THE HILL POLL: Republicans are up in 8 of 10 open House districts  —  Republicans are winning eight out of 10 competitive open House seats surveyed in a groundbreaking new poll by The Hill.  —  Taken on top of 11 GOP leads out of 12 freshman Democratic districts polled last week …

Obama administration appeals gay marriage ruling  —  (Reuters) - The Obama administration decided on Tuesday to appeal a judge's rulings that prevented the U.S. government from banning same-sex marriages, a move that could undermine support among President Barack Obama's traditional liberal base ahead of a key election.

Dem candidate: DCCC canceled ads because I won't support Pelosi  —  A Democratic candidate for Congress accused the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) of pulling its support for his campaign because he said he wouldn't support Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as House Speaker.

Michelle Rhee to announce resignation as D.C. schools chancellor on Wednesday  —  D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will announce Wednesday that she is resigning at the end of this month, bringing an abrupt end to a tenure that drew national acclaim but that also became a central issue …

20 DAYS OUT - Obama to Peter Baker: 'There's no such thing as shovel-ready projects' ... Maps Obama 2.0 with Rouse, Messina — GOP groups launch $50 million ‘House surge’  —  PLAYBOOK ODDS FIXING: If midterms were held today, Republicans would pick up 45 House seats (40 needed for majority …

Mexican investigator in Falcon Lake probe beheaded  —  The severed head of a Mexican police commander investigating the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen David Michael Hartley on Falcon Lake was delivered Tuesday to Mexican military in a suitcase, authorities said.

Chile Rejoices as Miners Taste Freedom  —  President Sebastián Piñera of Chile embraced Florencio Ávalos, the first of the miners trapped in the San José Mine to come to the surface.  Mr. Piñera has staked his presidency on the rescue.  More Photos »

‘Spirit of Political Disclosure’?  White House Press Sec once part of group that refused to disclose donors  —  The White House plans to continue attacking groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other conservative organizations for not disclosing the names of donors behind political ads.

Truth Lies Here  —  How can Americans talk to one another—let alone engage in political debate—when the Web allows every side to invent its own facts?  —  THIS PAST AUGUST, the left-leaning San Francisco-based Web site AlterNet posted a remarkable scoop: members of a group calling itself …

MAINE: Nazi symbols spray-painted on Jewish Republican candidate's signs  —  Media Blackout!  —  From Eric Dondero:  —  Symbols of the National Socialist Party (NAZIs) were recently spray-painted on signs of a Jewish Republican candidate for Maine State Senate.  Blogger Al Diamon DownEast.com explains:

NO WAY TO RUN A GOVERNMENT, CONT'D.... When President Obama nominated Michael McCrum to be a U.S. Attorney in Western Texas, there was no reason to think there'd be much of a delay.  McCrum, a former assistant U.S. attorney, enjoyed the support of Texas' Democratic congressional delegation …

CLINTON HECKLED IN BLUE NEW YORK, SAYS HALF OF REPUBLICANS NEED PSYCHIATRIC HELP  —  MICKGOBLIN  —  He didnt do crap to balance the budget.  It was supply side economics kicking in back from Reagan and the computer industry.  Fine one thing he did to balance the budget?  He didnt do crap!

In South Dakota: Another Sarah Palin?  —  A New Republican Star Takes on a Tough Democratic Incumbent  —  If money is any indication, the hottest Republican House candidate in the country is Kristi Noem.  The 38-year-old rancher has raised more campaign cash than any Republican house challenger in the country.

Mark Kirk Sends Poll Monitors To ‘Vulnerable,’ Largely African-American Neighborhoods  —  In a private phone conversation that was secretly recorded, Mark Kirk, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois, told state Republican leaders last week about his plan to send “voter integrity” …

Is there a doctor in the house?  Obamacare will worsen the physician shortage Congress helped create  —  There is a new disease spreading like a cancer in doctors' offices and hospitals throughout the U.S. I have named it Doctor Unavailability Syndrome (DUS).

Obama's related to Palin  —  NEW YORK — President Barack Obama has family ties to none other than Sarah Palin, according to the genealogists at Ancestry.com, a discovery the family history site made when looking for connections between political foes.  —  And that's not all …

Gore vs. the Supreme Court: The justices and the ‘CSI effect’  —  In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.

GOP Groups Launch Massive Ad Blitz  —  Alliance Spends $50 Million on Competitive House Races Where Democrats Have More Money Now  —  An alliance of Republican groups is launching a $50 million advertising blitz this week in a final push to help the GOP win a majority in the House …

Uncle slam!  Gay nephew blasts Carl  —  By REBECCA ROSENBERG in Buffalo and JENNIFER FERMINO in New York  —  Tweet  —  Carl Paladino's openly gay nephew — whom the candidate points to as proof he's no homophobe — said yesterday he was “very offended” by his uncle's anti-gay rants.

Vice President Tries to Energize Democrats  —  PITTSBURGH — Joseph R. Biden Jr., unyielding optimist, Democratic cheerleader and vice president of the United States, wants Americans to know that the midterm elections will not be a Republican rout.  And after Democrats win in 2010 …

USS Cole attack survivors angry at Obama  —  The 10th anniversary of the bombing of the USS Cole on Tuesday conjured up painful memories for the families of the 17 Navy sailors who died in the terrorist attack, but it also revealed simmering anger at the Obama administration over the lack …

Whitman and Brown's final debate a contentious one  —  The rivals for California governor continue their attacks on each other and stick to their talking points without offering details on how they would fix the troubled state.  —  Meg Whitman called Jerry Brown “the same old same old,” …

At Claremont Institute, Christine O'Donnell Was Taught ABCs of Homophobia  —  In the past few weeks, Delaware Congressional candidate Christine O'Donnell has come under ridicule for seeming embellishments to her résumé.  A CV posted on the networking site LinkedIn transformed …

The Power Of Clinton, The Invisibility Of Obama  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  LOUISVILLE — I see that Dr. Rand Paul has taken out after Bill Clinton, dredging up Monica Lewinsky.  And I know why Paul did so.  The former president was here in Kentucky yesterday and in this state …

Americans See Children's Future Dim in Poll as 50% Pessimistic  —  Americans say they have weathered the worst of the longest recession in seven decades, even as they are pessimistic about prospects for their retirement years, according to a Bloomberg National Poll.

Robo-signers: Mortgage experience not necessary  —  Banks hired hair stylists, teens to process foreclosure documents, workers' testimony shows  —  Related Quotes  —  NEW YORK (AP) — In an effort to rush through thousands of home foreclosures since 2007, financial institutions …

Obama's Lost Narrative  —  Nyhan goes after the Democrats for baseless attacks against the US Chamber of Commerce.  It is very depressing to see them descend to this kind of stuff.  What they need are not tactics and resentment, which is what we're seeing.  What we need is a narrative of recovery and reform from Obama.

Across the U.S., Long Recovery Looks Like Recession  —  This is not what a recovery is supposed to look like.  —  In Atlanta, the Bank of America Tower, the tallest in the Southeast, is nearly a fifth vacant, and bank officials just wrestled a rent cut from the developer.

Uncommon Knowledge with Victor Davis Hanson  —  Victor Davis Hanson is the prominent classicist and military historian who is the author of numerous brilliant books including The Western Way of War: Infantry Battles in Classical Greece, The Soul of Battle: From Ancient Times to the Present Day …

Job Creation: Bush vs. Obama  —  According to Florida congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, President Obama is on pace to create more jobs in 2010 than President Bush did in his eight years of office. … Let's look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data.