Bachmann-Perry Overdrive  —  GOP voters are still searching for a unifying candidate.  —  The fight for the Republican Presidential nomination is finally getting underway in earnest, with Texas Governor Rick Perry bull-riding his way into the race and Michele Bachmann winning Saturday's straw poll in Iowa.

Stop Coddling the Super-Rich  —  OUR leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.”  But when they did the asking, they spared me.  I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting.  They, too, were left untouched.  —  While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan …

A Businessman in Congress Helps His District and Himself  —  VISTA, Calif. — Here on the third floor of a gleaming office building overlooking a golf course in the rugged foothills north of San Diego, Darrell Issa, the entrepreneur, oversees the hub of a growing financial empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Ed Rendell: Hillary Clinton can't resist White House run  —  Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said on Monday he doesn't believe Hillary Clinton is ready to retire from public life and the possibility of someday becoming the first female president “would probably be too much for her to resist.”

Mitt Romney Dubs Obama's Trip the ‘Magical Misery Bus Tour’  —  ABC News' Emily Friedman (@EmilyABC) reports:  —  A new web video and harsh criticism emerged from the Mitt Romney camp today as President Barack Obama launched his three-day bus tour that will make stops in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois.

Another tight Wisconsin recall  —  While last week's Wisconsin votes on recalling Republican state senators drew national attention, the votes tomorrow on recalling three Democrats is worth keeping an eye on.  —  Sources on both sides tell me they expect Democrats to struggle …

Exit Tim Pawlenty  —  AMES, Iowa — If things had gone a little differently in 2008, John McCain would have ignored the advice of Lindsey Graham, and his gut, and chosen the safest possible running mate.  That would have been Tim Pawlenty, the two-term governor of Minnesota.

Wall Street big lavished gifts on mistresses in three countries: wife  —  He's an aging Wall Street fat cat who could put even the most lusty young lothario to shame.  —  John Duffy, 62, the married CEO of the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods investment bank, has lavished millions of dollars' worth of homes …

Bill Clinton: Rick Perry is a ‘Good-Looking Rascal,’ But His Platform ‘Is Crazy’  —  Bill Clinton at the IAFF conference in Manahttan on August 15, 2011.  (photo credit: azi paybarah / observer)  —  Bill Clinton said newly announced presidential candidate, Republican Governor Rick of Texas was a …

Verizon wins injunction against striking workers after reports of vandalism, violence and harrassment  —  No vandalism.  No violence.  No Harassment.  No Obstruction.  No intimidating.  No threatening.  No Blocking.  No Trespassing.  Those were just a few of the restrictions placed …

All He Is Saying Is, Give War A Chance  —  Former Enron advisor Paul Krugman outlined his latest stimulus idea on Fareed Zakaria's Sunday talkie:  —  It's very hard to get inflation in a depressed economy.  But if you had a program of government spending plus an expansionary policy by the Fed, you could get that.