Poll: Miller falls to last place  —  After several rough weeks on the campaign trail, a new poll out of Alaska shows Republican Joe Miller has fallen to last place in the three-way Senate race.  —  A Hays Research Group poll released Thursday showed write-in candidates …

On the Daily Show, Obama is the last laugh  —  On Comedy Central, the joke was on President Obama Wednesday night.  —  The president had come, on the eve of what will almost certainly be the loss of his governing majority, to plead his case before Jon Stewart, gatekeeper of the disillusioned left.

I Had a One-Night Stand With Christine O'Donnell  —  Three years ago this week, an intoxicated Christine O'Donnell showed up at the apartment of a 25-year-old Philadelphian and ended up spending the night in his bed.  Here's his story—and photos—of his escapade with the would-be Delaware senator.

Tribe to Obama: Sotomayor Is “Not Nearly As Smart As She Seems To Think She Is”  —  I've obtained a copy of an interesting letter that Harvard law professor Larry Tribe wrote to his protégé, President Barack Obama, in the immediate aftermath of Justice Souter's announcement of his decision to retire from the Court.

Bill Clinton pushed Kendrick Meek to quit Florida race  —  Bill Clinton sought to persuade Rep. Kendrick Meek to drop out of the race for Senate during a trip to Florida last week — and nearly succeeded.  —  Meek agreed — twice — to drop out and endorse Gov. Charlie Crist's independent bid …

Poll: Most Want Obama Fired In 2012  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, rapped by the White House for pledging to make Barack Obama a one-term president, seems to have the support of a majority of Americans.  A new poll provided to Whispers says that 56 percent of likely voters want the president fired.

Prison Economics Help Drive Ariz. Immigration Law … Last year, two men showed up in Benson, Ariz., a small desert town 60 miles from the Mexico border, offering a deal.  —  Glenn Nichols, the Benson city manager, remembers the pitch.  —  “The gentleman that's the main thrust of this thing …

An Open Letter to Rush Limbaugh and His Listeners — With Notes on the Democrat Civil War Already In Progress … Dear Rush,  —  It's my great hope that some of your listeners find a way to get this letter to you, or that it makes it to “Snerdley” and finds its way into your hands.

BUSH MAKES PEACE: BOOK REVEALED  —  “It was a simple question, 'Can you remember the last day you didn't have a drink?'”  —  So begins President George W. Bush in the opening chapter ["Quitting"] from the most anticipated book of the season, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

Illegal Immigration Backlash Worries, Divides Latinos  —  The national political backlash against illegal immigration has created new divisions among Latinos and heightened their concerns about discrimination against members of their ethnic group-including those who were born in the United States or who immigrated legally.

‘Liberal gene’ discovered by scientists  —  People with left wing views may have their political opinions controlled by a “liberal gene”, according to scientists.  —  The research suggests that some people have an inherent bias against conservative thinking, that is independent of their education or upbringing.

The Sleeper Race That Matters for 2012  —  In an election cycle where so many Democrats are running away from President Obama, Ohio's Democratic Governor Ted Strickland has unflinchingly embraced Obama from the beginning.  And the White House and Democratic establishment have gone to the mat for Strickland.

Firms Knew of Cement Flaws Before Spill, Panel Says  —  WASHINGTON — Halliburton and BP knew weeks before the fatal explosion of the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico that the cement mixture they planned to use to seal the bottom of the well was unstable but still went ahead with the job …

Sarah Palin: I will Run for President in 2012 If There's Nobody Else To Do It  —  Exclusive: ET's Mary Hart visits Sarah Palin at home in Wasilla, Alaska, where the former Republican vice presidential candidate tells ET she'll run for president in 2012 “if there's nobody else to do it.”

Libertarians unite  —  Bob Barr today endorsed Russ Feingold on WTDY:  —  What I look for in Washington are folks in the Senate and the House who put the Constitution first.  Not the “R” or the “D”, not partisan politics but the Constitution.  And what you have in Russ …

Whitman says her former housekeeper should be deported  —  As Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman tours parts of California that have traditionally been receptive to GOP candidates, she's also appealing directly to conservative TV audiences, hoping to fire up her party's base.

Millionaire Targets Kentucky Democrat Who Is Prosecuting Alleged Abuse in His Nursing Home  —  Terry Forcht Is Banker For American Crossroads, Rove Group Spending Millions To Beat Jack Conway  —  In the bitter U.S. Senate race in Kentucky, a local millionaire has helped launch a barrage …

Why We Should Eliminate the Corporate Income Tax  —  The FT has a piece today on the administration's plans to lower the corporate income tax rate in exchange for simplification—getting rid of a bunch of deductions.  This is a decent plan—and not just because it's the Full Employment …

ON THE ROAD: Pennsylvania's Race Gets Dirty As Sestak Slings Feces  —  In his final push against Republican Pat Toomey in the Pennsylvania Senate race, an advertisement from Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak features a bag of feces collected from his family dog.  Sestak swings the bag into the trash can …

Joy Behar Apologizes For Calling Sharron Angle “Bitch”; Says It's “A Term Of Endearment”  —  Yesterday we asked if Joy Behar should apologize for calling Sharron Angle a bitch - and then doing it again the next day.  —  Well guess what?  She did!  And then she called the rest of the women on The View bitches too.

Grimm, on stage for congressional debate, comes face-to-face with his ex-wife — wearing a McMahon button  —  STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Call it a bit of campaign shenanigans unrivaled even in the rough and tumble that is a hallmark of Staten Island politics.  —  Just before Democratic …

Paul extends lead to more than 7 points in U.S. Senate race, cn|  2 poll finds  —  Support for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul went up three points, widening his lead over Democrat Jack Conway to 7.5 points, according to the latest cn|  2 Poll.  —  The poll, which comes …

Poll shows Dem's lead widening in Del. Senate race  —  WILMINGTON, Del. — Despite a spate of television ads aimed at reintroducing her to voters, Republican Senate hopeful Christine O'Donnell of Delaware has failed to chip away at Democratic nominee Chris Coons' strong lead, according to a new poll.