Ex-aides unload on Christine O'Donnell  —  By pulling off arguably the biggest upset of the primary election season Tuesday, Christine O'Donnell shocked the Republican establishment and political pundits who didn't think her campaign for the Delaware GOP Senate nomination had a chance.

The Backlash Myth  —  Many of my liberal friends are convinced that the Republican Party has a death wish.  It is sprinting to the right-most fever swamps of American life.  It will end up alienating the moderate voters it needs to win elections.  —  There's only one problem with this theory.

Bayh Says Poverty Increase Means Congress Should Ignore ‘Fairness’ And Cut Taxes For The Rich  —  Yesterday, the Census Bureau released a report showing that one in seven Americans is currently living in poverty, and that the median income decreased by nearly five percent during the last decade.

Murkowski supporters: come to “campaign kickoff” tonight  —  From Sean Cockerham in Anchorage -  —  Lisa Murkowski supporters are urging people to come out tonight for what's being called a “campaign kick off,” although her campaign manager isn't ready to say that she's decided to run.

Mao's Great Leap Forward ‘killed 45 million in four years’  —  Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China, qualifies as the greatest mass murderer in world history, an expert who had unprecedented access to official Communist Party archives said yesterday.

Fighting to Protect Consumers  —  Over the past several weeks, the President and I have had extensive conversations about the vital importance of consumer financial protection.  —  The President asked me, and I enthusiastically agreed, to serve as an Assistant to the President and Special Advisor …

Ad Watch: Pelosi's VP Pick Slams Her, Obama in New Ad  —  ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports:  —  Here's a sign of the times that takes Democrats breaking with President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to a new level.  —  Remember Chet Edwards?  —  He's the moderate Texas Congressman …

Stimulus funds failed to create enough jobs: LA City Controller  —  The Los Angeles City Controller said on Thursday the city's use of its share of the $800 billion federal stimulus find has been disappointing.  —  The city received $111 million in stimulus under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act …

Romney Unleashed … That's how Mitt Romney, potential presidential candidate, begins his speech to the Values Voter Summit here in Washington today.  The rest of the speech is much less temperate than anything I've heard Romney give this year.  Romney has the fundamentals for a presidential bid down pat …

If you thought Christine O'Donnell was bad...  Meet the GOP's extreme nominee for Delaware's open seat in the House, Glen Urquhart.  Since Mike Castle vacated the seat in order to (unsuccessfully) run for Senate, the Republicans nominated Urquhart in a tight primary election.

Palin Endorses Continetti  —  THE WEEKLY STANDARD has obtained an advance copy of the new paperback edition of The Persecution of Sarah Palin by (THE WEEKLY STANDARD's) Matthew Continetti.  As you can see on the cover, the book carries with it the official endorsement of none other than Sarah Palin herself.

Dinesh D'Souza Digs Himself in Deeper  —  Some more criticism of Forbes's disastrous Obama cover story  —  Dinesh D'Souza has responded to my, uh, criticism of his smear piece that, shamefully, made the cover of Forbes with its claims that Obama is directed by a “Kenyan, anticolonial” …

Where Have All the Deficit Hawks Gone?  —  I noticed that earlier this year we were overwhelmed by a wave of anti-deficit grandstanding throughout the Democratic Party while the Catfood Commission was sending up trial balloons about cutting Social Security benefits, raising the retirement age …

America's newest dance hit: “Dude, you have no Koran”  —  I linked an item about this the other day in Headlines but the Times provides detailed background in case you missed it.  Long story short: Yet another pastor was set to torch The Book That Must Not Be Burned until a plucky stoner …

Huckabee Supports Denying Coverage For Those With Preexisting Conditions  —  1 hour and 42 minutes ago — Chris Harris  —  Today marks the start of the religious right's Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC.  After a rousing multi-verse rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee took the stage.