Karl Rove sticks a fork in Herman Cain  —  The Republican super-strategist pulls out a whiteboard on Fox News to tick off Herman Cain's self-destructive mistakes, concluding: “I think it has created an image of him as not being up to this task.  That's really deadly.”  —  More on POLITICO

Medical help for illegal immigrants could haunt Mitt Romney  —  On the Republican campaign trail, he derides any such public aid.  But the healthcare law he signed as Massachusetts governor allows it.  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sharply criticizes public aid for illegal immigrants.

Gingrich Suggests Obama Is Ushering ‘Defeat’ In Iraq, Two Days After Saying He's ‘Right’ To Withdraw  —  The GOP presidential candidates came out swinging at President Obama after he announced last week that he would follow through with President Bush's 2008 agreement to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of this year.

Cain, Gingrich Set to Spar  —  A group of tea-party activists in Texas will host a “modified Lincoln-Douglas debate” between Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich next month.  —  Bill O'Sullivan, the treasurer of Texas Tea Party Patriots, tells National Review Online that both candidates have confirmed …

State mum on Libya's Sharia law  —  The Obama administration on Monday treaded carefully around the announcement that Sharia law will be enforced in post-Muammar Qadhafi Libya, refraining from expressing disapproval of Islamic law as the foundation of the country's new legal system.

Bachmann's ex-NH staff releases scathing letter about campaign  —  A backbiting joint letter from presidential contender Michele Bachmann's former New Hampshire staff spells out how frustration with the Minnesota Republican's national staff led the entire team to jump ship.

Wall Street discontent high but Occupy Wall Street largely unknown  —  (CNN) - Although most Americans don't trust Wall Street, that hasn't translated into full support -or understanding- of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Despite large majorities who think that Wall Street bankers are greedy …

Police Investigating Possible Sexual Assault Of Teen At Occupy Dallas  —  DALLAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - Dallas Police continue to investigate whether a teenage runaway was sexually assaulted by an adult male at the Occupy Dallas encampment behind City Hall.  —  A source within the Dallas Police Department …

The Outsider  —  In an exclusive interview, Raj Rajaratnam reveals his surprising motivations—and the reasons he didn't take a plea that could have saved him from 11 years in jail.  —  It was 6 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2009, and Raj Rajaratnam, head of the Galleon Group hedge fund …

Yes, the GOP Just Might Nominate a Candidate Patently Unqualified to Be President  —  Herman Cain's recent stumbles over substantive issues have a way of making Rick Perry seem like the Stephen Hawking of politics.  In the midst of a softball CNN interview last week, he appeared to abandon his no-exceptions anti-abortion stance.

Taking back ‘Obamacare’?  —  In the political conversation about health-care reform, the term “Obamacare” is almost always used as a pejorative, hurled at the law in long floor speeches and short political ads deriding the Affordable Care Act.  —  Now, health reform's staunchest supporters want to change that.

Chemical bomb tossed into Occupy Maine encampment  —  PORTLAND — Portland police are looking for the person who threw a chemical bomb at the Occupy Maine encampment in Portland during the early morning hours today.  —  Sgt. Glen McGary said police responded around 4 a.m. today to an explosion …

At Zuccotti Park, Love Under the Tarps … Occupy Wall Street is an experiment in communal living, with basic human needs on public display.  Even, at times, very intimate human needs.  —  Outdoor sex has been a topic of discussion at quality-of-life meetings held each afternoon inside Zuccotti Park.

John Podesta to step down as Center for American Progress president  —  John Podesta will step down as president of the Center for American Progress, an official at the organization said today.  —  Podesta, who served as Bill Clinton's last chief of staff from 1998 to 2001 …

Texas Rep. Ron Paul drops a bomb  —  (CNN)-2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul raked in almost $3 million in small donations over the last five days during his latest fundraising push.  —  The twelve-term congressman launched his “Black This Out” moneybomb following the CNN Western Republican Debate in Las Vegas.

Lieberman Irks Democrats Before Race for His Senate Seat  —  WASHINGTON — A few months ago, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who is allied with the Democratic majority in the Senate, had a surprising guest at his office: Linda E. McMahon, the former wrestling mogul …

The Romney Economy  —  At Bain Capital, Romney remade one American business after another, overhauling management and directing vast sums of money to the top of the labor pyramid.  The results made him a fortune.  They also changed the world we live in.  —  One day early this August …

GlobalPost: Qaddafi apparently sodomized after capture  —  Amid mounting questions about just how and when Muammar Qaddafi died, a GlobalPost analysis of video footage suggests a Libyan fighter sodomized the former dictator after he was captured near Sirte.  —  As GlobalPost reports:

Americans Would Swap Electoral College for Popular Vote  —  Majority of Republicans now agree with most Democrats that Constitution should be amended  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Nearly 11 years after the 2000 presidential election brought the idiosyncrasies of the United States' Electoral College into full view …

Natalia on Your tax dollars at work.  — Natalia on The Pervocracy nails it on misguided critiques of sex-positive feminism  — Hot Chicks, Cold Sexists and Occupy Wall Street |  POLITICAL MOSAIC on Steven Greenstreet proves he's definitely not a misogynist by making rape jokes.

Optional flat tax will launch recovery  —  The coming economic boom will begin the minute the television networks announce the defeat of President Obama's reelection bid on Election Day 2012.  —  Every single American worker, entrepreneur, and small business owner will finally know that their taxes …

Michele Bachmann, Husband Marcus Defend Characterizing Being Gay As ‘Personal Enslavement’ … 2012 Elections , Michele Bachmann , Republican Candidates , Elections 2012 , Gay Marriage , Gay Rights , Michele Bachmann 2012 , Republican Primary , Same-Sex Marriage , Video , Bachmann …

What to expect from a Romney budget  —  When Mitt Romney sat down with the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, he made quite a bit of news.  It was in that interview, for example, that Romney announced his opposition to protecting homeowners from foreclosures, and signaled support for Medicare vouchers.