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.

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 …

Panel: Gov't blocked scientists on spill estimate  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration blocked efforts by government scientists to tell the public just how bad the Gulf oil spill could become and committed other missteps that raised questions about its competence and candor during the crisis …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Foreclosure Cover for Banks Seen in Bill at Obama's Desk  —  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.

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.

Santorum Forums Iowa PAC  —  He's serious, folks.  Former Senator Rick Santorum is abetting speculation that he's planning a presidential run 2012 in a serious way.  Today, he's formed a political action committee in Iowa, called the Iowa Keystone Political Action Committee …

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.

U.S. companies buy back stock in droves as they hold record levels of cash  —  For months, companies have been sitting on the sidelines with record piles of cash, too nervous to spend.  Now they're starting to deploy some of that money - not to hire workers or build factories, but to prop up their share prices.

Mario Vargas Llosa Wins Nobel Literature Prize  —  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Peruvian Mario Vargas Llosa, one of the most acclaimed writers in the Spanish-speaking world who once ran for president in his homeland, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday.  —  The Swedish Academy said it honored …

Democrats in Tight Races Put Focus on Abortion Rights  —  DENVER — Republicans have won points with many voters by promising a conservative overhaul of taxes and spending, but Democrats are working hard in the closing weeks of the campaign to convince voters that a conservative social agenda …

Murkowski's ‘Alaska Mafia’ and the public dole  —  Once insurgent conservative Joe Miller knocked off moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski in Alaska's Senate primary, almost all Beltway Republicans lined up behind Miller.  But thanks to Alaska's unique political culture, there is a small cadre …

Hevesi Is Set to Plead Guilty to Felony in State Pension Case  —  Former State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi was in custody and awaiting arraignment on Thursday morning on a felony misconduct count stemming from a state pension scandal, several people involved in the case said.

David Axelrod, Elie Wiesel lament fanaticism  —  NEW YORK — David Axelrod, arrived in Washington two years ago with President Obama and his promise of a new, less divisive, and more hopeful politics.  —  But in a public conversation here Wednesday night, Axelrod and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel mused …

Congressional Candidate Steve Pearce To Birther: ‘Those Questions Need To Be Asked’ (VIDEO)  —  What's Your Reaction: … During a recent town hall meeting, New Mexico Republican congressional candidate Steve Pearce cast doubt on President Obama's citizenship and said that while the economy …

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.

Rand Paul: I Really Meant It When I Said Let's Have A $2,000 Medicare Deductible (VIDEO)  —  For the past few days, the Kentucky Senate race has been about Medicare.  More to the point, it's been about a grainy video of Republican nominee Rand Paul taken in June 2009 showing Paul calling …

NRA backs Democrats in key races, frustrating GOP  —  Not a lot of things have gone the Democrats' way this year, but dozens of their House candidates are getting a late boost from an unusual source: the National Rifle Association.  —  So far this year, the NRA has endorsed 58 incumbent House Democrats …

The IRS Has Bed Bugs  —  (Hat Tip: Gordon E. Hartwig.)