Hutchison defends Cain, refuses to backtrack on criticisms of Perry  —  Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) refused to backdown from her attacks on Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) and defended Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain from sexual harassment allegations in an interview on CNN on Sunday.

If Jerry Sandusky allegations are true, Penn State and Joe Paterno deserve part of the blame  —  After what allegedly happened to “Victim 2,” a boy estimated to be 10 years old, in the same room where Penn State football players shower, it's near impossible to keep reading the grand jury's report.

Our Reckless Meritocracy  —  HERE is a story about the promise of America.  A boy grows up in rural Illinois, the grandson of a farmer who lost everything in the Great Depression.  He goes to his small-town high school and then attends his state university, where he walks onto the basketball team and graduates Phi Beta Kappa.

A Chill Descends On Occupy Wall Street; “The Leaders of the allegedly Leaderless Movement”  —  On Sunday, October 23, a meeting was held at 60 Wall Street.  Six leaders discussed what to do with the half-million dollars that had been donated to their organization, since, in their estimation …

Post reporter spends an in'tents' night amid anarchy in Zuccotti Park  —  The cheap walkie-talkie crackles inside a crowded downtown McDonald's, stopping the gathered mass mid-sip from their Kombucha bottles and cups of corporate coffee.  —  “There's a situation,” a vagabond gumshoe dubbed …

Occupy Blue Wall Street?  —  New Yorkers are getting an uncomfortable look at the ugly realities behind what we like to think of as the country's bluest, most European and most enlightened city.  A series of trials now underway in the Bronx reveal the harsh truth of embedded corruption …

Forty House Republicans Back Revenue Increase to Cut Deficit  —  Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) — Forty House Republicans signaled support for revenue increases, joining 60 Democrats yesterday to urge a congressional supercommittee seeking a $1.5 trillion debt-reduction deal to aim for cuts of $4 trillion.

It's not about serving the rich, Boehner says  —  House Speaker John Boehner disputes the notion that Republicans are “servants of the rich.”  —  “That's very unfair,” Boehner said in an interview aired Sunday on ABC's “This Week.”  “Listen, I come from a family of 12.  My dad owned a bar.

The Politics of Austerity  —  The economic collapse of 2008 transformed American politics.  In place of shared abundance, battles at every level of government now focus on picking the losers who will bear the costs of deficit reduction and austerity.  —  Fights in Washington are over inflicting pain …

Jon Huntsman: Personhood Movement ‘Goes Too Far’  —  Former Utah Governor and GOP presidential candidate Jon Hutsman told Meet The Press' David Gregory this morning that state efforts to declare a fertilized human egg a legal person go “too far,” joining a growing chorus of anti-abortion Republicans …

Greek leaders discuss coalition government deal  —  (CNN) — Greece's president, prime minister and opposition leader were meeting Sunday night to try to hash out a coalition government deal, a spokesman for the prime minister's office said.  —  “The meeting with the president is intended …

Rick Perry's parents say their son is strong medicine needed by a sickly nation  —  Rick Perry has no bigger suppporters than his parents, Amelia and Ray Perry of Paint Creek, Texas.  —  of  —  sfarwell@dallasnews.com  —  PAINT CREEK, Texas — Rick Perry may be the 61-year-old governor of Texas …