No endorsement in U.S. Senate race  —  Californians are left with a deeply unsatisfying choice for the U.S. Senate this year.  The incumbent, Democrat Barbara Boxer, has failed to distinguish herself during her 18 years in office.  There is no reason to believe that another six-year term …

Boehner: The ‘Pledge’ Is Just To ‘Lay Out The Size Of The Problem,’ Americans Aren't Ready For Solutions  —  Since its release last week, House Republicans have been touting their “Pledge To America” as a bold policy vision to solve the nation's problems, which they would enact if they gain a majority after the November elections.

Ann Coulter At Homocon: 'Marriage Is Not A Civil Right.  You're Not Black.'  —  Ann Coulter doesn't mince words.  And even when speaking to a gay conservative organization, GOProud, at their inaugural Homocon party on Saturday night, she apparently wasn't willing to start.

Paladino's wife tells of son's loss, hubby's affair & ‘get over it’ policy  —  Tweet  —  BUFFALO — It was just about a year ago, hours after the death of her son in a car crash, that Cathy Paladino's husband told her he was the father of a 10-year-old girl with another woman …

Guantanamo Bay rations detainees' ice cream portions  —  Detainees' diets at Guantanamo Bay have been a controversial issue for some time and now the U.S. prison is said to be rationing ice cream.  —  The frozen dessert is allegedly being tightly measured, with only one ice cream allowed for each of its 147 detainees.

Mr. President, I feel hope-less  —  Tweet … The day President Obama announced he was running for the White House was the happiest day in our household.  On that day, Feb. 10, 2007, I became a volunteer for the campaign.  —  I knocked on doors in my neighborhood of Kensington, Brooklyn.

Liberal Groups Planning to Rally on National Mall  —  Hoping to overshadow last month's rally led by Glenn Beck that drew thousands of Tea Party advocates and other conservatives, a coalition of liberal groups plan to descend on Washington on Saturday to make the case that they …

Baker catches Patrick in new poll  —  Voters focusing on economy; Cahill's effect on race unclear  —  With just five weeks to the election, Republican Charles D. Baker has pulled even with Governor Deval Patrick in a gubernatorial race shaped by anti-incumbent sentiment …

Structure of Excuses  —  What can be done about mass unemployment?  All the wise heads agree: there are no quick or easy answers.  There is work to be done, but workers aren't ready to do it — they're in the wrong places, or they have the wrong skills.  Our problems are “structural,” and will take many years to solve.

UN to appoint Earth contact for aliens  —  THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as EarthÂ's first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.  —  Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa) …

The Erik Scott Shooting: Update 3  —  Since the second update, many interesting developments have come to light and many questions have been answered, or at least, more informed suppositions can reasonably be made.  However, complete and accurate original source videos and audio and transcripts …

VIDEO: Durbin Refuses to Endorse Rahm Emanuel for Mayor of Chicago  —  Durbin appears extremely uncomfortable when Candy Crowley asks him how he feels about the prospect of Rahm Emanuel as Mayor of Chicago.  He slides around for a while trying to think of something to say …

Is the ‘Pledge to America’ a worthy successor to the ‘Contract With America’?  —  The men and women were so angry that they were actually spitting on me as they barked out their complaints — “sickening government spending” and “lobbyist legislation” and “repulsive corruption” and the “whole stinking mess.”

U.S. military training adjusts its aim  —  Another counterinsurgency mission like Iraq or Afghanistan is considered unlikely.  Army paratroopers are now training for ‘full-spectrum operations,’ for the first time in years.  —  Reporting from Ft. Bragg, N.C. — Their parachutes were rigged.

Conservative Democrat wants Skelton over Pelosi as party's next speaker  —  If Rep. Gene Taylor had his way, Rep. Ike Skelton would replace Nancy Pelosi as Speaker next year.  —  Taylor told The Hill that he'd like to see Skelton, a Missouri Democrat and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee …

Quick Links  —  FOR MORE ABOUT THE POLL  —  THE COURIER-JOURNAL/WHAS11 BLUEGRASS POLL® is based on telephone interviews conducted Sept. 21-23 with 611 likely Kentucky voters by SurveyUSA, using a recorded questionnaire.  Respondent households were selected at random using …