What Did I Tell You About Her?  —  Christine O'Donnell's first TV ad of the general election campaign:  —  The American Spectator, July 27: … With a smile like that, she's awfully hard to hate.  The Castle campaign tried to demonize her and it backfired.  Maybe Baldy the Tax-Hiking Wanker will have better luck.

Democrats gain in poll but GOP still leads as midterm elections near  —  Less than a month before the midterm elections, the political landscape remains strongly tilted toward Republicans, although Democrats have made modest improvements with voters since their late-summer low point, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The first place for key political news and analysis from the NBC News Political Unit  —  First thoughts: Mind the (money) gap  —  GOP-leaning outside groups are blowing away their Democratic counterparts... Why did Dem groups disarm?... A potential downside to GOP outside groups essentially replacing …

With Tagline, MSNBC Embraces a Political Identity  —  MSNBC, once the also-ran but now the No. 2 cable news channel, has a new tagline that embraces its progressive political identity.  —  The tagline, “Lean Forward,” will be publicly announced Tuesday, opening a planned …

Mondale to Obama: Ditch the ‘idiot boards’  —  Former Vice President Walter Mondale suggested in an interview today President Obama stop relying on “idiot boards” — teleprompters, that is — to deliver his message to the American people.  —  “He uses these idiot boards to read speeches in television …

On the right, hateful words are fired like bullets  —  I still ride a bike.  I do 12 miles, several days a week, and as I do so I listen to music — the Pandora service on my iPhone.  I have created a station that plays folk rock.  Lately, it has repeatedly played the Neil Young song “Ohio” …

The wreck of the Jim Oberstar?  —  In “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” Gordon Lightfoot refers to “the gales of November” on Lake Superior.  In Minnesota the shores of Lake Superior lie within the Eighth Congressional District.  According to a poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies …

Glenn Beck: Can abortion be a kindness?  —  Audio Available:  —  GLENN: The first thing I want to play for you, though, however, is an interview from an environmentalist who is on the BBC yesterday and she's talking about the compassionate thing today.  She believes the compassionate that abortion is compassionate.

Frank's Own Battle Erodes Help for Fellow Democrats  —  It's the kind of political year in which even Rep. Barney Frank is being forced to break a sweat.  —  The Massachusetts Democrat, one of Congress's most well-known members, usually wins re-election by steamrolling his opponents.

GOP Rep. Cao ‘Hurt’ After Obama Endorses Dem, Warns of Opponent's Ethics History  —  Republican Rep. Joseph Cao — in an act of either selfless concern or political expediency — says he “must” warn President Obama that the Democratic candidate he's endorsed in the race has a history of ethical problems.

Inside The Shadow GOP  —  A network of independent Republican allies represent the leading edge of the new world of campaign finance.  —  by Peter H. Stone, Center for Public Integrity  —  For many powerful GOP operatives and allied fundraisers, the luncheon last April felt like one part reunion …

Obama: Fiscal Situation “Untenable”  —  You don't say, Mr. President. … Keen government observers and other Jane's Addiction fans know what's coming next: The big “but”: … A-ha.  Because nothing says “competitive edge” like “doubling spending while failing to improve results.”

Hacker infiltration ends D.C. online voting trial  —  Last week, the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics opened a new Internet-based voting system for a weeklong test period, inviting computer experts from all corners to prod its vulnerabilities in the spirit of “give it your best shot.”

Midwest Democrats rip Senate foes  —  Three Midwestern Democrats launched biting ads against GOP Senate candidates Tuesday, targeting the Republicans with variations on this message: My opponent is an unethical insider who just can't be trusted.  —  Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth …

Rail Service Expansion Imperiled at State Level  —  Republicans running for governor in a handful of states could block, or significantly delay, one of President Obama's signature initiatives: his plan to expand the passenger rail system and to develop the nation's first bullet-train service.

Missouri Tea Partiers, Joe The Plumber Join Movement Against ‘Radical’ Anti-Puppy Mill Legislation  —  Dog bites man or man bites dog?  —  A conservative group in Missouri is picking up the backing of the Tea Party and Joe The Plumber in its quest to stop the Humane Society …

Strickland Gains Ground, But Trails In Ohio Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Incumbent Hurt By Grim Voter Outlook On Economy  —  Republican John Kasich holds a 50 - 41 percent lead over Democratic incumbent Ted Strickland among likely voters in the race for Ohio governor …

U.S. Military Orders Less Dependence on Fossil Fuels  —  With insurgents increasingly attacking the American fuel supply convoys that lumber across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels.

Who's Got West Wing Juice?  Look to Flickr  —  Pete Rouse has a lot of work to do if he wants to match the influence that Rahm Emanuel had as President Obama's chief of staff.  —  That's the conclusion from a highly unscientific survey of the White House Flicker feed …

Federal judge charged with buying drugs from stripper  —  A longtime federal judge was freed on a $50,000 bond Monday after his arrest on federal charges that he bought cocaine and other illegal drugs while involved in a sexual relationship with an exotic dancer for the past several months.

Infrastructure Spending Now  —  Mark Thoma wrote the other day that he thinks there's too much talk of monetary policy lately and “there has been hardly any effort to make the case that Congress should take a large share of the blame for the shape that the economy is in, particularly the shape of employment markets.”

Elections are likely to trim number of women in Congress  —  GLENWOOD, Ark. — Blanche Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1992, a time when women gained so much ground in the House and Senate that it was dubbed the “Year of the Woman.”  —  Now, the Arkansas senator, who faces Republican John Boozman …

No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress  —  Tiririca won far more votes than any other candidate  —  A Brazilian clown has had the last laugh by winning a seat in Congress with more votes than any other candidate in Sunday's elections.  —  Tiririca, or Francisco Oliveira Silva …