Behind delayed summit: Republican distrust of President Obama  —  The roots of the partisan standoff that led to the postponement of the bipartisan White House summit scheduled for Thursday date back to January, when President Barack Obama crashed a GOP meeting in Baltimore to deliver a humiliating rebuke of House Republicans.

The Palin Network  —  On the night of the midterm elections earlier this month, Sarah Palin stayed up until 3 in the morning.  From her hotel bedroom in Manhattan, she and her husband, Todd, followed the returns while she wrote e-mails on her iPad — congratulating winners, consoling losers …

Payroll tax holiday and other measures to reduce the debt  —  This morning, a bipartisan task force that we co-chair unveils a bold, comprehensive plan to dramatically reduce America's deficits and debt and strengthen our economy, enabling the nation to reclaim its future.

Roger Ailes Lets Rip  —  In an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast, the Fox News chief says Obama thinks differently from most Americans, defends Murdoch's GOP donations, and admits Beck sometimes goes too far.  —  In the media world, as in politics, having a high-profile target can be a very good thing.

Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber $86 Million Used to Oppose Obama's Health Law  —  Health insurers last year gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $86.2 million that was used to oppose the health-care overhaul law, according to tax records and people familiar with the donation.

Pretty Good for Government Work  —  My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly.  I've been remiss.  —  Let me remind you why I'm writing.  Just over two years ago, in September 2008, our country faced an economic meltdown.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the pillars that supported …

Has Airport Security Gone Too Far?  —  Pilots and travelers are rebelling against scanners that douse them with X-rays and reveal their private parts.  There must be a better way.  —  In May, Transportation Security Administration screener Rolando Negrin pummeled a co-worker with his government-issued baton.

Bristol Palin's dancing on TV set off man in standoff, complaint says  —  Allegedly set off by Bristol Palin's appearance on “Dancing with the Stars,” a rural Black Earth man kept police at bay outside his home for 15 hours Monday and Tuesday before he surrendered to police.

Michael Bloomberg & Joe Scarborough: The Independent Odd Couple  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — There's no campaign yet, and there may never be, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and MSNBC's morning talk-show host Joe Scarborough have begun trying to figure out whether …

Murkowski's lead more than 10,000 votes  —  Today's review of write-in ballots ended with Sen. Lisa Murkowski enjoying an apparently insurmountable 10,420-vote lead over Joe Miller.  —  Murkowski also now has collected more votes that went unchallenged by Miller ballot observers than Miller's total vote count.

Obama wants DREAM Act in lame duck  —  President Barack Obama told Democratic members of Congress Tuesday he wants the DREAM Act passed in the lame duck session as a “down payment” on substantial immigration reform, according to members at the meeting.  —  And, he said, he'd call resistant senators to get them on board.

Rare Honor for a Living Service Member  —  WASHINGTON — In an emotional ceremony, President Obama on Tuesday awarded the Medal of Honor to an Army staff sergeant who placed himself in the line of fire in Afghanistan to try to save his squad mates and to protect and comfort a dying American soldier.

Republican Proposal Takes Aim at Fed's Dual Role  —  WASHINGTON — Criticism of the Federal Reserve intensified on Tuesday as conservative Republican lawmakers called for limiting the central bank's mandate to keeping inflation low.  They said that the Fed should stop trying to pursue …

Dems vent to leaders as losses set in  —  House Democrats held a marathon venting session Tuesday as they tried to come to grips with a devastating midterm election that swept their caucus out of power.  —  The gathering was the first for the entire caucus since the election …

The Bald Racism Of Rush Limbaugh  —  The image above appears on Rush Limbaugh's Web site.  Is any American more adept at exploiting racial dog whistles?  It's always egregious enough to be calculatingly offensive, but never quite an open and shut case, because most of all the talk radio host revels …

Are Democrats Becoming a Two-State Party?  —  Percentage of Democratic U.S. House Seats from California and New York soars to a record high of 28.1 percent after the 2010 elections  —  Despite losing six U.S. House seats in New York on November 2nd (with defeats in NY-01 and NY-25 still tentative) …

Tax Carbon Consumption  —  Recently Paul Krugman argued that the only realistic solution to our long-term fiscal problem is some combination of death panels and sales taxes.  Specifically, on the revenue side “we'll need more revenue — several percent of GDP — which might most plausibly come from a value-added tax.”

Republican fiscal hawks avoid Appropriations Committee like the plague  —  Turns out they're all talk and no action: … Yeah, be careful what you ask for.  You get elected grandstanding about government overspending, you might actually have to ... you know, put your name to specifics on where to cut government spending.