Republicans decide not to introduce Grayson resolution  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) - House Republicans changed course on Wednesday and decided not to move forward with a resolution condemning Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida, for saying that the GOP health care plan calls for sick people to “die quickly.”

Sarah Palin on Islam and China  —  I've been bluntly critical of Sarah Palin before when I felt it warranted, but I've never had anything but respect for her formidable intellect and political saavy.  I think she's easily the most credible challenger to President Obama in 2012 and while I still …

Officials: U.S. to demand access to Iran nuke facility  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — A recently revealed nuclear facility in Iran will be the centerpiece of talks that began in Switzerland Thursday among representatives of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, Germany and Iran's nuclear chief.

French drop Polanski release call  —  The French government has dropped its public support for Roman Polanski, saying the 76-year-old director “is neither above nor beneath the law”.  —  The move follows a backlash against a campaign for Polanski's release, with several leading European politicians …

National Review's John Derbyshire: Women Should Not Have The Right To Vote  —  John Derbyshire, a British-American conservative author and columnist for the National Review, has written a new book titled We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism.  The book contains a section called “The Case Against Female Suffrage.”

Pawlenty preps 2012 campaign team  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been quietly assembling the blueprint of a presidential campaign and will announce Thursday the support of a group of high-level political strategists and donors, complemented by a handful of top new media consultants, POLITICO has learned.

Sex, scorn and videotape  —  When John Edwards returned to North Carolina in the course of his long quest for the presidency, Andrew Young always met him at the airport in Edwards's big black Chevy Tahoe.  Young drove, and Edwards rode shotgun, silently raising his left hand whenever he wanted a Diet Coke …

Reality Check: Trying to Turn a Point of Pride into a Moment of Shame  —  Last night Fox News continued its disregard for the facts in an attempt to smear the Administration's efforts to win the Olympics for the United States.  In the past, hosting the Olympics has been a source of pride …

Senators bristle over Reid's deal  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid moved swiftly to ensure that his home state of Nevada wouldn't be hurt by Medicaid changes included in the health care reform bill moving through the Senate Finance Committee.  —  Now some of his Democratic colleagues …

Burned by Obama  —  Wall St. execs feel betrayed  —  In the depths of the financial crisis last year, people like Morgan Stanley's John Mack, BlackRock's Larry Fink, Greg Fleming (then of Merrill Lynch), JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein were telling everyone …

43 U.S. Troops Have Died in Afghanistan Since Gen. McChrystal Called for Reinforcements  —  (CNSNews.com) - Another American died in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the final day of September—and exactly one month after the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan sent a confidential war assessment …

Stimulus Spending Doesn't Work  —  Our new research shows no evidence of a Keynesian ‘multiplier’ effect.  There is evidence that tax cuts boost growth.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  The global recession and financial crisis have refocused attention on government stimulus packages.

Possibility of a Nuclear-Armed Iran Alarms Arabs  —  CAIRO — As the West raises the pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, Arab governments, especially the small, oil-rich nations in the Persian Gulf, are growing increasingly anxious.  But they are concerned not only with the prospect …

Pennsylvania Senate Seesaw Tips To Toomey, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Obama's Approval Drops Below 50 Percent  —  The seesaw 2010 Senate race in Pennsylvania tips to Republican Pat Toomey, who has 43 percent to recently converted Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter's 42 percent, too close to call …

Kerry and Boxer launch climate debate  —  Supporters of Senate climate change legislation introduced Wednesday rallied outside the Capitol to promote their bill as a lifeline for the planet and a way to protect both economic and national security.  —  The event effectively marked the start …

'Blithering Idiot's' Book Already No. 1 at Barnes and Noble and No. 2 at Amazon (Update: Now No. 1 at Amazon)  —  The left may have a collective aneurysm by the time Going Rogue is released, and that's still not until November 17.  —  I figure by the end of the day it'll be No. 1 at Amazon.

Obama Can't Outsource Afghanistan  —  George Bush succeeded in Iraq by talking to his generals regularly.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  So our top commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, has told CBS's “60 Minutes” that he has spoken with President Barack Obama only once since June.

White House Proposes Changes in Bill Protecting Reporters' Confidentiality  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has told lawmakers that it opposes legislation that could protect reporters from being imprisoned if they refuse to disclose confidential sources who leak material about national security …

More Independents Lean GOP; Party Gap Smallest Since '05  —  Democratic advantage on leaned party ID is 48% to 42%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In the third quarter of this year, 48% of Americans identified politically as Democrats or said they were independent but leaned to the Democratic Party.

Exhibit featuring nude photo of 10-year-old Brooke Shields sparks outrage  —  An exhibition at the Tate Modern will feature a photograph of a nude ten-year-old Brooke Shields alongside sexually explicit pop art - a decision akin to rolling out a welcome mat for perverts, outraged critics charge.

E.P.A. Moves to Curtail Greenhouse Gas Emissions  —  WASHINGTON — Unwilling to wait for Congress to act, the Obama administration announced on Wednesday that it was moving forward on new rules to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from hundreds of power plants and large industrial facilities.