Debate Swings Door Open for Perry, Closed for Palin  —  Most people have better things to do than to watch a presidential debate eight months in advance of the Iowa caucuses.  So when considering a debate like the one that took place among Republican candidates in New Hampshire tonight, it's important to be mindful of the following:

McDonald is 31st vote for same-sex marriage (updated)  —  Senator Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga, told the Times Union Tuesday that he will back a bill legalizing same-sex marriage.  He becomes the 31st senator to proclaim his public support for the bill.  It needs 32 votes to pass the Senate.

John Boehner invokes War Powers Act  —  House Speaker John Boehner is warning President Barack Obama that he may be in violation of the War Powers Act if Obama refuses to ask Congress for authorization to overthrow Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi.  —  In a letter to Obama today …

Pundit Under Protest  —  I'll be writing a lot about the presidential election over the next 16 months, but at the outset I would just like to remark that I'm opining on this whole campaign under protest.  I'm registering a protest because for someone of my Hamiltonian/National Greatness perspective …

Rick Perry Says Voters Want More Options In GOP Field  —  Keywords:  —  Enlargephoto by: Bob Daemmrich  —  Texas Governor Rick Perry carries his bags off a private plane at the San Antonio International Airport on November 1, 2010.  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in New York …

Motion to Vacate Prop 8 Decision Is Denied  —  U.S. District Court Judge James Ware ruled today that the Aug. 4, 2010, decision by now-retired Judge Vaughn Walker striking down Proposition 8 as unconstitutional could not be vacated — as the proponents of Proposition 8 argued on Monday …

HELLO! exclusive: Mildred Baena, the housekeeper who had a child with Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks out for the first time  —  When it was revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger had a 13-year-old child with a trusted member of the family's domestic staff, the world let out a collective gasp.

Wingnut debt ceiling demands  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — A lot of politicians are weighing in with demands before they'll support raising the debt ceiling.  Most of their conditions are related to debt, such as put in place a debt reduction plan or cut spending.

Allen West Violates Federal Law During Weekend Diving Trip  —  ​There's nothing really bad to say about Rep. Allen West going diving off the coast of Deerfield Beach with a bunch of military veterans — except for the fact that he violated U.S. federal law in the process, and provided pictorial of himself doing so.

Senate keeps $6B in ethanol subsidies in blow to Sen. Coburn  —  The Senate on Tuesday voted against killing off $6 billion in tax breaks for ethanol producers in a vote highlighting the power of anti-tax groups.  —  The measure was backed by Sen. Tom Coburn, a fiscally conservative Republican …

Newt Gingrich Charity Paid Cash To Gingrich For-Profit Business  —  A non-profit charity founded by Newt Gingrich to promote freedom, faith and free enterprise also served as another avenue to promote Gingrich's political views, and came dangerously close, some experts say …

Obama: My family would be fine with just 1 term  —  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says his wife and daughters aren't “invested” in him being president and would have been fine had he decided against running for re-election.  But he says they believe in what he's doing for the country.

Bachmann says she won't seek re-election to Congress, while running for president  —  MINNEAPOLIS - U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's not running for re-election in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District while she's campaigning for the Republican nomination for president.

Mitt Romney: Federal Disaster Relief For Tornado And Flood Victims Is ‘Immoral,’ ‘Makes No Sense At All’  —  Obama meets victims of the Joplin tornado.  —  Asked about federal disaster relief for recent tornado and flood victims at last night's GOP debate, candidate Mitt Romney called the spending …

High Hopes at Miracle-Gro in Medical Marijuana Field  —  Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has long sold weed killer.  Now, it's hoping to help people grow killer weed.  —  In an unlikely move for the head of a major company, Scotts Chief Executive Jim Hagedorn said he is exploring targeting medical marijuana …

Why Sarah Palin Must Run in 2012  —  One of the prevailing debates in the GOP these days (if not the only one) is whether or not Governor Sarah Palin will, or should, run for president.  Not only should she, she must if the GOP has any hope of having a legitimate nominee whom everyone can support for the 2012 election.

Is Every Lesbian Blogger a Middle-Aged Man?  —  We're one lesbian away from a bona fide Fleet Street “trend”.  Further to yesterday's post, a lesbian blogger who helped unmask the Syrian lesbian blogger as a middle-aged American male has herself been revealed to be a middle-aged American male:

Citing his own past, Barney Frank declines to judge Rep. Weiner  —  Citing his own brush with sexual scandal, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said Tuesday that he's in no position to judge the lurid actions of colleague Anthony Weiner.  —  “Given these circumstances, where I was myself engaged …

The True Meaning of Marriage  —  The stampede is on.  Our elected senators who have stood courageous in their refusal to capitulate on the state's presumption to redefine marriage are reporting unrelenting pressure to cave-in.  —  The media, mainly sympathetic to this rush to tamper …

CNN LIVE EVENT/SPECIAL  —  Republican Debate  —  THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT.  THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.  —  JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and the first Republican presidential debate in this first-in-the-nation primary state.