GOP casting call: ‘hicky’ W.Va. look  —  A new Republican ad that shows a couple of guys at the counter of a diner, wearing ball caps and plaid shirts as they take shots at West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D), was shot with actors, from a script, in Philadelphia.

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 …

POLL: Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not drain swamp, key voters believe  —  Most voters think Congress's ethics have gotten worse in the past two years, according to a new poll in key battleground districts.  —  The finding suggests that people likely to have a big say in who controls the House …

2012 Watch: Santorum opens up PAC in Iowa  —  (CNN) - Former Sen. Rick Santorum has announced he is forming a political action committee in the key early-voting state of Iowa, the latest sign the Pennsylvania Republican is getting serious about a White House bid in 2012.

Bank foreclosure cover seen in bill at Obama's desk  —  (Reuters) - A bill that homeowners advocates warn will make it more difficult to challenge improper foreclosure attempts by big mortgage processors is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature after it quietly zoomed through the Senate last week.

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 …

Crist pledges to ‘crash that Tea Party in Washington’  —  Gov. Charlie Crist (I) and Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) were on the attack during a debate in Florida's three-way Senate race Wednesday night, with most of their fire aimed at Republican Marco Rubio, who holds a double-digit lead in recent polls.

Vargas Llosa Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature  —  The Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, whose deeply political work vividly examines the perils of power and corruption in Latin America, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.  —  Announcing the award in Stockholm …

Once Again- Greta Takes Down Gloria Allred: “You Know What Gloria... If You Can't Protect the Client You Shouldn't Do the Job” (Video)  —  Similar Situation - Similar Results  —  Greta Van Susteren and Gloria Allred went back at it tonight on FOX News.  Greta schooled the Brown supporter and democratic hack.

The Westboro Baptist Church politely shows the court how to be obnoxious.  —  Quick constitutional pop quiz: What do you hate?  (And by you, I mean you.)  —  If you answered: homosexuals, Jews, Catholics, the military, the pope, and more or less everyone except Fred Phelps …

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.

Poll: Sarah Palin Favorable Rating Just 22 Percent  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Sarah Palin is viewed unfavorably by nearly 50 percent of Americans, a new CBS News poll finds …

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.

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis  —  EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION  —  Program Contact:  —  TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED UNTIL  —  (202) 693-4676  —  UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT  —  SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

MSNBC.com May Change Its Name  —  NBC Universal and Microsoft, the parents of msnbc.com, are holding high-level talks about changing its name, an unusual and potentially risky endeavor for the third most popular news Web site in the United States.  —  The two parents have not yet agreed on what to call the site.

Naked Cowboy, Times Square staple, to run for President in 2012 as Tea Party candidate  —  Yee-huh?  —  The Naked Cowboy — Time Square's tighty-whitey wearing, guitar-toting tourist magnet — announced he's running for President in 2012... as a member of the Tea Party.

Federal subpoenas issued in John Edwards investigation  —  john edwards, rielle hunter, local/state  —  RALEIGH (WTVD) — The ABC11 Eyewitness News I-Team has learned federal prosecutors in Raleigh have issued a new round of subpoenas in their investigation of former NC Senator John Edwards.

Obama Desperately Trying to Save His Own Senate Seat  —  (CNN) - Eager to prevent an embarrassing loss of his old Senate seat, President Obama is heading to Chicago Thursday for two fundraisers on behalf of Democratic Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias, and CNN has learned Obama …

At this point during the 2008 presidential cycle, candidates like John McCain and Mitt Romney were already jockeying for position and building their campaign teams, each attempting to sign the most talented operatives before the other guy did.  —  That is less the case in the current cycle …