How low can he go?  —  Everyone has probably heard the corny “I once caught a fish this big” joke.  A guy boasts about the size of the fish he reeled in, but when pressed, he gradually reduces the actual size of his catch.  The little comedic routine is about exaggeration.  —  I wonder if Mitt Romney has heard it.

Four Pinocchios for ‘King of Bain’  —  Your Browser DoesNot Support IFrames. … — Voice-over from “King of Bain” video promoted by a pro-Newt Gingrich super PAC, “Winning Our Future.”  —  Newt Gingrich, meet Michael Moore!  —  The 29-minute video “King of Bain” is such an over-the-top assault …

Obama seeks more power to merge agencies, streamline government  —  President Obama asked Congress on Friday for the power to consolidate parts of the federal government, proposing a first step of merging several trade- and commerce-related agencies under a plan that the White House …

Inside the Fed in 2006: A Coming Crisis, and Banter  —  WASHINGTON — As the housing bubble entered its waning hours in 2006, top Federal Reserve officials marveled at the desperate antics of home builders seeking to lure buyers.  —  The officials laughed about the cars that builders …

Arthur Brisbane and selective stenography  —  The real media sin is not uncritical printing of false claims: it's extending that license only to the powerful  —  The New York Times' Public Editor Arthur Brisbane unwittingly sparked an intense and likely enduring controversy yesterday when he pondered …

U.S. Warns Top Iran Leader Not to Shut Strait of Hormuz  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is relying on a secret channel of communication to warn Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, that closing the Strait of Hormuz is a “red line” that would provoke an American response …

Book Depicts Cranky Obama On Baghdad Visit  —  The then-candidate “didn't want to take pictures with any more soldiers.  —  President Obama at a recent Pentagon briefing.  —  (Getty Images / SAUL LOEB)  —  Michael Hastings' new book, The Operators, jabs at what could be a vulnerable spot …

Most of Apple's $82 billion cash stockpile is ‘trapped’ overseas  —  Apple may have enough cash on hand to make Scrooge McDuck's money vault look like a kiddie pool by comparison, but according to SeekingAlpha, most of that cash is effectively trapped overseas.

Chris Christie praises Obama political skills  —  In a wide-ranging interview with Oprah Winfrey, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has kind words for President Barack Obama, calling him “charismatic,” “genuine” and “as good a politician as I've ever seen.”  —  Winfrey, who is a well-known friend …

America Isn't a Corporation  —  “And greed — you mark my words — will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.”  —  That's how the fictional Gordon Gekko finished his famous “Greed is good” speech in the 1987 film “Wall Street.”

What Do Falling Natural Gas Prices Mean for Renewables?  —  With a glut of shale gas on the market, natural gas prices continue to tumble in the U.S. And they'll only fall more throughout the year.  —  According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, average natural gas prices …

Tar sands pipeline will comfort our enemies  —  By Steven M. Anderson, retired Army brigadier general, and senior mentor with the Army's Battle Command Training Program - 10/25/11 10:21 AM ET  —  As the military's senior logistician in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, I saw the impact of our oil addition in the Iraq combat zone.