Bush: “I probably won't even vote for McCain”  —  George W. Bush's bombastic return to the world stage has reminded me of my favourite Bush anecdote, which for various reasons we couldn't publish at the time.  Some of the witnesses still dine out on it.  —  The venue was the Oval Office.

Mystery Missile Launch Seen off Calif. Coast  —  Military Mum on Nature of “Big Missile” Rising Out of Pacific - a Possible Show of U.S. Military Might  —  (CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night …

Absentee ballot count gets under way  —  From Sean Cockerham at the Alaska Division of Elections office in Anchorage-  —  We've got our first numbers, showing Joe Miller making small gains on Lisa Murkowski.  But they are from only three Anchorage districts, including ones where the military vote is heavy.

Democrats want leadership elections delayed  —  (CNN) - Two House Democrats are circulating a letter asking Democratic leaders to push their party's leadership elections for the next Congress until December.  —  Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D- Ohio) and Peter Defazio (D-Oregon) say in the letter that the …

Republicans Maneuver to Oust Their Leader  —  WASHINGTON — Turning their attention to the 2012 presidential election, Republican leaders are digging in for a battle over control of the Republican National Committee, judging that its role in fund-raising, get-out-the-vote operations and other tasks …

Alvin Greene mulls presidential bid  —  'Maybe.  I'll have to see,' Alvin Greene said about running for president.  —  Alvin Greene might run for president.  —  Greene, the unlikely Democratic Senate nominee in South Carolina who lost overwhelmingly to Republican Sen. Jim DeMint last week …

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH, THE FAMOUS, AND THE NEW JERSEY GOVERNORS.... New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), a media darling and favorite of many Republican activists, has a penchant for complaining about wasteful government spending and public employees who abuse the system and fail to respect the taxpayers footing the bills.

House Republicans Name Program That Already Expired As First Spending Item They Would Cut  —  ThinkProgress has been documenting the struggles that House Republicans have been having as they attempt to claim the mantle of fiscal responsibility without laying out any real spending cuts to which anyone might object.

As Book Tour Begins, George W. Bush's Favorable Rating at 44%  —  Nearly two years after leaving office, Bush's image remains more negative than positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As he begins promoting his new memoir “Decision Points,” former President George W. Bush receives a 44% favorable and 53% unfavorable rating from Americans.

Report: White House edited to favor drilling ban  —  The White House rewrote crucial sections of an Interior Department report to suggest an independent group of scientists and engineers supported a six-month ban on offshore oil drilling, the Interior inspector general says in a new report.

Presidential Power Rankings  —  The Hotline assesses which potential White House contenders are most likely to win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.  —  Welcome to The Hotline's inaugural edition of Presidential Power Rankings.  —  Who is best positioned to win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination?

The Myth of Record-High Gold  —  2:14 p.m. |  Updated with more detail  —  “Gold sets record high amid economic fears,” The Associated Press recently wrote.  “Gold surges to record high,” CNN said.  Gold closed Monday “at a record $1,402.80 per troy ounce,” the front page of The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Progressives don't really get progress, but the American people do  —  Progressives claim to have a monopoly on progress - designed by intellectuals who ‘know better’ and brought about by a big, beneficent government.  But Americans voted in last week's elections that this brand …

First Salvo In Social Security Fight: OweNo, A $20 Million Campaign Launched With Bayh, Conrad As Allies  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — In what may be the first major move of the forthcoming Social Security debate, the Peterson Foundation launched on Tuesday a $20 million TV ad campaign …

Wiggins takes lead in WA Supreme Court race  —  Charlie Wiggins took a slim lead Tuesday over incumbent Justice Richard Sanders after trailing him for nearly a week of vote counting in the race for state Supreme Court.  —  Wiggins had a 3,517-vote lead following the vote count update from King County …

No charges in destruction of CIA videotapes, Justice Department says  —  No one will face criminal charges for the destruction of CIA videotapes depicting harsh interrogations of terrorism suspects during the Bush administration, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Jeff Rubin: Oil and the End of Globalization - ASPO-USA  —  One of the keynote speakers at the recent ASPO-USA conference was Jeff Rubin, former Chief Economist with CIBC World Market.  Rubin talked about why he believes high oil prices caused the recent recession.

Social Conservative Bryan Fischer: Get Rid Of The ‘Curse’ That Is The Grizzly Bear  —  Bryan Fischer really hates it when animals attack.  Like, hates it so much that he thinks we'd be better off without them.  —  Which is why Fischer, who is the “Director of Issues Analysis” …

Cigna CEO: Don't repeal U.S. health law  —  (Reuters) - Repealing the new U.S. healthcare law would be a waste of time, but there is room to improve it, the chief executive of health insurer Cigna Corp (CI.N) said on Tuesday.  —  “I don't think it's in our society's best interest to expend energy …

Court: No campaign finance limits for small groups  —  DENVER—A federal appellate court on Tuesday deemed unconstitutional Colorado's voter-approved campaign reporting requirement for small groups promoting ballot initiatives, raising hopes that the ruling could be used to overturn similar requirements …

Schools Chancellor Klein to Join News Corp.  —  New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein is resigning to join News Corp., ending an eight-year reign at the helm of the nation's largest school system.  —  In his place, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to announce Cathie Black, chairwoman of Hearst Magazines.

Olbermann's First Words Back On Air: “Oh, Hi! ...  So, What's New?”  —  A camera lingers on a darkened, seemingly empty set.  There are a few long seconds of tense silence.  Then, from off-screen, we hear a familiar voice: “Oh, hi! ...  So, what's new?”  —  That's how Keith Olbermann opened …