Woodward Book Says Afghanistan Divided White House  —  WASHINGTON — Some of the critical players in President Obama's national security team doubt his strategy in Afghanistan will succeed and have spent much of the last 20 months quarreling with one another over policy, personalities and turf, according to a new book.

Harry Reid's botched battles  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hoped the defense policy bill would help make a final pre-election argument for Democrats while energizing the base on gay rights and immigration.  —  But what he got was a failed vote and a mix of frustration and disappointment from the people he was trying to help.

CONFIRMED: Sen. Saxby Chambliss Admits “All Faggots Must Die” Comment Came From His Atlanta Headquarters  —  I've just gotten off the phone with Atlanta Journal-Constitution political writer Jim Galloway who says that Sen. Saxby Chambliss has confirmed that the “All faggots must die” …

Summers Expected to Leave White House After Election  —  White House officials expect Lawrence Summers to leave his job as the president's National Economic Council director after November's congressional elections, according to three people familiar with the matter.

O'Donnell: Coons has made ‘some very anti-American statements’  —  Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell (R) took aim at New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) Tuesday night during an appearance on Fox News.  —  O'Donnell referenced an article Coons wrote in college in which he referred to himself as “a bearded Marxist.”

Rep. Jackson: I did nothing wrong but ‘deeply sorry’ over ‘social acquaintance’  —  Chicago congressman vows to remain in office in wake of Sun-Times report regarding fund-raiser  —  U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) said Tuesday he is “deeply sorry” for having “disappointed some supporters” …

Bill Clinton: Russian immigrants and settlers obstacles to Mideast peace  —  Russian immigrants to Israel have emerged as a central obstacle to achieving a Middle East peace deal, according to former President Bill Clinton.  He voiced fears that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) …

Federal Reserve won't help, won't explain why  —  As expected, the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee met today, and decided against doing anything further to stimulate the economy.  But it's worth reading their news release explaining — or, more accurately, not explaining — why.

McCain Ignores Testimony Before His Committee, Claims Military Doesn't ‘Seek Out’ Orientation  —  This afternoon, immediately after the Senate failed to invoke cloture on a defense authorization measure which included an amendment to gradually repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell …

Why Generic Ballots May Underestimate Democrats  —  In the last couple of posts on our House forecasts, I've noted that the generic congressional ballot tends to show worse results for Democrats than other indicators like polls of individual House races.  The generic ballot, as of last week …

Tea Party group gets $1 million anonymous donation  —  A donor who does not want to be named has written a $1 million check to Tea Party Patriots, and the organization's national coordinators intend to push the funds out into the field by the beginning of next month — in time to help …

GOP sends a message on spending  —  Republicans will try to block money requested by the Obama administration to implement Democrats' signature Wall Street and healthcare reforms in a stopgap spending measure expected to clear Congress next week.  —  The GOP is seizing on the administration's …

GOP House candidate invokes idea of ‘victory mosque’ in campaign ad  —  A Republican House candidate claims in new ad that Muslims want to build “victory mosque” near Ground Zero.  —  The building of an Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero has faded from the midterm campaign conversation …

No peace in NY: Fayyad-Ayalon meeting ends on sour note  —  Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad leaves meeting with Danny Ayalon angry, after Israel's deputy foreign minister demands that meeting summary refer to notion of ‘two states for two peoples’  —  WASHINGTON - Palestinian Prime …

Ahmadinejad Warns of Capitalism's Defeat in Tepid U.N. Speech  —  Before a sparse audience, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used 10 minutes on the world stage Tuesday to declare capitalism near death while urging world leaders to “spare no effort” in starting to plan for a new world order.

Obama: “Mexicans” Were Here “Long Before America Was Even An Idea”  —  “Long before America was even an idea, this land of plenty was home to many peoples.  The British and French, the Dutch and Spanish, to Mexicans, to countless Indian tribes.  We all shared the same land.”

You'd Be Cripplingly Incapacitated, Too...  Even before John posted about Americans over 50 who may never be allowed paid employment again, I had tagged a couple of articles about one all-American non-solution.  From the Washington Post, “Jobless are straining Social Security's disability benefits program”: