The Obama you don't know  —  Few if any of his predecessors took the oath of office with higher public hopes for his success than President Obama on Jan. 20, 2009.  —  Millions of Americans hailed his election as an end to partisanship, a renewal of the spirit of compromise and a reinvigoration …

Al Qaeda, ex-Gitmo detainee involved in consulate attack, intelligence sources say  —  Intelligence sources tell Fox News they are convinced the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was directly tied to Al Qaeda — with a former Guantanamo detainee involved.

Pawlenty to take over as Financial Services Roundtable CEO  —  Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will take over one of K Street's most prestigious jobs as CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable.  —  The group announced Thursday morning that the former GOP candidate for president …

Romney: ‘This is a campaign about the 100 percent’  —  Updated at 8:02 a.m. ET: MIAMI — Mitt Romney said his campaign is about “100 percent” of Americans as his campaign continued to work to contain the fallout from controversial comments he made at a private fundraiser in May.

Romney rescue plan: More Mitt  —  BOSTON - More Mitt.  —  After taking a beating for comments he privately wishes he never made and from conservative critics he wishes he could muzzle, Mitt Romney and his campaign are settling on a rescue plan to show more of him - in ads, speeches and campaign appearances.

Issa: White House pursuing an ‘enemies list’ in Washington  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Cali.) said Thursday that a team at the White House is pursuing him and others on its “enemies list” in an attempt to quell dissenters in Washington.  —  “Not since Richard Nixon have we seen a president …

CAPTION THIS: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Wrote Something On Her Hand, Too.  What is this, middle school?  —  UPDATE: Meanwhile, on the just-plain-creepy side: Actress Jessica Alba asks voters to pledge allegiance to Obama.  I understand that actors are generally none-too-bright, and none-too-educated, but still. . . .

Secret Ryan Transcript: Social Security and Medicare are the Target  —  This isn't from a secret video, it's from the untranscribed portion of Ryan's 2005 speech at the Atlas Society's “Celebration of Ayn Rand.”  It fits well with the Romney video because it makes clear that middle class entitlements …

Source: Slain ambassador Stevens said he was on al Qaeda list  —  (CNN) — In the months leading up to his death, Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, worried about constant security threats in Benghazi and mentioned that his name was on an al Qaeda hit list, a source familiar with his thinking told CNN.

UMass/Herald poll: Scott Brown in slight lead vs. Warren  —  U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has moved into a narrow lead over rival Elizabeth Warren while his standing among Massachusetts voters has improved despite a year-long Democratic assault, a new UMass Lowell/Boston Herald poll shows.

Obama Praised ‘Competition’ And ‘Innovation’ In 1998 Remarks  —  Republicans' line of attack this week is that President Obama favors wealth-redistribution policies based on a clip of Obama from 1998 in which he says he believes in “redistribution” — setting up the campaign as a choice between free enterprise and big government.

Obama's Lead Looks Stronger in Polls That Include Cellphones  —  As I observed on Tuesday, and as The New Republic's Nate Cohn also found, Barack Obama seems to have received a much clearer bounce in some types of polls than others.  —  Although there are exceptions on either side …

No One Left to Race Bait  —  Dave Weigel points out the difference between the covert racism of a young cagey Pat Buchanan in the days of the Southern strategy, and overt racism of the pariah Pat Buchanan banished to Fox News (emphasis added): … Calling the first black president a …

Romney's Video-Debunking Claim Is...Debunked  —  This is getting ridiculous.  —  After Mother Jones posted video of Mitt Romney sharing remarks with millionaire donors that he would never express to voters—noting that nearly half of the American electorate are moochers and that Romney …

Tax penalty to hit nearly 6M uninsured people  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 6 million Americans — significantly more than first estimated— will face a tax penalty under President Barack Obama's health overhaul for not getting insurance, congressional analysts said Wednesday.  Most would be in the middle class.

Obama campaign now selling its version of American flag, complete with ‘O’ logo … In the wake of Mitt Romney's divisive “caught on tape” comments, the president would like you to know that he believes in one nation under Obama, and he has the flag to prove it.

Over $50K in checks stolen from Obama campaign office in Chicago: EXCLUSIVE  —  While President Barack Obama campaigns for re-election, workers at his national campaign headquarters in Chicago have a mystery on their hands.  FOX Chicago News has learned staffers called Chicago Police Wednesday morning …

Democratic Enthusiasm Swells in the Swing States, Nationally  —  Overall, 59% of swing-state voters now highly enthusiastic, up from 46% in June  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Voters in the 12 states USA Today and Gallup consider the key swing states that could decide the 2012 presidential election …

Republican Lynches Empty Chair in Racist Presidential Effigy in Northwest Austin  —  Update, 10:00 a.m. Thursday: the homeowner has added an American flag to his display.  Click here for more.  —  Today, Burnt Orange Report received the photo at right, taken in front of a home in Northwest Austin.

Guess who's trashing Obama campaign signs in Austin, Texas?  —  Texas may be a red state but the capital of Austin is Obama country.  It's thus not unusual to see myriad Obama campaign signs in nice neighborhoods — displayed on one manicured front lawn after another.

The Professor  —  A course description for “Current Issues in Racism and the Law,” a class Barack Obama taught at the University of Chicago Law School 12 times between 1992 and 2004, categorized race relations in the United States as “institutional racism in American society.”