Carter: ‘Probably superior’ to other ex-presidents  —  Former President Jimmy Carter (right) standing off to the side in a photo with the living presidents (and then-President-elect Obama) in the Oval Office.  —  *** UPDATE 3:59 pm ET *** Former President Carter issued a written statement after his comments aired:

Town Hall Questioner To Obama: “I'm Exhausted Of Defending You”  —  “I'm one of your middle class Americans.  And quite frankly, I'm exhausted.  Exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for,” a woman told President Obama at a town hall.

Obama To Hedge Fund Manager Who Complains Of Being ‘Whacked’: ‘Most Folks On Main Street’ Feel Beat Up  —  Today, President Obama participated in a live CNBC townhall event.  Recently, Obama has been feeling the “rage of the rich,” as Paul Krugman describes it today.

CREW CALLS FOR FEDERAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO CHRISTINE O'DONNELL FOR CAMPAIGN FINANCE FRAUD  —  Washington, D.C. -Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed complaints with the Delaware U.S. Attorney's Office and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) …

White House: New York Times report ‘100 percent wrong’  —  The White House is pushing back hard against a New York Times report that the president's political team is considering a national ad campaign that would cast the GOP as taken over by tea party extremists.  (See: Tea party dominates the narrative)

Republicans will unveil their new ‘Contract’ on Thursday in Virginia  —  Republicans will unveil their new “Contract With America” in Virginia on Thursday as they try to present a clear alternative to the Democrat-led Congress heading into the midterm elections.

52% of Voters Say Their Views Are More Like Palin's Than Obama's  —  Fifty-two percent (52%) of Likely U.S. Voters say their own views are closer to Sarah Palin's than they are to President Obama's, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Koch Industries Lawyer to White House: How Did You Get Our Tax Information?  —  Lately, the White House and its allies have been drawing attention to the political activities of libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch.  In an August 9 speech, President Obama singled out Americans for Prosperity …

Economists: Extend Bush tax cuts for everyone  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — With income tax rates set to go up on Dec. 31, Congress is hotly debating what to do next.  But most economists agree: Keep them where they are.  —  One option, to let the tax cuts passed during the Bush administration expire …

UK Proposes All Paychecks Go to the State First  —  The UK's tax collection agency is putting forth a proposal that all employers send employee paychecks to the government, after which the government would deduct what it deems as the appropriate tax and pay the employees by bank transfer.

Business Cycle Dating Committee, National Bureau of Economic Research  —  The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research met yesterday by conference call.  At its meeting, the committee determined that a trough in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in June 2009.

‘Dancing’ Studio on Red Sarah Palin Alert  —  There will be high security tonight when Sarah Palin shows up to watch daughter Bristol perform on “Dancing with the Stars” ... TMZ has learned.  —  Our spies say security guards at CBS Television City in L.A. — the place where “Dancing” is broadcast — is on “heightened alert.”

Generic Ballot Virtually Tied: Democrats 46%, Republicans 45%  —  Republicans losing strength in September compared with August  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's generic ballot for Congress for the week of Sept. 13-19 shows a 46% Democratic and 45% Republican split in registered voters' preferences for the midterm congressional elections.

Rauf's Group Claims Credit for ‘Training’ NY Times Reporter  —  A reporter who helped write the first and positive New York Times story on the Ground Zero Mosque was trained by the group run by mosque leader Feisal Abdul Rauf, according to that group's website.

Race ratings: Murkowski write-in shifts landscape in Alaska  —  Between the surprise primary win for Tea Party-backed Joe Miller and the decision of Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to launch a write-in bid, there's a new level of uncertainty in Alaska's Senate race.

Dem worries on Stewart rally  —  Jon Stewart's planned “Rally for Sanity” sounded a bit like a joke when he announced — without his permit application approved — that he'd hold it on October 30 in Washington, D.C.  —  But it's suddenly looking quite real: Nearly 100,000 people have written …

On the Cheapness of Life  —  Andrew and Jack Shafer's reminiscence over the legacy of Martin Peretz, and quasi-defense of his bigotry, motivated me to do some of my own reflecting.  To the present business, there is no actual defense of the statement “Muslim life is cheap, particularly to Muslims.”

Lady Gaga Goes Political in Maine  —  PORTLAND, Me.  — There were no strobe lights, no outlandish costumes and only a mediocre sound system.  But Lady Gaga was here and the crowd jumped up and down, snapping photos as a whirl of platinum-blond hair emerged from an SUV and walked up a concrete ramp to a tiny stage.

Tea Party Leader Dick Armey: Social Security Is A Corrupt ‘Ponzi Scheme’  —  This past weekend, conservative activists and Tea Party groups gathered in Chicago for the Right Nation 2010 convention.  Among those who attended was former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, the chairman of one of the original Tea Party groups, FreedomWorks.

Nita Lowey rival wrote anti-integration, racially charged essay  —  Longtime Democratic incumbent Rep. Nita Lowey's Republican challenger this fall is a Christian conservative author and activist whose writings have frowned on inter-racial marriage and movies like “Save the Last Dance,” …

STEVE KING EYES SHUTDOWN, DEMANDS ‘BLOOD OATH’ FROM BOEHNER.... Last week, we expanded our list of Republicans eyeing a government shutdown in the event of a House GOP majority.  The list, however, keeps growing.  —  Roll Call reports today that Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) …