Where we and Democrats can work together  —  When congressional leaders of both parties meet at the White House today, all of us will have an opportunity to show the American people that we got the message of the elections earlier this month.  —  Republicans heard the voters loud and clear.

GOP should take on Palin  —  Republicans have a problem.  The most-talked-about figure in the GOP is a reality show star who cannot be elected.  And yet the same leaders who fret that Sarah Palin could devastate their party in 2012 are too scared to say in public what they all complain about in private.

Mullen Endorses Working Group's Report  —  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today fully endorsed the report of the working group that assessed the impact of a possible repeal of the law that bans gay men and women from serving openly in the military. ...

Hot mic picks up discussion on Senate floor: 'It's all rigged'  —  A hot mic left on during a Senate vote Tuesday morning on the Food Safety Act caught a senator complaining that process of setting the agenda during the lame-duck session is “rigged.”  —  “It's all rigged.

In slideshow, Rep. Joe Barton declares war on the Obama administration  —  If the Obama administration was hoping to see hints of bipartisanship from the Hill, it might want to skip over the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  —  The committee's ranking Republican, Rep. Joe L. Barton …

‘These people are living in a dream world’  —  A disgruntled private-sector worker writes in: … To get a sense of where this anger comes from, consider these two graphs.  The first tracks private-sector employment between 2007 and 2010:  —  The second looks at federal workers over the same time period:

Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation's food-safety system, after recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach sickened thousands and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight.

Tea Party Nation President Says It ‘Makes A Lot Of Sense’ To Restrict Voting Only To Property Owners  —  Every week, the Tea Party Nation hosts a weekly radio program, calling itself a “home for conservatives.”  Two weeks ago, Tea Party Nation President Judson Phillips hosted the program …

Where Anonymity Breeds Contempt  —  THERE you are, peacefully reading an article or watching a video on the Internet.  You finish, find it thought-provoking, and scroll down to the comments section to see what other people thought.  And there, lurking among dozens of well-intentioned opinions, is a troll.

Simpson and Bowles Defy Executive Order, Want to Delay Catfood Commission Vote  —  For most of the week, you could see the wheels coming off of the Catfood Commission.  First we heard that “they may surprise us,” but then there was this moving of the goalposts.

Cantor: Popular parts of health law will be tackled in GOP repeal plan  —  House Republicans are looking to repeal the healthcare reform law and replace it with one of their own early next year without interrupting two popular parts of it that the administration has already begun to be implement.

Items Stolen John Conyers' Government-Registered Cadillac  —  Vehicle driven by Congressman's 20-year-old son  —  DETROIT (WJBK) - The son of Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., says items were stolen out of the government vehicle he was driving last Wednesday in downtown Detroit, FOX 2's Simon Shaykhet reports.

Celebrating Secession Without the Slaves  —  ATLANTA — The Civil War, the most wrenching and bloody episode in American history, may not seem like much of a cause for celebration, especially in the South.  —  And yet, as the 150th anniversary of the four-year conflict gets under way …

Suspect in sex assault case won pardon in 2008  —  Cleared by a panel that included Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Jeremy Giefer is now accused of assaulting a second girl hundreds of times before and after he received his pardon.  —  Two years ago, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and two other officials pardoned Jeremy Giefer …

THE GOP PRIMARIES OF 12 WILL BE HELD ON FOX NEWS  —  The Republican nominating process of 2012 will be totally different from that of other years.  In fact, it will be the opposite of what we are used to.  —  Since the procedural reforms initiated by Democrat George McGovern …

GOP Reps Blast Smithsonian Exhibit Featuring Ant-Covered Jesus on Cross  —  An image with Jesus covered in ants from the video “A Fire in My Belly,” part of the ‘Hide/Seek’ exhibit at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.  —  UPDATE: In a statement released on Tuesday, Martin Sullivan …

Jeb Bush: Obama Should Take ‘A Three-Month Vacation’  —  How can America cure its economic recession?  —  One solution, according to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is for President Barack Obama to “just chill” and take “a three-month vacation.”  —  In a wide-ranging interview …

Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama: Be independent  —  Jimmy Carter wants to see President Barack Obama drop his efforts at bipartisanship during the next two years, and he thinks the president will heed his call.  —  “In the next two years, President Obama will be much more independent …

Yodelling offends praying Muslims, say judges  —  An Austrian has been fined for yodelling while mowing his lawn, according to a report.  —  The Kronen Zeitung newspaper claims Helmut G. was told by a court in Graz, Styria, that his yodelling offended his next-door Muslim neighbours.

Maryland Gov. O'Malley to head DGA  —  Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to become the new head of the Democratic Governors Association, a source with knowledge of the appointment confirmed to The Ballot Box.  —  O'Malley and the rest of the DGA's incoming leadership team will be unveiled Wednesday at an event in Washington.

Tempers Flare At Kentucky Unemployment Office As Benefits Expire For Thousands  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … WASHINGTON — Tempers flared at an unemployment office in Louisville, Ky. as the end nears for federally-funded extended jobless benefits.  —  Local CBS affiliate WLKY captured …

Family: New Jersey man serving 7 years for guns he owned legally  —  EVERYTHING Brian Aitken was or had worked for was wiped away one winter afternoon after his mother called the police on him.  —  Separated from his wife, the entrepreneur and media consultant, now 27 …