Cutter: Benghazi Is Only an Issue ‘Because of Romney and Ryan’  —  Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said Thursday that the “entire reason” the terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans has “become the political topic it is” is because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talk about the attack.

What I learned debating Paul Ryan  —  In February 2010, I sat down to talk health-care policy with Rep. Paul Ryan.  Ryan wasn't yet the lion of the right that he is today, but he had a reputation as an unusually wonkish legislator, and he didn't disappoint.

He tells ‘Dispatch’ those with pre-existing condition would have chance to get insurance  —  A Mitt Romney administration overhaul of President Barack Obama's health-care law would provide those without insurance who have a pre-existing condition the opportunity to gain coverage …

Letting us in on a secret  —  When House Republicans called a hearing in the middle of their long recess, you knew it would be something big, and indeed it was: They accidentally blew the CIA's cover.  —  The purpose of Wednesday's hearing of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee …

Oct. 10: Is Romney Leading Right Now?  —  Polling since the debate in Denver last week has generally been very strong for Mitt Romney.  But there have also been a couple of rays of hope for Democrats and President Obama.  —  One hypothesis is that Mr. Romney's debate bounce was initially very strong, but has since faded some.

Video: Unions Fine Members Who Don't Show Support for Elizabeth Warren  —  A GOP source sends along this video, shot by a Republican tracker, of a union member supporting Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren outside of a debate Wednesday night in Springfield, Massachusetts.

DNC Fires Employee Featured In James O'Keefe Video  —  The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday fired a Texas staffer who appeared to offer to help someone figure out how to vote simultaneously in two states in undercover video released by conservative activist James O'Keefe.

GOP Plans Congressional Investigation Into September Jobs Number Conspiracy  —  House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) told Fox News on Wednesday that he would hold hearings into the September job numbers, buying into a widely-discredited conspiracy theory that President Obama faked …

Bus Driver Tells 12 Year-Old He Should Have Been Aborted Because of Romney Yard Sign  —  A bus driver told a 12 year-old student that he should have been aborted because his family had a Romney-Ryan sign in their yard.  —  Freedom Eden reported: … UPDATE: The bus driver was fired after the report on Mark's show.

Morning Jay: Politics and the Gallup Poll  —  Since about the beginning of President Obama's tenure, the Gallup poll has generally been one of the least positive polls for the Democratic party.  This has prompted outrage and pressure from the left—even from presidential advisor David Axelrod.

Romney calls girl at center of T-shirt controversy  —  Mitt Romney called Samantha Pawlucy on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the campaign confirmed by email this morning.  —  The Romney campaign will not be issuing a formal statement, according to spokeswoman Kate Meriwether, who declined to provide details.

Romney's Pivot to the Center Hasn't Worked.  (But It Didn't Need To.)  —  Perhaps you've heard about Romney's pivot to the center in last week's debate—what it means, whether it will work, how Obama is responding, etc.  Yesterday, Bill Clinton described his reaction to Romney's performance thusly: “Wow, here's old moderate Mitt.

Data Massaging Continues: Initial Claims Tumble To 339K Lowest Since 2008, Far Below Lowest Expectation  —  This is just getting stupid.  After expectations of a rebound in initial claims from 367K last week (naturally revised higher to 369K), to 370K (with the lowest of all sellside expectations at 355K) …

Obama campaign refers to liberal bloggers as “tinfoil hat crowd”  —  The Obama campaign referred to several major liberal bloggers as the “tinfoil hat crowd” in a statement to Fox News Wednesday.  The campaign was responding to the cable channel's request for a comment on an Internet conspiracy theory many of them had promoted.

The real Libya scandal: The failure to respond  —  Today marks exactly one month since terrorists attacked the U.S consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing our ambassador and three other American personnel.  In the weeks since, Washington has been gripped by the unfolding scandals …

Who do you believe—Mitt, or your lyin' memory?  —  A depression has descended upon me.  I look at the blank screen, and those are the words that come into my mind.  I do not believe for a second that Mitt Romney will win the election.  I do believe that at this moment he is tied, 50-50, in various national polls.

The Obama Mega Donor Who Got Lost In The Crowd  —  There are only a few dozen Americans who have given at least $1 million to super PACs this election cycle, and Kareem Ahmed is one of them.  If you manage to talk to him, he'll tell you a lot.  He'll tell you all about a class of pharmaceuticals …

Indiana Republican Trolls The Wrong Joe Donnelly On Twitter  —  Some random guy is getting attacked by Richard Mourdock's Senate campaign.  —  Image by Staff / Reuters  —  WASHINGTON — It's important in politics to know your enemy — and your enemy's Twitter handle.

The IMF and the GOP  —  Econowonks are still buzzing about the new IMF World Economic Outlook, which offered grim warnings about the world economy, and also argued forcefully if discreetly that a big reason for the worsening outlook is that policy makers have gotten the basic economics wrong.