PERRY BLOSSOMS AS BACHMANN WILTS IN VIRGINIA GOP RACE, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY POLL FINDS; ROMNEY, PERRY BOTH NECK AND NECK WITH OBAMA  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry leads former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the presidential choice of Virginia Republicans 25 - 19 percent, with U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann …

Some Democrats Are Balking at Obama's Jobs Bill  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama anticipated Republican resistance to his jobs program, but he is now meeting increasing pushback from his own party.  Many Congressional Democrats, smarting from the fallout over the 2009 stimulus bill …

What should the White House do?  Panic!  —  Editor's note: James Carville is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN's “The Situation Room” as well as other programs on all CNN networks.  Carville remains active in Democratic politics and is a party fundraiser.

Seeing Ripple in Jewish Vote  —  WASHINGTON — Not since Jimmy Carter in 1980 has a Democrat running for president failed to win a lopsided majority of the Jewish vote.  This has been true during times of peace or war, and even when there has been deep acrimony between the White House and the Israeli government.

Books of The Times: Joe McGinniss's ‘The Rogue,’ on Sarah Palin - Review  —  On May 22, 2010, Joe McGinniss moved into a strategically well-situated house in Wasilla, Alaska.  It was next door to the home of former Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, but that understates the highly exploitable proximity of the two places.

Crony Capitalism on Steroids from GE to Solyndra  —  In my recent speech in Iowa, some eyebrows were raised when I took on our government's enormous economic problems caused by crony capitalism.  As if on cue, just days later President Obama selected someone who exemplifies …

Report: ‘Romneycare’ a jobs killer  —  Study finds Bay State lost thousands of jobs  —  The Bay State's controversial 2006 universal health-care plan — also known as “Romneycare” — has cost Massachusetts more than 18,000 jobs, according to an exclusive blockbuster study that could provide ammo …

Should Faking a Name on Facebook Be a Felony?  —  Congress contemplates draconian punishment for Internet lies.  —  Imagine that President Obama could order the arrest of anyone who broke a promise on the Internet.  So you could be jailed for lying about your age or weight on an Internet dating site.

UPDATED: Right-Wing Lip Readers Take Michelle Obama Derangement Syndrome To A Whole New Level  —  UPDATE: Kristina Schake, communications director for First Lady Michelle Obama, made the following statement about these attacks: … Before today, when the right-wing media made up quotations …

Attack Watch, new Obama campaign site to ‘fight smears,’ becomes laughing stock of the Internet  —  As the 2012 presidential campaign heats up, President Obama's campaign team has set up a new Web site, AttackWatch.com, to challenge negative statements about the president made by Republican presidential candidates and conservatives.

President pauses for beer with future Medal of Honor recipient  —  Washington (CNN) - President Barack Obama enjoyed a beer with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside the Oval Office Wednesday.  The president will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor Thursday during a ceremony at the White House.

Rick Perry Exclusive: The GOP's Fiery Front-Runner on His Rise, Record and Rhetoric  —  The hard-charging governor commands a Texas-sized lead in the polls.  In an interview with TIME's Richard Stengel and Mark Halperin, Perry defends his controversial résumé and explains …

Poll: Republicans Blamed Most for Ineffectiveness  —  A majority of Americans are angry and frustrated with elected officials, and more than four in 10 have given up hope in Washington's ability to help them get through the economic slump.  —  “It's the bickering that I can't stand …

U.S. Jobless Claims Rose to Highest Since June  —  Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to the highest level since the end of June, underscoring the risk of further weakness in the labor market.  —  Jobless claims climbed by 11,000 to 428,000 …

Obama green-tech program that backed Solyndra struggles to create jobs  —  View Photo Gallery —  President Obama announced a new Advanced Manufacturing Partnership that will bring together manufacturing companies, universities and the government to help create high-tech products …

UBS Hit by $2 Billion in Unauthorized Trades  —  ZURICH—UBS AG was rocked early Thursday by its disclosure that a rogue trader racked up about $2 billion in losses, an announcement that came hours after British police arrested a man on suspicion of fraud.  —  A person familiar with the matter …

RNC Chair: I'm ‘Very Satisfied’ With GOP 2012 Field  —  That's what the Chairman of the Republican National Committee told me this morning when I asked if there's still time for other candidates - namely Chris Christie or Sarah Palin - to jump in the race.  —  “I think that there is time for a lot of people to get in.

A Blue-State Bailout in Disguise  —  Our new study shows that under the Obama jobs bill, debt-ridden states will get another big handout.  —  Last Thursday, the president urged Congress to pony up roughly $200 billion in taxpayer money to “provide more jobs for teachers [and] …

Study: Fewer voters tune in to live TV  —  Fewer and fewer voters are watching live television and the political ads that run there, according to a new study conducted by a bipartisan group of pollsters and new media strategists.  —  In a white paper set for release Thursday …

Sources: Lynch Will Not Seek Re-Election  —  The longest serving and most popular New Hampshire Governor in the modern era will announce tomorrow that he will not seek re-election next year, leaving a wide open scrum of a contest among those wishing to be his replacement.