Obama Against a Compromise on Extension of Bush Tax Cuts  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday will make clear that he opposes any compromise that would extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy beyond this year, officials said, adding a populist twist to an election-season economic package …

Parties Tied at 46% in Generic Ballot for Congress  —  Latest weekly update shows more competitive contest  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Republicans and Democrats are tied at 46% among registered voters in Gallup's weekly tracking of congressional voting preferences, marking a shift after five consecutive weeks …

Daley won't run for re-election: ‘I have done my best’  —  (Antonio Dickey / Mayor's Press Office) |  Mayor Richard Daley says he will not run for re-election in 2011, saying it's “time for me, it's time for Chicago to move on.”  —  “The truth is I have been thinking about this for the past several months …

Building on Faith  —  AS my flight approached America last weekend, my mind circled back to the furor that has broken out over plans to build Cordoba House, a community center in Lower Manhattan.I have been away from home for two months, speaking abroad about cooperation among people from different religions.

AP Exclusive: Murkowski says she's not a quitter  —  JUNEAU, Alaska — A week after conceding the GOP primary, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she's not a quitter and is “still in this game.”  —  Murkowski told The Associated Press on Tuesday that she's been inundated with calls and e-mails from supporters …

Health Insurers Plan Hikes  —  Rate Increases Are Blamed on Health-Care Overhaul; White House Questions Logic  —  Health insurers say they plan to raise premiums for some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul in coming weeks, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet …

Fidel to Ahmadinejad: ‘Stop Slandering the Jews’  —  (This is Part I of a report on my recent visit to Havana.  I hope to post Part II tomorrow.  And I also hope to be publishing a more comprehensive article about this subject in a forthcoming print edition of The Atlantic.)

OMG: Spitzer and Parker Are Like a Modern Day Gable and Lombard!  —  You know what CNN has been missing in its lineup?  Cutesiness.  —  We really need cutesiness in political coverage, of the kind that champion lightweight/professional ditz Kathleen Parker provides.

NRCC spokesman tweets Perriello staff addresses  —  A regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) tweeted street addresseses for six Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) reelection staffers on Tuesday night in an apparent reaction to a tweet from the campaign …

Long Island Man Arrested For Defending Home With AK-47  —  Says Many Gang Members Were Coming After His Family  —  UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBS 2) — He was arrested for protecting his property and family.  —  But it's how the Long Island man did it that police say crossed the line.

Politics on Film, but This Time Leaning Right  —  LOS ANGELES — After Michael Moore screened his anti-Bush documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” for Hollywood's assembled royalty at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences six years ago, the crowd broke out in a noisy ovation that it did not want to stop.

Obama channels Hendrix on critics: ‘They talk about me like a dog’  —  Has President Obama been listening to a lot of Jimi Hendrix lately?  With just under two months to go before Election Day, Obama kicked off the fall campaign season Monday with an aggressive speech targeting Republicans.

Chris Christie readies endorsement tour  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of the GOP's most-sought after stars following his 2009 victory, is hitting the road to unveil a string of endorsements in the coming weeks, POLITICO has learned.  —  In what constitutes his first major political trip …

Glenn Beck Visits Alaska on 9/11  —  Glenn's coming to the Last Frontier!  I hope my fellow Alaskans (and anyone visiting from Outside) will join me this Saturday, September 11, 2010, at Anchorage's Dena'ina Center at 8:00 p.m. Glenn Beck will be there - you won't want to miss it.

KY-Sen: Rand Paul staffer caught posing as progressive at Daily Kos  —  As you probably know, there's a moneybomb underway to raise money for Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway's campaign challenging Rand Paul for U.S. Senate.  —  Well, it turns out that at least one member …

Obama Left Largely Helpless As Judicial Vacancies Reach Crisis  —  What's Your Reaction: … The Obama administration is aware of the growing alarm over its inability to fill long-standing judicial vacancies.  White House officials frequently voice displeasure with the pace …

Republicans: 2010 Was The Year To Fight, Not Flee  —  At the beginning of this primary season, way back a thousand years is what it feels like, I made a decision: Support every conservative in every race everywhere no matter what.  Why?  Because if there was ever a year where a conservative could get elected, it would be this year.

At least 70 House seats in play, says Obama's campaign adviser  —  President Obama's top political guru said Tuesday that he believes 70 House races and 15 Senate races are in play this fall.  —  White House senior adviser David Plouffe — Obama's 2008 presidential campaign manager …

Pension rallies hit French cities  —  The BBC's Christian Fraser describes the disruption caused by the strikes  —  More than one million French workers have taken to the streets to protest against austerity measures planned by President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.

Montana House candidate leaving tea party association over leader's removal  —  Kristi Allen-Gailushas, secretary of the Big Sky Tea Party Association and Republican nominee for a Helena-area legislative seat, is quitting the group following its removal of president Tim Ravndal for anti-gay comments made on his Facebook page.

‘Muslim’ gargoyle adorns French cathedral  —  It has been traditional for stonemasons to be featured on gargoyles  —  A Muslim stonemason in France has been immortalised by having his face carved on a gargoyle on the side of the medieval cathedral in Lyon.

TLC's polygamy show, ‘Sister Wives’ trailer (video)  —  Or “The Real Big Love” ... What do you think?  Good, but nothing to write a manifesto and take hostages over, right?

77% Say Mideast Peace Treaty Must Include Recognition of Israel's Right to Exist  —  With Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on the front-burner again, voters continue to believe strongly that any agreement must include recognition by Palestinian leaders of Israel's right to exist.