Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation into the purchase of child pornography online turned up more than 250 civilian and military employees of the Defense Department—including …

Colo. GOP tries to push Maes out  —  Top Colorado Republicans are attempting to convince gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes to drop his bid for governor by the end of Friday, a well-placed Republican in the state tells POLITICO.  —  In a meeting Friday morning, party chairman Dick Wadhams …

Former President Bill Clinton: Democrats need more time to undo GOP's damage to country  —  Democrats need more time to get out of the economic hole dug by Republicans during the Bush years, ex-President Bill Clinton said yesterday at a campaign rally for Staten Island Rep. Mike McMahon.

Broader U-6 Jobless Rate up to 16.7%: Why the Jump?  —  The U.S. jobless rate rose to 9.6% in August, but the government's broader measure of unemployment rose even more to 16.7%, the highest rate since April.  —  The comprehensive gauge of labor underutilization, known as the …