Panel Weighs Deep Cuts in Tax Breaks and Spending  —  WASHINGTON — A draft proposal to be released Wednesday by the chairmen of President Obama's bipartisan commission on reducing the federal debt calls for deep cuts in domestic and military spending starting in 2012, and an overhaul of the tax code to raise revenue.

Miller sues to force exact spelling rule for write-in votes  —  JUNEAU — GOP nominee Joe Miller is asking a federal judge to keep the state from using discretion in counting write-in ballots in Alaska's hotly contested Senate race.  —  The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, comes …

DAVID B. OFFER: Collins optimistic that moderation is key to success by Congress  —  The votes were barely counted last week before national columnists and pundits began analyzing the impact of the Republican victories.  Many predicted more gridlock.  —  “Moderate Republicans will be less likely …

House Republican: Bush ‘destroyed GOP’  —  Former President George W. Bush is no “class act,” a Republican lawmaker insisted Wednesday.  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) said Bush had “destroyed” the GOP during his eight years in office in a blunt shot at the former Republican president …

More federal workers' pay tops $150,000  —  The number of federal workers earning $150,000 or more a year has soared tenfold in the past five years and doubled since President Obama took office, a USA TODAY analysis finds.  —  The fast-growing pay of federal employees has captured the attention …

There is no report from the fiscal commission  —  Here is the most important fact about the proposal released by the co-chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform: It is not the commission's report.  And here is the second most important fact to remember …

Controversy over Palin's cookie comments at Pa. school  —  sarah palin, tea party, bucks county, pennsylvania, inside politics  —  Call it “Cookiegate”.  Sarah Palin is baking up a little controversy in Pennsylvania.  She was the guest speaker last night at a fundraiser at Plumstead Christian School in Plumstead Township.

Proposed Cigarette Product Warning Labels  —  Overview  —  The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) requires that cigarette packages and advertisements have larger and more visible graphic health warnings.  —  FDA issued a proposed rule …

Exclusive: Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito Dismisses His Profligate Right-Wing Fundraising As ‘Not Important’  —  Last night, the American Spectator — a right-wing magazine known for its role in the “Arkansas Project,” a well-funded effort to invent stories with the goal …

John Boehner to fly commercial as speaker  —  House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday he intends to take commercial flights home when he moves up to speaker in the new Congress.  —  “Over the last 20 years, I have flown back and forth to my district on commercial aircraft …

Video: Christie names names in fight against inflated education salaries  —  “The new poster boy for all that's wrong with the public-school system...”  —  As part of his efforts to reform public school systems in New Jersey and apply resources more directly to students …

Carlson sent fake ‘Olbermann’ emails to Philly columnist  —  Tucker Carlson boasted in July that his site, the Daily Caller, had bought the domain name for liberal MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.  Carlson, a conservative journalist and pundit, even said he would start using the email address keith@keitholbermann.com as a gag.

LaHood Threatens to Take High Speed Rail Stimulus from OH, WI  —  My favorite cabinet secretary is the one who knows how to play hardball with Republican obstructionists, who knows the leverage he holds and is not afraid to use it.  I guess that's because he's the only Republican in the cabinet*.

New GOP chief of staff calls Pelosi ‘garbage’  —  A newly named GOP chief of staff called the outgoing Democratic majority — and in particular Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) — “garbage.”  —  Joyce Kaufman, the incoming chief of staff to Rep.-elect Allen West (R-Fla.), said …

Mea Culpa: I Put Keith Olbermann on National TV  —  This YouTube video reminded me that I was the person who introduced Keith Olbermann to America.  —  Keith was a sportscaster at the local CBS affiliate in Los Angeles at the same time I was doing a talk show for that network.

Wall Street Collects $4 Billion From Taxpayers as Swaps Backfire  —  The subprime mortgage crisis isn't the only calamity Wall Street created that's upending the finances of U.S. states and cities.  —  For more than a decade, banks and insurance companies convinced governments and nonprofits …

Lou Dobbs joining Fox Business Network  —  Just about a year to the day that he left CNN, Lou Dobbs is returning to cable news, this time as host of his own show on News Corp.'s Fox Business Network.  —  Fox Business Network is expected to announce that it has signed Dobbs as early as Wednesday afternoon.

Obama officials moving away from 2011 Afghan date  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has decided to begin publicly walking away from what it once touted as key deadlines in the war in Afghanistan in an effort to de-emphasize President Barack Obama's pledge that he'd begin withdrawing U.S. forces …

Liberalism  —  Jon Chait had a good post this morning about how there's no contradiction between Barack Obama praising the liberalization of the Indian economy and also being a liberal in the US political context.  Indeed, one hint might be that the letter-string “l-i-b-e-r-a-l” occurs in both terms.

The Onion Strikes Comic Gold With Biden Parodies  —  Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has never smashed a Whac-A-Mole game in a drunken fit.  He has never invoked Freedom of Information laws to find out a female federal employee's work schedule.  And to the best of anyone's knowledge …

Attorney General Eric Holder: ‘Close to a Decision’ on 9/11 Trials  —  New York City for Sept. 11 Trials?  Obama Administration Poised to Decide  —  Attorney General Eric Holder said today that he is “close to a decision” on where and how to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

John King's magical wall sent him over the edge just days before the election  —  Tweet  —  CNN anchor John King's “magic wall” sent him over the edge when his beloved touch screen jammed.  —  The DC-based anchor had a meltdown while anchoring his 7 p.m. show, “John King USA,” …