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 …

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'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 …

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.

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. . . .

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.

In rest of '98 clip, Obama speaks of ‘competition’ and ‘the marketplace’  —  Updated 11:29 p.m. — Mitt Romney's campaign this week has pounced on a 14-year-old clip of Obama speaking about “redistribution” in October 1998 at a conference in Chicago, in which the future president seems to extol the virtues of redistributing wealth.

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.

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.

Ryan assures House Republicans: ‘We are going to win this thing’  —  Republican vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan delivered a pep talk to his House colleagues on Thursday, telling them not to be distracted by the daily polls and controversies of the campaign.

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 …

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 …

O eyes ‘blind sheik’ release  —  The Obama administration is weighing the release of blind Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman — the spiritual adviser to the 1993 World Trade Center bombers — in a stunning goodwill gesture toward Egypt that has touched off a political firestorm, officials said yesterday.

Photos: Symbolic Lynching of “Nobama” at Bull Run Park This Weekend  —  I debated whether to even post this garbage, as I find it utterly revolting/sickening/disturbing/ etc.  So, my thinking at first was, why give it any publicity at all?  On the other hand, this is something that really happened …

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.

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.

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 …

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.”

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 …

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.

Seven of nation's 10 most affluent counties are in Washington region  —  Ron Edmonds/AP - The Washington D.C. area, including suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, are benefiting from a healthy job market in 2012, much of it linked to the federal government.  Demand for homes is consistently strong …