Foreign Money Flowing Into Campaign?  —  President Obama, Democrats Say There's Foreign Influence in Election, Scant Evidence to Prove Claims  —  To many Democrats, the accusation by President Obama and other party leaders that foreign money might be bank rolling some pro-Republican political …

Obama Loses Support in Poll as Joblessness Prompts Growing U.S. Discontent  —  Hope has turned to doubt and disenchantment for almost half of President Barack Obama's supporters.  —  More than 4 of 10 likely voters who say they once considered themselves Obama backers now are either less supportive …

Wall Street Pay: A Record $144 Billion  —  Financial Overhaul Has Affected Structure but Not Level; Revenue-to-Compensation Ratio Stays Flat  —  Pay on Wall Street is on pace to break a record high for a second consecutive year, according to a study conducted by The Wall Street Journal.

Offering Donors Secrecy, and Going on Attack  —  The American Future Fund, a conservative organization based in Iowa, has been one of the more active players in this fall's campaigns, spending millions of dollars on ads attacking Democrats across the country.

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.... Alabama Senator Richard Shelby (R) has refused to allow a vote on Peter Diamond's nomination to the board of governors of the Federal Reserve.  As far as the conservative lawmaker is concerned, MIT's Diamond, among the most accomplished economists of his generation, lacks the necessary qualifications.

For Democrats, Even ‘Safe’ Seats Are Shaky  —  ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio — Republicans are expanding the battle for the House into districts that Democrats had once considered relatively safe, while Democrats began a strategy of triage on Monday to fortify candidates who they believe stand the best chance of survival.

Bill Clinton blasts Rand Paul, GOP tactics at UK rally for Conway  —  Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Attorney General Jack Conway in Lexington on Monday, delivering a hard-nosed repudiation of Republican Rand Paul's “radical ideas” to cut government spending.

The Stanford Daily's Two Minute Hate  —  Victor Davis Hanson recently noted some of the ironies and absurdities of the regime of affirmative action enforced in American institutions of higher learning.  The rationale of the affirmative action regime is of course “diversity.”  Regarding this rationale, Hanson wrote:

Unrepentant, Paladino Calls Gay Parades ‘Disgusting’  —  Despite an uproar over his remarks about gays, Carl P. Paladino appeared on national television on Monday and expressed revulsion at gay pride parades.  —  Mr. Paladino restated his criticism of Andrew M. Cuomo, his Democratic opponent …

Miller vows silence on background until election  —  Republican Senate nominee Joe Miller said this afternoon that he will not be answering any more questions about his personal background for the remainder of the campaign.  —  “We've drawn a line in the sand.

Woman Says She Worked for Sandoval Illegally  —  Ana Padilla used to be go by her middle name, Maritza.  She told us that was when she first came to the United States illegally.  —  “I come from Guatemala City in 1986,” said Padilla.  —  She told us after working in the States for about ten years …

Fox News Polls: GOP Sees Senate Chances Improve  —  The race for the Senate continues to heat up as Republicans lead for two seats currently held by Democrats — Nevada and Washington — while another Republican has closed into striking distance for an open seat in Connecticut.

Congressional candidate defends wearing Nazi outfit for re-enactment  —  (CNN) — A Republican candidate running for U.S. Congress says his past donning of a Nazi outfit was part of a historical lesson — and defended his background in military re-enactments.

Healthcare lobbyists seek to repair relationship with Republicans  —  House Republicans say healthcare groups that backed the Democrats' overhaul bill are trying to rekindle their hot-and-cold-relationship with the GOP.  —  The health industry's effort to make nice with Republicans …

Researcher: Suicide terrorism linked to military occupation  —  Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political science professor and former Air Force lecturer, will present findings on Capitol Hill Tuesday that argue that the majority of suicide terrorism around the world since 1980 has had a common cause: military occupation.

Offshore Wind Power Line Wins Praise, and Backing  —  WASHINGTON — Google and a New York financial firm have each agreed to invest heavily in a proposed $5 billion transmission backbone for future offshore wind farms along the Atlantic Seaboard that could ultimately transform the region's electrical map.

Wall St. cash flow imperils Democrats  —  A shift in the flow of Wall Street money toward Republicans earlier this year has become a torrent in the final weeks of the campaign, according to lobbyists and business executives doling out the cash.  —  “Our target ratio for the 2010 cycle is 80-20 Republican …

North Carolina Muslim Admits Working with al Qaeda: “Proud to be an American Traitor” [Full text]  —  I think we can quit with the speculation about where he went and why  —  Update by Rusty: The full text of Khan's story can be found at the end of this post.  —  I'm reading the magazine now and will continue to update.

The irrelevance of the liberal ‘brand’  —  There is perhaps no surer signal that Democrats are about to suffer a terrific defeat than to see liberals begin discussing how to define, redefine, or otherwise burnish their “brand.”  So far as I'm concerned, this falls firmly in the “doesn't matter” category of American politics.

The 2010 Spending Record  —  In two years, a 21.4% increase.  —  Perhaps you missed it, but then so did the Washington press corps.  Late last week the Congressional Budget Office released its preliminary budget tallies for fiscal year 2010, and the news is that the U.S. government had another fabulous year—in spending your money.

Agendas of Paladino and Rabbi Meld  —  Carl P. Paladino's introduction to the world of conservative Jewish politics began with an unsolicited early-morning phone call three weeks ago to his campaign manager, Michael R. Caputo.  —  The caller, a self-described right-wing Brooklyn rabbi named Yehuda Levin …

States to Probe Mortgage Mess  —  Attorneys General Hope Lenders Will Re-Write Loans With Troubled Documents  —  A coalition of as many as 40 state attorneys general is expected Wednesday to announce an investigation into the mortgage-servicing industry, an effort some of them hope …

U.S. Alarmed by Harsh Tone of China's Military  —  BEIJING — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met his Chinese counterpart, Liang Guanglie, in Vietnam on Monday for the first time since the two militaries suspended talks with each other last winter, calling for the two countries to prevent “mistrust, miscalculations and mistakes.”

Board of Elections gaffe may nullify New York soldiers' overseas absentee ballots  —  The Board of Elections is facing another “royal screwup” - this time for failing to ship absentee ballots to New York troops serving overseas.  —  “Our troops sacrifice their lives to protect our freedoms.

Banksy creates new Simpsons title sequence  —  The Simpsons, Thursday 21 October, 1930BST, Sky 1 HD and Sky 1  —  UK graffiti artist Banksy has created a controversial title sequence for long-running US animation The Simpsons.  —  The intro, which was shown in the US on Sunday …