Divided We Fail  —  Barring a huge upset, Republicans will take control of at least one house of Congress next week.  How worried should we be by that prospect?  —  Not very, say some pundits.  After all, the last time Republicans controlled Congress while a Democrat lived in the White House …

U.S. alert focuses on cargo after suspicious packages found overseas  —  For more coverage visit CNN affiliates WPVI and WABC.  Are you there?  Send pictures and video.  —  (CNN) — Cargo planes and trucks in several U.S. cities were inspected Friday after investigators found suspicious packages …

Why is Assange still alive?  —  I'd like to ask a simple question: Why isn't Julian Assange dead?  —  In case you didn't know, Assange is the Australian computer programmer behind WikiLeaks, a massive — and massively successful — effort to disclose secret or classified information.

On The Trail Of “Anonymous,” Christine O'Donnell's Sex-Free Pal  —  Buster … [UPDATE: TSG has identified the “Anonymous” correspondent who today detailed his purported (sexless) one-night stand with Christine O'Donnell.  See bottom of piece.]  —  Readers of today's first-person account …

Crist Would Caucus With Democrats, Advisor Says  —  Florida Gov. Charlie Crist would caucus with Senate Democrats if he wins Florida's three-way U.S. Senate contest on Tuesday, a close advisor told Washington Wire Friday.  —  That's a big “if.”  Mr. Crist is trailing Republican candidate Marco Rubio in most polls.

Swamping Murkowski  —  The latest from Alaska's procedural wars:  —  Just hours before the final deadline, more than 100 Alaskans came out Thursday to file as write-in candidates in an effort to thwart Sen. Lisa Murkowski's bid to retain her Senate seat.  —  At the urging of a local talk radio host …

Angle poll data improve  —  Reid countering with huge effort to get out his voters  —  Positioned to pull off the biggest upset in the nation, GOP challenger Sharron Angle heads into Election Day leading Democratic incumbent Sen. Harry Reid by 4 percentage points, says a new poll for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and 8NewsNow.

Poll Shows Americans Don't Know GDP Grew With Tax Cuts and Bailout Profits  —  The Obama administration cut taxes for middle-class Americans, expects to make a profit on the hundreds of billions of dollars spent to rescue Wall Street banks and has overseen an economy that has grown for the past four quarters.

Senator David Vitter refuses to say if he broke law  —  Louisiana Democrats are seizing on Republican Sen. David Vitter's repeated refusals during a debate to say whether he broke the law in connection with a prostitution ring in Washington, D.C.  —  The state Democratic Party on Friday launched …

Tea Party or No, Palin's Popularity Still Lags  —  Sarah Palin's interest in the presidency is not being reciprocated by most Americans: Two-thirds of registered voters in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say she's unqualified for the job, and more than half continue to rate her unfavorably overall.

Farewell to ‘Precinct Reporting’  —  For as long as anyone can remember, television networks and the Associated Press have reported votes on election night by saying, “With x percent of precincts reporting ...” But, this method of reporting election results is about to go the way of the VCR.

Many Dems Expected to Retire — Including Pelosi — if They Lose the House  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives for a press conference on Capitol Hill to discuss Democratic accomplishments during the past congressional session  —  As Nancy Pelosi goes, so might a generation of her colleagues.

DNC Chair: No Sign of GOP Wave in Early Voting  —  Kaine Says Turnout of Registered Democrats Indicates Better-Than-Predicted Performance in Midterms  —  (CBS) The chairman of the Democratic National Committee was optimistic that turnout of registered Democratic in early voting across …

Most troops wouldn't oppose serving with gays  —  A majority of active-duty and reserve service members surveyed by the Defense Department would not object to serving and living alongside openly gay troops, according to multiple people familiar with the findings.

Report: Justice Department tried to hide officials involvement in dismissing voter-intimidation lawsuit  —  The Justice Department has tried to hide the involvement of high-level political officials in the dismissal of a controversial voter-intimidation lawsuit against members of the New Black Panther Party …

Why Business Should Fear the Tea Party  —  CEOs who complain about uncertainties caused by President Obama's policies aren't going to be happy about a new crop of congressman seeking to abolish the Fed.  —  America's business leaders have not exactly shied away from offering political views.

NYT: Jon Stewart's ‘Restore Sanity’ Will ‘Parody’ Glenn Beck's ‘Religious-Themed Rally’  —  Didn't Jon Stewart tell the media “Restore Sanity” was not a response to Glenn Beck?  Yes, he did.  —  According to what the New York Times has dug up, Jon Stewart's “Restore Sanity” …

IDIOCY WATCH.... In 2009, three Americans were detained and imprisoned by the Iranian government while hiking near the Iran/Iraq border.  Two of the three — Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer — remain behind bars, accused of espionage.  —  The United States, of course, wants Iran to set them free …

4-Year-Old Can Be Sued, Judge Rules in Bike Case  —  Citing cases dating back as far as 1928, a judge has ruled that a young girl accused of running down an elderly woman while racing a bicycle with training wheels on a Manhattan sidewalk two years ago can be sued for negligence.

CNN Poll of Polls: Obama's approval rating on the rise?  —  Washington (CNN) -Forty-eight percent of Americans approve of how President Barack Obama is handling his job as president, while 45 percent disapprove of his job performance, according to a CNN Poll of Polls compiled and released on Friday.

How To Tell If Obama Blew the Election, Or If It Was Blown At All  —  Republicans are going to gain a lot of seats in the midterm elections.  The big question is why.  Political punditry has been saturated with arguments interpreting this result as a verdict of sorts on the Obama administration.

GOP Insurgents May Disrupt Leaders' Plans and Go Rogue  —  DLHawthorne  —  I wish ‘gridlock’ was all it is, but I am afraid that the vast majority of people (left, right, and fringe) do not understand that we are rapidly approaching the threshold of political collapse.

A Secret Tea Party Donor Revealed  —  Movement leaders are jetting across the country in a donated plane to rally the tea party troops.  Meet the deep-pocketed GOP donor who owns “Patriot One.”  —  Post Comment  —  If tea party leaders jet around the country in a plane donated by a big GOP contributor …