Obama Is Against a Compromise on 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 …

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.

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 …

Obama may look inside for Rahm job  —  Amid mounting signs that Rahm Emanuel will leave the White House to run for mayor in Chicago, Democratic insiders say President Barack Obama is likely to choose a new chief of staff who's already in his orbit but has experience with previous administrations.

Right Wing Leaders Plan To Use September 11th Anniversary To Make Money  —  Last year, Glenn Beck and a variety of right-wing organizations and corporate front groups exploited the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks to stage a protest of President Obama.

Mitch Daniels has a plan  —  I'm impressed by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels's op-ed laying out his proposal for “a time-limited, emergency growth program.”  It's a real plan, with concrete policy ideas that might actually make a difference.  It's mercifully free from vague hand-waving about business uncertainty and government spending.

Barbour: RNC woes costly  —  Mississippi Gov. and Republican Governors Association Chairman Haley Barbour said Wednesday that the RNC's financial difficulties had forced him to direct millions of dollars for voter turnout programs that are typically funded by the national party.

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.

Light bulb factory closes; End of era for U.S. means more jobs overseas  —  WINCHESTER, VA. - The last major GE factory making ordinary incandescent light bulbs in the United States is closing this month, marking a small, sad exit for a product and company that can trace their roots to Thomas Alva Edison's innovations in the 1870s.

Terry Jones Accused of ‘Spiritual Abuse’ at Cologne Church  —  US fundamentalist pastor Terry Jones, who wants to burn copies of the Koran on Sept. 11, ran a church in the western German city of Cologne until last year when members of the congregation expelled him.

Meghan McCain “panicked, scared” after Palin picked  —  Tonight, Meghan McCain talked to Jay Leno about the moment she learned that Sarah Palin had been chosen to be John McCain's running mate. … Leno then asks McCain what she meant when she called Palin a “time bomb” in her book.

SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT GALLUP FREAK-OUT.... Last week, Gallup's generic-ballot tracking poll showed Republicans leading Democrats by 10, 51% to 41%.  It was billed as the GOP's biggest Gallup lead in the history of humanity, and the results generated massive media attention, including a stand-alone Washington Post piece on page A2.

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.

It's lucky that Sheriff Andy isn't facing voters  —  How bad is it for Democrats in North Carolina?  Even Sheriff Andy Taylor is taking a beating in the polls.  —  Andy Griffith - star of the Andy Griffith Show, a Manteo resident and noted endorser of Democratic causes and candidates …

GOP House Candidate On Civil Rights: ‘We Need To Get Our Federal Government Out Of The Way’  —  Fireworks occurred during a town hall in Canton, OH, last night when Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH) unexpectedly showed up at his Republican opponent's public event.  Challenger Jim Renacci …

Beware of Greeks Bearing Bonds  —  As Wall Street hangs on the question “Will Greece default?,” the author heads for riot-stricken Athens, and for the mysterious Vatopaidi monastery, which brought down the last government, laying bare the country's economic insanity.

Fidel: 'Cuban Model Doesn't Even Work For Us Anymore'  —  There were many odd things about my recent Havana stopover (apart from the dolphin show, which I'll get to shortly), but one of the most unusual was Fidel Castro's level of self-reflection.  I only have limited experience with Communist autocrats …

Sharron Angle: 'I'm a Mainstream American'; Harry Reid ‘Responsible’ for Economic Mess  —  ABC News' Rick Klein reports:  —  Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle, a tea party favorite who's locked in a tight race to oust Sen. Harry Reid, is now seeking to portray herself as a “mainstream” …

Pelosi unpopular; Boehner unknown, CNN poll says  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is arguably the least popular Democrat in Washington, according to a new CNN poll.  —  Washington (CNN) - A new national poll indicates that slightly more than half of all Americans have an unfavorable view …

Paul campaign: Online impersonator was impersonated  —  I posted yesterday that DailyKos appeared to have caught a Rand Paul staffer pretending, in the comments, to be a progressive with doubts about Jack Conway.  Paul aide Gary Howard, however, tells me — and has evidence to back it up …