GOP ad casting call: ‘hicky’ W.Va. look  —  A Republican ad that shows a couple of regular-looking guys commiserating in a diner about West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) turns out to have been shot with actors, from a script, in Philadelphia.  —  But not just any actors …

Why President Obama is Not Signing H.R. 3808  —  Today, the White House announced that President Obama will not sign H.R. 3808, the Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act of 2010, and will return the bill to the House of Representatives.  The Interstate Recognition of Notarizations Act …

Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite  —  Research support for this article was provided by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute.  —  In Lou Dobbs's heyday at CNN, when he commanded more than 800,000 viewers and a reported $6 million a year for “his fearless reporting and commentary,” …

Waivers Address Talk of Dropping Health Coverage  —  As Obama administration officials put into place the first major wave of changes under the health care legislation, they have tried to defuse stiffening resistance — from companies like McDonald's and some insurers …

Gingrich Can't Figure Out Why Food Stamps Are Stimulative: 'I Don't Understand...Liberal Math'  —  Newt Gingrich's new messaging strategy has been to tell Republican candidates to label Democrats “the party of food stamps,” while, claiming the GOP is in turn “the party of paychecks.”

Tunnel Of Idiocy  —  Many reports that Chris Christie is about to scuttle the second rail tunnel under the Hudson.  If so, it's arguably the worst policy decision ever made by the government of New Jersey — and that's saying a lot.  —  The story seems to be that Christie wants to divert …

RNC circulates study that shows Dem tax plan is better for poor than GOP one  —  Okay, this is a bit in the weeds.  But it's worth it.  —  This morning the Republican National Committee blasted out a story from The Hill about a new nonpartisan study finding that the poor will be hit hardest …

Dem candidate fires back after racy photos surface  —  Democratic Virginia House candidate Krystal Ball (yes, that's her real name) went on the offensive Wednesday after racy photos of her surfaced online this week.  —  The photos, which were taken at a costume party, show Ball wearing …

Biden: 'You're the dullest audience I've ever spoken to'  —  Vice President Joe Biden got a laugh from his audience at a Wisconsin fundraising event Thursday when he tried to rile the crowd about the economic collapse of 2008.  —  “We want to reward people who manufacture things in the United States …

Maybe You Can Take It With You: Stimulus Checks Sent to the Dead  —  The Social Security Administration sent about 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each to dead and incarcerated people — but almost half of them were returned, a new inspector-general's report has found.

Southern Baptist leader on yoga: Not Christianity  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice.  —  Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler …

The Man Who Never Was  —  Desperate to keep his Senate seat, John McCain repudiated his record, his principles, and even his maverick reputation, entrenching himself as the anti-Obama.  Which raises the issue of whether the leader so many Americans admired—and so many journalists covered—ever truly existed.

REPUBLICANS STILL JUST DON'T LIKE THE UNEMPLOYED.... That Republican officials seem to actively dislike unemployed Americans isn't exactly new.  We're talking about a party that's waged war against jobless benefits and tried to kill jobs bills during a recession — which should tell the public quite a bit about the GOP's priorities.

The Surprising Democratic Firewall  —  Actions speak louder than words.  That's why Democratic control of the House is looking more tenuous by the day.  As the party begins to build its firewall to prevent a GOP takeover, top strategists are working to salvage seats that few considered …

O'Donnell: I've been character assassinated  —  Newark, Delaware (CNN) — Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is asking voters to give her a second look.  At a candidate forum sponsored by a group of local Republicans, O'Donnell blamed her campaign's recent troubles on unfair coverage in the “liberal media.”

U.S. Department of Justice visitors tell Muslims they have their back in the Murfreesboro mosque dispute  —  Danger Zoning  —  Over the summer months, Muslims in Murfreesboro — for three decades a virtually silent minority and a sliver of the city's population — have endured challenge …

Gallup Finds U.S. Unemployment at 10.1% in September  —  Underemployment, at 18.8%, is up from 18.6% at the end of August  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, increased to 10.1% in September — up sharply from 9.3% in August and 8.9% in July.

New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Sodas  —  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought federal permission on Wednesday to bar New York City's 1.7 million recipients of food stamps from using them to buy soda or other sugared drinks.  —  The request, made to the United States Department of Agriculture …

Sharp Jabs in Connecticut Senate Debate  —  NORWALK, Conn. — The Republican candidate, Linda E. McMahon, and her Democratic opponent, Richard Blumenthal, traded harsh attacks on Thursday in a debate that underscored the increasingly combative tone of the Senate race in Connecticut.