The Political Wild Card  —  WILMINGTON — Before she was a Tea Party cause célèbre, liberal laughingstock and perhaps the embodiment of a can-you-top-this-for-bizarre political season, Christine O'Donnell grew up in a “Brady Bunch” household of six kids (three Democrats …

O'Keefe Owes His Supporters an Explanation  —  I proudly stood behind James O'Keefe on his groundbreaking ACORN investigation.  I also defended him when the media, including CNN — during a previous regime, “the Rick Sanchez era” - falsely reported the Sen. Mary Landrieu story as a “wiretapping” plot gone wrong.

What's Dumb, Really?  —  Big-city liberals and their blogging buddies love to paint Tea Partiers as yokels with incoherent candidates and language-mauling signs.  (Some have even dubbed their misspellings and grammatical gaffes “Teabonics.")  On some level, this may be true.

Exclusive: Gibbs eyed for DNC chair  —  Democratic insiders are taking the temperature of some top party donors about the possibility of naming White House press secretary Robert Gibbs as chairman of the Democratic National Committee heading into President Barack Obama's reelection campaign in 2012, senior officials tell POLITICO.

Breaking: Rick Sanchez fired from CNN  —  The formal announcement is shockingly brief — which, actually, speaks volumes.  —  Monday's “Daily Show” should be a very special episode indeed, my friends. … I assume everyone already knows why, but if you missed Ed's post this morning, read it now.

French women cause a stir in niqab and hot pants in anti-burka ban protest  —  Two French female students have made a film of the pair of them strolling through the streets of Paris in a niqab, bare legs and mini-shorts as a critique of France's recently passed law.

‘Family Guy’ Episode Featuring Rush Limbaugh: A Preview  —  Opinions will no doubt vary among Rush fans for his agreeing to lend his voice to an entire Family Guy episode revolving around him.  The show airs Sunday night on Fox.  —  I'm not a regular viewer of the show …

Liberal coalition rallies in Washington for jobs, education  —  Washington (CNN) — As a coalition of liberal activists gather in Washington, NAACP President Ben Jealous tells CNN that the “One Nation” movement is not “the alternative to the Tea Party, we're the antidote to the Tea Party.”

Movement of the Moment Looks to Long-Ago Texts  —  The Tea Party is a thoroughly modern movement, organizing on Twitter and Facebook to become the most dynamic force of the midterm elections.  —  But when it comes to ideology, it has reached back to dusty bookshelves for long-dormant ideas.

Guv signs marijuana decriminalization bill  —  (10-01) 16:49 PDT Sacramento — Citing the need to reduce spending on prosecution and courts, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a measure that makes marijuana possession an infraction, on par with traffic and littering tickets.

ALL TOMORROW'S TEA PARTIES: … Heh.

DeMint targets Senate colleagues  —  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is planning to wage a television campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) and other Democratic colleagues.  —  The Senate Conservatives Fund, a political action committee that DeMint helms, has produced …

The Virtues of Nonviolence  —  In response to my point that the Netanyahu government won't make concessions on settlements because it likes settlements, Jon Chait counters that Palestinians don't want moderate goals either.  —  Maybe yes maybe no. But he cites as evidence for that fact …

Obama launches campaign recess with shots at GOP agenda  —  The Obama administration on Saturday continued to push a jobs offensive, portraying the February 2009 stimulus vote as a progressive move and arguing regressive movements would move the country backwards.

McConnell slams Dems for adjourning, warns tax increases are on horizon  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) used the Republicans' weekly radio address to criticize Democrats for adjourning to campaign without voting on a tax-cut extension and for failing to help boost the still-sagging economy.

NEWSWEEK Poll: Anger Unlikely to Be Deciding Factor in Midterms  —  Self-described “angry voters” no more likely to vote; Democrats trusted more than GOP on key issues.  —  Getty Images  —  Anger is dominating the current political conversation—especially if you're an older, whiter …

Obama huddles with Chicago reporters: Emanuel would be “excellent” mayor  —  WASHINGTON— President Obama praised mayoral hopeful Rahm Emanuel during a brief session in the Oval Office on Friday with four Chicago reporters.  —  “I think he would make an excellent mayor and he would bring …