Perdue suggests suspending Congressional elections for two years — was she serious?  —  UPDATED: File this in the random-things-politicians-say file.  —  Speaking to a Cary rotary club today, N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue suggested suspending Congressional elections for two years so that Congress …

Gov. Chris Christie Keeps Political Fans Guessing  —  Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey failed to address intense speculation about his presidential ambitions Tuesday night as he delivered a foreign policy speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.

Obama's top ‘fat cat’ strays  —  JP Morgan honcho Jamie Dimon, once a “fat cat” ally of President Obama, seems to have strayed to Republican contender Mitt Romney.  —  Dimon, a lifelong Democrat who was rumored to be on Obama's short list for treasury secretary before he settled on Tim Geithner …

GOP lawmaker demands independent probe into Solyndra  —  A Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is calling on the White House to appoint an independent investigator to examine the administration's decision to approve a $535 million loan guarantee for a now-bankrupt solar company.

Blacks leave Obama  —  Behind the president's whining to the Black Caucus, begging them to “quit grumbling,” is a decline in his personal popularity among African-American voters that could portend catastrophe for his fading reelection chances.  —  According to a Washington Post/ABC News survey …

First on CNN: Florida will likely hold Jan. primary, threatening presidential calendar  —  Washington (CNN) — Florida is now expected to hold its presidential primary on the last day in January 2012, a move likely to throw the carefully arranged Republican nominating calendar into disarray …

Obama Jobs Plan May Prevent 2012 Recession  —  President Barack Obama's $447 billion jobs plan would help avoid a return to recession by maintaining growth and pushing down the unemployment rate next year, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.  —  The legislation …

Palin sends more mixed signals  —  Sarah Palin, as often, sent ambivalent signals in her interview on Fox News last night.  —  The clip that everyone is buzzing about last night and this morning as a sign that she's leaning against a run: … I say “ambivalent signals” because …

O-bummer!  MTV tunes out prez campaign  —  President Obama's re-election campaign wants to connect with young Americans and reached out recently to MTV for help — but the cable network turned them down, sources tell The Post.  —  The president's Get Out the Vote campaign, run by Buffy Wicks …

For David Plouffe, a top Obama adviser, a new strategy and old doubts  —  View Photo Gallery —  President Obama's reelection campaign and DNC together raised $86 million in the second quarter of 2011.  Outside of fundraising, the president is ramping up support for his reelection …

A President Who's Well-Liked Falls Well Short On Execution  —  President Obama faces head winds from independents, an important voting bloc for re-election in 2012.  Many of them think well of him personally, but they are disenchanted.  They don't like his policies, and they see him as inexperienced.

Split opens over Greek bail-out terms  —  By Peter Spiegel in Brussels and Quentin Peel in Berlin  —  A split has opened in the eurozone over the terms of Greece's second €109bn bail-out with as many as seven of the bloc's 17 members arguing for private creditors to swallow a bigger writedown …

Cantaloupe Listeria Outbreak Is The Deadliest In A Decade; 16 Dead So Far … WASHINGTON — Health officials say as many as 16 people have died from possible listeria illnesses traced to Colorado cantaloupes, the deadliest food outbreak in more than a decade.

EPA delays auto emissions, mileage rule rollout  —  The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department are delaying the release of proposed regulations establishing the next round of joint greenhouse gas and mileage standards for cars and light trucks.

Megyn Kelly Responds to ‘The View’ Co-Host Joy Behar's Interview With VP Joe Biden on “Boo-ing” in Fox News/Google Debate After Gay Soldier Asks Question  —  On Tuesday's episode of the talk show “The View,” co-host Joy Behar asked guest Vice President Joe Biden about “booing” …

Reid playing for leverage with jobs bill  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has made it clear that he will not schedule a vote on President Obama's jobs package until after the upper chamber moves a China currency bill that the administration does not support.

Perry's Not the Only GOP Star to Support Tuition Breaks for Illegal Immigrants' Kids  —  GOP immigration debate shows rift between party establishment and conservative grassroots.  —  Ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush defended Texas Gov. Rick Perry's policy for children of illegal immigrants.

A Tea Party Invitation to Morgan Freeman  —  My name is Ali Akbar.  I'm a 26 year-old African-American small business owner and a tea party activist.  I'm not writing to rake you over the coals in the way that many conservatives have done in the last 48 hours.

As Federal Crime List Grows, Threshold of Guilt Declines  —  For centuries, a bedrock principle of criminal law has held that people must know they are doing something wrong before they can be found guilty.  The concept is known as mens rea, Latin for a “guilty mind.”

Even Those Cleared of Crimes Can Stay on F.B.I.'s Watch List  —  WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is permitted to include people on the government's terrorist watch list even if they have been acquitted of terrorism-related offenses or the charges are dropped, according to newly released documents.