Polling the Occupy Wall Street Crowd  —  In interviews, protesters show that they are leftists out of step with most American voters.  Yet Democrats are embracing them anyway.  —  President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making a critical error in embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement …

Thieves steal truck with President's equipment  —  HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - NBC12 has uncovered one of those stories that makes you think: “How in the world does that happen?!”  A truck filled with President Obama's podiums and audio equipment was stolen in Henrico just days before his visit to Chesterfield.

Cain Used Campaign Funds to Buy Autobiography  —  Republican presidential contender Herman Cain used campaign funds to buy his own books from his motivational speaking company, Federal Election Commission records show.  —  Although his autobiography was published by a division of Simon & Schuster Inc. …

Hamas Frees Israeli Soldier as Prisoner Swap Begins  —  JERUSALEM — In an elaborate prisoner exchange that could roil Middle East politics, an Israeli soldier held for more than five years by the militant Palestinian group Hamas was swapped on Tuesday for hundreds of Palestinians who have spent …

What the CLASS Act says about health-care reform  —  Back in January, I published an “omnibus” look at the various criticisms conservatives were lobbing at the Congressional Budget Office's score of the health-reform law.  Only one, I concluded, had real merit: the case against the CLASS Act.

Nevada Mitt: Romney and the primary  —  At 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman filed to run in the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary.  An hour and a half later, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney held a grand opening for his state presidential campaign headquarters — in Las Vegas.

Rep. Paul: Cain's ‘9-9-9’ plan is ‘dangerous’  —  (CNN) - While Ron Paul said attacking other candidates is his “least favorite thing to do,” he didn't pull any punches Tuesday when talking about fellow GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain's ‘9-9-9’ tax proposal.

“Christopher Columbus Was the First Zionist”  —  Someone leaked a batch of emails that have been exchanged by leaders of the Occupy Wall Street group.  I've only dipped into them briefly, but some are pretty entertaining.  This thread reminded me of my days as a leftist …

The Great Restoration  —  If, in the 1960s, you had tried to judge America by looking at the sit-ins and Woodstock, you would have had a very distorted picture of where the country was heading.  You wouldn't have been able to predict that Richard Nixon would win the youth vote in 1972, which he did.

New Mortgage Plan Floated  —  Underwater Borrowers Current on Payments Would Get Help  —  State and federal officials are pushing a plan that could help some “underwater” borrowers get refinancing assistance in the latest government bid to break a legal impasse with big banks …

United States needs to reevaluate its assistance to Israel  —  As the country reviews its spending on defense and foreign assistance, it is time to examine the funding the United States provides to Israel.  —  Let me put it another way: Nine days ago, the Israeli cabinet reacted to months …

Climate change pushing coffee to extinction?  —  PLAY CBS NEWS VIDEO  —  Millions of people enjoy a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, but a group of scientists says that daily ritual could be on its way to extinction.  —  The driving force behind the new information is coffee giant Starbucks …

WI Assemblyman Mark Pocan confronts CEO president Roger Clegg, calling him “some guy” who “came all the way from Virginia” to tell us what “all us flyover country folk don't know.”  —  I've already blogged a few times about the report of the Center for Equal Opportunity — here, here …

Perry Campaign's Payment for Private Jet Raises Questions  —  In the first two weeks of Rick Perry's presidential campaign, his aides turned to Brian D. Pardo, a Texas businessman under investigation by federal securities regulators, to use his Cessna Citation X business jet to fly to campaign events.

In tight Virginia races, Democrats cutting ties to Obama  —  ROCKY MOUNT, Va. — Three years ago, Democrats in Virginia couldn't get enough of Barack Obama — a popular, transformational figure running for his first term as president.  —  But as Obama arrives in Virginia Tuesday for a two-day swing …

For Bachmann, a Bid to Reconnect in Iowa  —  PERRY, Iowa — Hoping for a second look from Republicans who just two months ago considered her a front-runner, Representative Michele Bachmann is going back to basics — a lot of hand-shaking and shoulder-rubbing at small events in early-voting Iowa …

As growth lags, IMF shifts gears  —  BRUSSELS — The International Monetary Fund, known throughout its history for urging governments to slash their budgets, is now worried that a global round of austerity may trigger a new recession and is urging countries to look for ways to boost growth.