Debt ceiling vote: John Boehner down to the wire with vote count  —  John Boehner is down to the one-on-one meetings with Republicans.  —  With just hours to go before a critical debt limit vote, the speaker is pulling Republicans off the floor and meeting with them in his ceremonial office …

Obama Loses Ground in 2012 Reelection Bid  —  In GOP, Romney Leads, Attentive Like Perry, Bachmann Most Visible  —  OVERVIEW  —  The sizeable lead Barack Obama held over a generic Republican opponent in polls conducted earlier this year has vanished as his support among independent voters has fallen off.

New NASA Data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism  —  NASA satellite data from the years 2000 through 2011 show the Earth's atmosphere is allowing far more heat to be released into space than alarmist computer models have predicted, reports a new study in the peer-reviewed science journal Remote Sensing.

Payback may be coming for congressman's ‘disloyalty’  —  U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan's open defiance of Speaker John Boehner's efforts to solve the debt-ceiling crisis could cost the Urbana Republican his safe seat in next year's election.  —  Two Republican sources deeply involved in configuring …

Rep. Joe Walsh Defends Not Paying $117,000 In Child Support: ‘This Is Where Real America Is’  —  Last night the Chicago Sun-Times broke the story that Tea Party freshman Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), who has spent months lecturing President Obama and Democrats on fiscal responsibility …

Why the Tea Party is unyielding on the debt ceiling  —  The liberal media have gone to warp speed in their defense of President Obama and their attacks on the Tea Party.  We are “extreme” and “dangerous.”  Republicans are “afraid of” the Tea Party.  And more.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry: “Obviously gay marriage is not fine with me...”  —  Last week in Aspen, Colorado, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas addressed New York's new same-sex marriage law by saying “That's New York, and that's their business, and that's fine with me...”

EXCLUSIVE: AWOL Soldier Arrested Over Concerns of Possible Second Attack On Fort Hood  —  At least one U.S. military serviceman has been arrested after raising concerns over another possible attack on Fort Hood, Fox News has learned exclusively.  —  Pvt. Nasser Jason Abdo …

Cataracts, hips, knees and tonsils: NHS begins rationing operations  —  Almost two-thirds of trusts affected as cuts bite  —  Hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removal are among operations now being rationed in a bid to save the NHS money.  —  Two-thirds of health trusts …

Remember World War I  —  Like most American spectators watching this slow-motion train wreck of a budget disaster, I have assumed that at the last minute the damsel would be pulled off the track of the oncoming train.  Somehow, the Republicans would appreciate the stakes, a compromise …

Gov. Christie is taken to hospital after having difficulty breathing  —  SOMERVILLE — Gov. Chris Christie was hospitalized this morning after he complained of having trouble breathing, according to the governor's office.  —  A spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said Christie suffers from asthma …

Please stop waiting for the ‘old’ McCain  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) delivered some noteworthy remarks on the Senate floor yesterday, mocking some of his own party's more extreme members.  You know what that means, right?  Time for another media swoon.  —  Here's the Washington Post's …

3 ways Obama could bypass Congress  —  Editor's note: Jack M. Balkin is Knight Professor of Constitutional Law at Yale Law School.  His latest book is “Constitutional Redemption: Political Faith in an Unjust World” (Harvard University Press 2011).  —  New Haven, Connecticut (CNN) — Very soon, Congress will raise the debt ceiling.

Congressional Freshmen - For Such A Time As This  —  Out here in proverbial politico flyover country, we little folk are watching the debt ceiling debate with great interest and concern.  Today I re-read the open letter I wrote to Republican Freshman Members of Congress in November 2010 …

GOP aims to gut Christmas, White House alleges  —  House Speaker and national grinch John Boehner is planing to spoil Christmas, White House officials are claiming, as they try to head off passage of Boehner's two-stage debt ceiling bill.  —  “Happy Holidays America: Boehner plan …

Whatever The Outcome Of The Debt Vote, The Age Of Austerity Is Here  —  Whatever the outcome of Thursday's projected House vote on Speaker Boehner's debt plan, this process has already ended the political life of one prominent member of the Washington establishment: John Maynard Keynes.