The Mortgage Morass  —  American officials used to lecture other countries about their economic failings and tell them that they needed to emulate the U.S. model.  The Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, in particular, led to a lot of self-satisfied moralizing.

FIRST LADY CAMPAIGNS INSIDE POLLING PLACE  —  First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law — when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!  —  The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

Nevada Fight Night fizzles  —  LAS VEGAS - Republican Sharron Angle lashed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the only debate of the Nevada Senate race Thursday night, telling the Democrat to “man up” at one point and questioning how he got wealthy during his years in Congress.

Tea Party Set to Win Enough Races for Wide Influence  —  Enough Tea Party-supported candidates are running strongly in competitive and Republican-leaning Congressional races that the movement stands a good chance of establishing a sizeable caucus to push its agenda in the House and the Senate, according to a New York Times analysis.

Judge disses Dems' ‘Alice in Wonderland’ health defense  —  A federal judge in Florida on Thursday said he will allow some of the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the health care law to proceed — and criticized Democrats for making an “Alice in Wonderland” argument to defend the law.

California NOW President: ‘Meg Whitman Could Be Described As A Political Whore’  —  Last week, the National Organization for Women and the PAC of the California NOW chapter took heat for their endorsement of state Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) over Meg Whitman (R) in the gubernatorial race …

Christine O'Donnell Tells GOPers: 'I've Got Sean Hannity In My Back Pocket'  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  WASHINGTON — Christine O'Donnell may not be a witch, but she knows how to use scare tactics to raise money, top Republican strategists and officials here tell me.

The New Career of a Madman: Johnson Shrieks, “My site gave Geller her ‘break’ on the web”  —  UPDATE: LGF FLASHBACK!  The Guardian's new columnist can't scrub fast enough:  —  It get's better  —  And this — this is rich.  —  Talk about a hot mess.  Chuck Johnson has penned …

NPR Poll Offers Sliver Of Hope For Democrats  —  With only 18 days left until Election Day, an NPR survey of likely voters in battleground districts found that while the overall field still tilts to the GOP, Democrats are closing the gap in some places.  —  The good news for Democrats …

EXCLUSIVE: New Pakistani Taliban Operative Feared Inside U.S. After Times Square Failure  —  Senior U.S. officials are concerned over recent intelligence indicating that the Pakistani Taliban, which orchestrated the failed Times Square bombing, may have successfully placed another operative inside …

From a Maine House, a National Foreclosure Freeze  —  DENMARK, Me.  — The house that set off the national furor over faulty foreclosures is blue-gray and weathered.  The porch is piled with furniture and knickknacks awaiting the next yard sale.  In the driveway is a busted pickup truck.

McGovern Says Constitution is WRONG  —  Lamb Will Uphold Constitution  —  Holliston, MA ...Tonight, Marty Lamb, Republican candidate for Congress in Massachusetts Third District, was shocked at Congressman James McGovern's words and his attitude toward the U.S. Constitution.

Barack Obama sees rise of ‘tribal attitude’  —  President Barack Obama thinks that the recession has caused a temporary increase in racial tension by stoking “tribal attitude” among people in economic distress.  —  During an hour-long town hall with young people simulcast on MTV …

Judge rules concealed carry ban unconstitutional  —  A Clark County judge says Wisconsin's ban on carrying concealed weapons is unconstitutional.  In the case, authorities charged a Sauk City man with carrying a concealed weapon, after he admitted he had a knife in his waistband.  He never threatened anyone.

Democratic Funding Fades  —  Liberal Groups Lag in Late Efforts to Raise Cash; Less Money for Key Races  —  WASHINGTON—A late effort by Democrats to match record fund raising by conservative organizations has come up short, leaving the party more reliant than usual on the campaign efforts of labor unions.

Postcard From Palestine  —  This article appeared in the November 1, 2010 edition of The Nation.  —  Recommended by  —  Hebron  —  The first thing you notice when you drive into Hebron is the lack of cars.  Since 1997 this second-largest Palestinian city in the West Bank …

World powers propose nuclear talks with Iran in November  —  World powers have proposed meeting with Iran in November to discuss its nuclear program, the top international negotiator said Thursday.  —  A spokesperson for European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton said she has proposed …

Second Sestak Comeback Is Unlikely  —  There's been some excitement this week about Pennsylvania, where two internal polls commissioned by Democrats show a tight Senate race.  One of the polls actually puts their candidate, Joe Sestak, ahead by 3 points; the other has him 1 point behind Pat Toomey.

Republicans plan January takedowns of Obama's ‘czars’  —  Republicans will have President Barack Obama's czars and his use of regulatory powers to circumvent congressional inaction on issues such as cap and trade in GOP crosshairs if the party takes control in January.

Limbaugh would be weak against Nelson  —  Rush Limbaugh's one of the most influential figures in American politics who's never run for office...but what if he did run for office?  His home state of Florida has an incumbent Democratic Senator up for reelection next cycle in Bill Nelson …