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,” …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Christine O'Donnell's Second Ad Debuts  —  I liked Christine O'Donnell's opening ad line of “I'm not a witch,” for lumping all of the criticism of O'Donnell together and labeling it with the wackiest and most ridiculous one.  —  Here's the follow-up, which . . . well, decide for yourself.

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 …

Three dozen fall ill at Obama rally in Md.  —  BOWIE, Md. - About three dozen people have been treated for illness during a rally featuring President Obama at Bowie State University.  —  Prince George's County Fire and EMS spokesman Mark Brady tells WTOP numerous ambulances have been sent …

David Plouffe on Sarah Palin: 'We won't get that lucky'  —  The Republican Party's tea party candidates are energizing a deflated Democratic base and could wreak havoc with the GOP's 2012 presidential primary process, David Plouffe, the architect of President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, said Thursday.

MTV screening Obama's audience for views, looks  —  The Backstage.com listing:  —  PRESIDENT OBAMA TOWN HALL, MTV  —  MTV, BET and CMT are casting the audience for town hall meeting with President Obama.  Shooting Oct. 14, 4 p.m. in Washington, D.C.  —  Seeking—Audience Members: males & females, 18+.

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.

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 …

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.  —  The agency was charged with distributing the one-time payments …

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 …

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 …

RED ALERT: MAJOR CARL PALADINO CAMPAIGN T.V. ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW  —  ...But nobody knows what the hell it is!!!  —  You cannot make this stuff up!!!  —  Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino is planning to make some sort of major television announcement tomorrow at 5:13 p.m., my sources tell me.

Sharron Angle ad: Harry Reid gives Viagra to predators  —  Nevada Republican Senate nominee Sharron Angle is out with a harsh new ad Thursday, accusing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of approving funds to give Viagra to child molesters.  —  The ad begins with Angle and her husband walking hand …

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.