Romney's plan to beat Perry  —  DOVER, N.H.  —  Rick Perry may have jumped to the front of the GOP pack in national polls, but here in first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Mitt Romney still holds an 18-point lead.  When I asked Romney about Perry during a recent campaign swing through the Granite State …

White House Issues Guides on Sept. 11 Observances  —  WASHINGTON — The White House has issued detailed guidelines to government officials on how to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, with instructions to honor the memory of those who died on American soil but also to recall …

No, Bachmann did not ask a crowd, ‘Who likes white people?’  —  An edited video that makes it appear as if Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann asked an Iowa crowd, “Who likes white people?” is quickly spreading around the Web.  However, if you watch the full …

Doubting Thomas No More  —  The conventional wisdom on Justice Clarence Thomas is that he is an unimaginative intellectual featherweight and a clown.  The way in which his reputation was traduced in his confirmation hearings and his notorious lack of interest in participating in oral arguments are cited as evidence.

Three minutes, two teleprompters  —  President Obama required two heavy-duty teleprompters on Monday during a three-minute speech in which he nominated Alan Krueger to serve as chairman of his Council of Economic Advisers.  —  “I am very pleased to appoint Alan and I look forward to working with him …

Black leaders turn up heat on Obama  —  If there's anything close to a political certainty in 2012, it's that Barack Obama will get more than 90 percent of the African-American vote.  —  But that doesn't mean every black Obama supporter will vote for him happily - nor does it guarantee …

Isi Leibler  —  Justifying murder - an abomination  —  Since the Middle Ages, and even before, we have encountered marginal Jews who turned against their own people.  Among apostates to Christianity there were those who wrote inflammatory libels against the Jewish people, paving the way for pogroms …

The Gibson Guitar Saga Gets Steadily Curiouser  —  These days, you can't keep up with all the news.  There is just too much going on.  So inevitably, there are interesting stories that you have to catch up with when you can, like a moving train.  The Justice Department's raid on four Gibson guitar factories is in that category.

Joe McQuaid's Publisher's Notes  —  The waitresses at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester weren't happy with the Mitt Romney picture they have on their wall of fame.  It's out of focus, they told him the other morning.  —  As he was about to leave, one of them grabbed him by the arm.

Israel says Gaza gets anti-plane arms from Libya  —  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinians in Gaza have acquired anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets from Libya during its six-month civil war, enlarging but not significantly improving their arsenal, Israeli officials said on Monday.

The Case Against a Payroll Tax Cut  —  Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.  —  It's rare for Republicans to find a tax cut they don't support, but last week …

Christine O'Donnell will speak before Sarah Palin at Iowa tea party rally Saturday  —  Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell waves before giving her concession speech in the U.S. Senate race in this Nov. 2, 2010 file photo from Dover, Del. (AP photo)  —  Tea party-backed activist Christine O'Donnell …

Warren Buffett, hypocrite  —  This one's truly, uh ... rich: Billionaire Warren Buffett says folks like him should have to pay more taxes — but it turns out his firm, Berkshire Hathaway, hasn't paid what it's already owed for years.  —  That's right: As Americans for Limited Government …

WikiLeaks  —  Related articles, background features and opinions about this topic.  —  Leak at WikiLeaks  —  Accidental Release of US Cables Endangers Sources  —  Supporters of Julian Assange's WikiLeaks organization accidentally released unredacted US diplomatic cables onto the Internet.

Chinese tycoon seeks to buy tract of Iceland  —  By Andrew Ward in Stockholm and Leslie Hook in Beijing  —  A Chinese tycoon plans to buy a vast tract of Icelandic land for a $100m tourism project which critics fear could give Beijing a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.

One in four Democrats wants to dump Obama  —  A new poll by CNN and ORC International finds that 27 percent of Democrats would like to see their party nominate a candidate other than Barack Obama for president in 2012.  —  In response to the question, “Do you think the Democratic party …