Obama Aides Weigh Bid to Tie the G.O.P. to the Tea Party  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama's political advisers, looking for ways to help Democrats and alter the course of the midterm elections in the final weeks, are considering a range of ideas, including national advertisements …

Tax Fight: GOP Won't Back Down  —  As we enter the final stretch before the November midterm elections, all eyes have gravitated to the fight over the looming federal tax increases.  President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi want to keep the current rates on income, capital gains and dividends …

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.

The Angry Rich  —  Anger is sweeping America.  True, this white-hot rage is a minority phenomenon, not something that characterizes most of our fellow citizens.  But the angry minority is angry indeed, consisting of people who feel that things to which they are entitled are being taken away.

For the Unemployed Over 50, Fears of Never Working Again  —  VASHON ISLAND, Wash. — Patricia Reid is not in her 70s, an age when many Americans continue to work.  She is not even in her 60s.  She is just 57.  —  But four years after losing her job she cannot, in her darkest moments …

More House Democrats stressing independence from Pelosi, Obama  —  MCGREGOR, TEXAS - Little more than two years after she touted him for the vice presidential nomination, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cannot count on the support of Rep. Chet Edwards.  —  Edwards, a conservative Democrat trying win …

Why Sarah Palin Is Stronger Than You Think  —  Sarah Palin speaks at Iowa's annual Ronald Reagan dinner on Sept. 17, 2010  —  TO: Coastal Elites, the Media and Establishment Politicians of Both Parties  —  Don't underestimate Sarah Palin.  Yes, she is hyper-polarizing …

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.

O'Donnell brushes off Rove criticisms  —  Delaware GOP Senate nominee O'Donnell tweeted late Sunday night that if she had the powers of a witch, Karl Rove would back her candidacy.  —  Washington (CNN) - Christine O'Donnell appears to be trying to use humor to defuse a decades-old admission that she once …

Updated: Dem mailer includes West's Social Security number; challenger claims ‘unprecedented new low’  —  CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog post incorrectly reported that the anti-West mailer was sent by Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Klein's campaign.  The mailer was sent by the Florida Democratic Party.

Islam's Encounters With America  —  A survey by Elaph, the most respected electronic daily in the Arab world, saw 58% object to the building of the WTC mosque.  —  From his recent travels to the Persian Gulf—sponsored and paid for by the State Department—Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf returned with a none-too-subtle threat.

Graham: W.H. talks just went ‘dead’  —  For much of the early part of the year, Sen. Lindsey Graham and the White House were locked in heated negotiations over legislation that could close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, move some of the war-on-terror prisoners …

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.

Munger Says ‘Thank God’ U.S. Opted for Bailouts Over Handouts  —  Charles Munger, the billionaire vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., defended the U.S. financial-company rescues of 2008 and told students that people in economic distress should “suck it in and cope.”

Hudson Tunnel Review Raises Fear for Project  —  Few elected officials have ever inherited a public works project that promised as many benefits as the proposed Hudson River commuter train tunnel is supposed to deliver to the constituents of Gov. Chris Christie.

Sen. Kaufman: GOP waging ‘holy jihad’ to extend tax cuts  —  Republicans are fighting to extend tax cuts for high earners with the intensity of a “holy jihad,” a Democratic senator charged Monday.  —  Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) said he didn't see any room for compromise with Republicans …