Battleground Poll: Race still tight  —  The presidential race is tight enough nationally that a strong performance in Wednesday's debate by Mitt Romney could put him in the lead.  —  A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll of likely voters shows President Barack Obama ahead 49 percent …

A New Course for the Middle East  —  Restore the three sinews of American influence: our economic strength, our military strength and the strength of our values.  —  Disturbing developments are sweeping across the greater Middle East.  In Syria, tens of thousands of innocent people have been slaughtered.

The Paul Ryan Legend Dissipates  —  Before we discuss our tax plan, I would like to point out that my eyes are extremely blue.  —  Paul Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's vice-presidential candidate is subjecting him to all manner of strange new indignities, such as questions about public policy …

Obama vs. Obama at debates  —  LAS VEGAS — President Barack Obama's most dangerous opponent in the trio of upcoming presidential debates isn't Mitt Romney.  —  It's himself.  —  The president has been working on blunting his barbs nearly as much as he's been trying to sharpen …

The Real Referendum  —  Republicans came into this campaign believing that it would be a referendum on President Obama, and that still-high unemployment would hand them victory on a silver platter.  But given the usual caveats — a month can be a long time in politics, it's not over until …

The parallel universe where Mitt leads all polls  —  To talk with any working Republican political operative these days is to hear the same tale of woe: a grim accounting of the past few weeks, a dash of gallows humor and a measure of hope that President Obama is still beatable.

Wheels coming off  —  Team O's Libya dissembling  —  With a little more than a month to go before a crucial national election, the wheels are coming off the Obama administration's national-security credentials.  —  The coordinated attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi …

White House Hack Attack  —  Hackers linked to China's government broke into one of the U.S. government's most sensitive computer networks, breaching a system used by the White House Military Office for nuclear commands, according to defense and intelligence officials familiar with the incident.

Fast and Furious Scandal: New Details Emerge on How the U.S. Government Armed Mexican Drug Cartels  —  Pools Of Blood On The Streets Of Villas De Salvarcar After A Massacre In Which Operation Fast And Furious Guns Were Allegedly Used (Univision)  —  On January 30, 2010 …

As college student, Eric Holder participated in ‘armed’ takeover of former Columbia University ROTC office  —  As a freshman at Columbia University in 1970, future Attorney General Eric Holder participated in a five-day occupation of an abandoned Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) …

Payroll Tax Cut Unlikely to Survive Into Next Year  —  WASHINGTON — Regardless of who wins the presidential election in November or what compromises Congress strikes in the lame-duck session to keep the economy from automatic tax increases and spending cuts, 160 million American wage earners …

The Media Equation: Challenging the Claims of Media Bias - the Media Equation  —  In the last few days, conservatives have become agitated about Mitt Romney's drop-off in the polls.  So did they think the stumble was because of the ill-fated “47 percent” slip of the lip …

How The Economy Collapsed (As a Political Issue)  —  Republicans and Democrats no longer have the same facts.  It's the perceptual bias, stupid.  —  Via: people-press.org  —  The big issue of the 2012 election — the American economy — has been settled.

SUPER-RICH IRONY … - SPORTS - PHOTO BOOTH - DAILY SHOUTS - PAGE-TURNER - DAILY COMMENT - AMY DAVIDSON - JOHN CASSIDY - ANDY BOROWITZ - RICHARD BRODY

Washington Post Co. buys hospice firm Celtic Healthcare  —  The Washington Post Co. said Monday that it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Celtic Healthcare, a provider of skilled home health-care and hospice services in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions.

Clinton aide Reines apologized to Hastings  —  Philippe Reines, the aide to Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, has apologized to BuzzFeed reporter Michael Hastings for a heated, expletive-laden email exchange last week over the State Dept.'s handling of the fallout from events in Libya, POLITICO has learned.

Supreme Court Denies Appeal From Anti-Gay Marriage Group  —  National Organization for Marriage may be forced to disclose funders in Maine fight.  No action yet on Proposition 8, Defense of Marriage Act cases.  —  Image by Gary Cameron / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. …

Ryan Visits The Nutmeg State  —  (1) Comment |  Log in to Post a Comment  —  Posted to: Election 2012  —  He may have been greeted by protesters at two of his three fundraising events Sunday, but those who got a chance to meet U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan were impressed with his grasp of the issues and his friendly Midwestern demeanor.

Obama Beats Romney as Better for Middle-Income Americans  —  Candidates are tied in perceptions of who would most benefit small-business owners  —  PRINCETON, NJ — More Americans believe middle-income earners would be better off in four years if President Barack Obama is re-elected than if Mitt Romney wins, by 53% to 43%.

Mitt Romney advisers clash over Libya  —  Instead, the Republican ticket will leave calls for an investigation to Capitol Hill, where both Republicans and Democrats have complained about the briefings they have received.  “Let Congress do it: It's a bipartisan thing, and that's a better place for us to be,” a Romney adviser said.

Quietly, Gillibrand Raises Big Money For Female Candidates  —  With a wide lead in her own re-election, Kirsten Gillibrand is raising money in the homestretch for female Dems like Claire McCaskill.  A machine in the making?  —  Image by Eric Thayer / Reuters