Welcome, Union Brothers and Sisters  —  In my speech on Saturday in Iowa, I said: “Between bailouts for Wall Street cronies and stimulus projects for union bosses' security and ‘green energy’ giveaways, [Barack Obama] took care of his friends.  And now they're on course to raise a billion dollars …

Obama ratings sink to new lows as hope fades  —  Public pessimism about the direction of the country has jumped to its highest level in nearly three years, erasing the sense of hope that followed President Obama's inauguration and pushing his approval ratings to a record low, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

They like him  —  There's a deluge of terrible poll numbers for the White House today, but I think this one from our Battleground Poll is the most interesting:  —  Obama receives particularly low marks for his economic stewardship, with only 39 percent saying they approve and 59 percent saying they disapprove.

World Ends Today; Markets to Close Early?  —  The news out of Europe yesterday and this morning somehow puts me in mind of the long opening sequence in the John Landis feature film rendering of The Twilight Zone, in which Dan Ackroyd says to Albert Brooks, “You want to see something really scary?”

Janet Napolitano: Shoes-on flight in sight  —  Air travelers will eventually be able to keep their shoes on to pass through security, but the restrictions on carrying liquids on board are likely to remain in place for some time, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told a POLITICO Playbook breakfast Tuesday.

Ron Paul to attack Rick Perry in new ad  —  Ron Paul is taking on Rick Perry in a new television ad blasting the Texas governor for for supporting Al Gore's 1988 presidential campaign, POLITICO has learned.  —  The 60-second spot, backed by a six-figure ad buy — the first negative ad attacking Perry …

Baldwin slams Washington, Madison in first campaign speech  —  Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) used her first conference call as a Senate candidate as a populist attack on politicians in both Washington, D.C., and Madison, her hometown, accusing them as being “tone-deaf” and ignoring issues important to middle-class voters.

Why are three free-trade deals languishing on Obama's desk?  —  According to the White House, President Obama has been huddling with advisers on a jobs plan he'll present to Congress this week.  One thing he could do immediately is finalize the free-trade deals with Colombia …

The 2012 Election Will Come Down to Seven States  —  National polls are nice, but Electoral College math is what matters.  —  Straw polls, real polls, debates, caucuses, primaries—that's the public side of presidential campaigns 14 months before Election Day.

Pelosi drops the word ‘stimulus’  —  Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Democrats have dropped the word stimulus from their vocabulary.  —  Though the House minority leader and her caucus are still pushing an economic stimulus agenda to save the economy, they've radically changed …

Leak Offers Look at Efforts by U.S. to Spy on Israel  —  WASHINGTON — When Shamai K. Leibowitz, an F.B.I. translator, was sentenced to 20 months in prison last year for leaking classified information to a blogger, prosecutors revealed little about the case.  They identified the blogger in court papers only as “Recipient A.”

Exclusive Audio: Inside the Koch Brothers' Secret Seminar  —  Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of this report, on the GOP superstar who rocked the Koch seminar crowd.  —  “We have Saddam Hussein,” declared billionaire industrialist Charles Koch, apparently referring to President Barack Obama …

Europeans Talk of Sharp Change in Fiscal Affairs  —  As leaders in Europe try to contain a deepening financial crisis, they are also increasingly talking about making fundamental changes to the way their 17-nation economic union works.  —  The idea is to create a central financial authority …

EXCLUSIVE: Palin's surprise visit delights bride and groom  —  On the eve of Sarah Palin's speech before the Tea Party Express in New Hampshire, the former Alaska Governor shocked diners and delighted wedding guests by making an unannounced visit to The Puritan Backroom restaurant for some of their famous chicken fingers.

We Interview Vice President Joe Biden: He Owns a '67 Corvette and Loves Smoky Burnouts  —  America's vice president owns a '67 Corvette, and though he's not allowed to drive, he still enjoys the occasional smoky burnout.  —  C/D: You're the son of a car salesman?  —  JB: For 34 years, my dad managed dealerships in Delaware.

My Unfinished 9/11 Business  —  Ten years after the attacks, we memorialize the loss and we mark the heroism, but there is no organized remembrance of the other feelings that day aroused: the bewilderment, the vulnerability, the impotence.  It may be difficult to recall with our attention …

About Jeffrey Goldberg  —  Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for the Atlantic, is the author of “Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror.”  He was formerly a Washington correspondent and a Middle East correspondent for the New Yorker.  —  Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg

Arizona's Case Against the Voting Rights Act  —  As ballot restrictions multiply, the state is bringing a lawsuit against the right to vote  —  In the past few years, the right to vote—basic to any real democratic self-government—has become controversial again.

'People Don't Realize How Fragile Democracy Really Is'  —  Two days ago I mentioned the “Goodbye to All That” essay by Mike Lofgren, a respected (including by me) veteran Congressional staffer who had worked for Republican legislators on defense and budget issues for nearly 30 years.

In Jobs Data, “Surprises” Mean Bad News  —  Friday's jobs report was suggestive of an economy at stall speed.  The United States neither added or subtracted jobs in August, according to the initial estimates from government's establishment survey.  The numbers hadn't been good before …