memeorandum: Maliki, Allawi consider deal on forming new Iraqi government (Leila Fadel/Washington Post)

5:20 AM ET, October 5, 2010

Top Items:

Christine O'Donnell Ad: 'I'm Not A Witch' — ABC's Michael Falcone reports: — “I'm not a witch,” Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell assures voters, who may be concerned that she once “dabbled” in the dark arts, in a new ad released by her campaign on Monday.

Discussion: The Other McCain, Weigel, The Politico, Left Coast Rebel, Right Pundits and AmSpecBlog

Eric Kleefeld / TPMDC:

It Has Come To This: O'Donnell Family Straightens Out Father's Bozo The Clown Career — Christine O'Donnell's campaign is facing yet another set of questions about her background, and this time it's on a really weird line of discussion — whether her father was Philadelphia's local Bozo the Clown.

Discussion: The Political Carnival and Mock, Paper, Scissors

Ben Evans / Associated Press:

O'Donnell said China plotting to take over US — WASHINGTON — Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell of Delaware said in a 2006 debate that China was plotting to take over America and claimed to have classified information about the country that she couldn't divulge.

Discussion: The Atlantic Online, TBogg, Raw Story, No More Mister Nice Blog, Firedoglake, Politics Daily, CNN, Washington Monthly, Little Green Footballs, The Reaction, Outside the Beltway and msnbc.com

Fhardingj / CNN:

Trending: O'Donnell: ‘I am not a witch’ — Washington (CNN) - Playing off of her admission that she dabbled in witchcraft in high school, Delaware Senate Republican nominee Christine O'Donnell will launch her first television ad of the general election on Tuesday, in which she looks straight …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway and American Power

Mark Leibovich / The Caucus:

Send In the Clowns — and the Truth Squad — Bozo-gate, anyone? — Since Christine O'Donnell's upset victory in the Delaware Republican Senate primary last month, the out-of-nowhere Tea Party sensation has been dogged by charges that she inflated her resume, exaggerated her educational record …

Discussion: First Draft and Rough Sketch

Ashley Parker / The Caucus:
O'Donnell Ad Confronts Reports on Her Past

Discussion: Philly.com, Wonkette and Alan Colmes' Liberaland

Gallup:

GOP Well Positioned Among Likely Midterm Voters — Voting preferences remain close among registered voters — PRINCETON, NJ — Gallup's generic ballot for Congress among registered voters currently shows Republicans with 46% of the vote and Democrats with 43%, similar to the 46% to 46% tie reported a week ago.

Discussion: Hot Air, RedState, USA Today, Hugh Hewitt's TownHall Blog, Politics Daily, Beltway Confidential, The Politico, The Sundries Shack, Weekly Standard, National Review, Real Clear Politics, Conservatives4Palin.com and AmSpecBlog

Levi Johnston / Washington Post:

Democrats gain in poll but GOP still leads as midterm elections near — Less than a month before the midterm elections, the political landscape remains strongly tilted toward Republicans, although Democrats have made modest improvements with voters since their late-summer low point, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Discussion: The Page

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
GOP holds wide lead among likely voters in latest Gallup poll

Discussion: Beltway Confidential

Zaid Jilani / Think Progress:

Tennessee County's Subscription-Based Firefighters Watch As Family Home Burns Down — As ThinkProgress has noted, there are currently two competing visions of governance in the United States. One, the conservative vision, believes in the on-your-own society, and informs a policy agenda …

Discussion: The Confluence, National Review, The KRMG Morning News Blog, A Spork in the Drawer, The Moderate Voice, The Huffington Post, Climate Progress, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Sundries Shack, Daily Kos and The Poor Man Institute

Zaid Jilani / Think Progress:

National Review Writers Defend County Whose Subscription-Only Firefighters Watched Home Burn Down — As ThinkProgress reported earlier this morning, South Fulton firefighters from Obion, Tennessee, last week stood by and watched as a family's home burned down because their services …

Discussion: Blogcritics and National Review

Daniel Foster / National Review:

Pay-to-Spray Firefighters Watch as Home Burns — Oy, this is bad for the libertarians: … That bolded paragraph is what really gets to me. I have no problem with this kind of opt-in government in principle — especially in rural areas where individual need for government services and available infrastructure vary so widely.

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Volokh Conspiracy, Hot Air, ECHIDNE of the snakes, Salon and JustOneMinute

Lynn Sweet:

Rahm Emanuel: Experts say not a legal resident of Chicago, cannot run for mayor — BY ABDON M. PALLASCH — CHICAGO—The first question isn't: Can Rahm win? It's: Can Rahm run? — Sunday, Rahm Emanuel announced in a video posted on a website that he is preparing to run for mayor of Chicago.

Discussion: Chicago Tribune, The Politico, HillBuzz, The Atlantic Wire, Hot Air, Right Wing News, Wonkette and Politics Daily

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:
Emanuel's ‘Glad to be home’ video filmed in Washington

Discussion: The Politico, Israel Matzav, Pajamas Media, Sister Toldjah, Betsy's Page, Mediaite, Weasel Zippers, WLS-AM 890, MyFox DC, Politics Daily and MyDD

Brian Alexander / msnbc.com:

Pretzel nation: Americans have sex in 41 combinations — We aren't as bland as we might think, new study shows — Americans are often portrayed as being bland sexual mopes, compared to say, the French. But according to a new study, we actually routinely choose from more spicy combinations …

Discussion: Runnin' Scared, The Daily Weekly and The Awl

aolnews.com:
Survey on America's Sexual Habits: We're Getting Friskier

Discussion: Rough Sketch, New York Times, The Daily Dish, Bloomberg and Unfogged

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:

McMahon hammers Blumenthal over Vietnam statements — Connecticut GOP Senate nominee Linda McMahon is hammering Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for his misstatements about his service record in Vietnam. — In a new ad, which McMahon's campaign says will air statewide …

Discussion: CNN, Hot Air, OpenSecrets.org, The Politico, Real Clear Politics, The Fix, Gateway Pundit and msnbc.com

Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Blumenthal up 12 — The race may be closer than it was six months ago …

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Kos, A plain blog about politics, POLISING and Weigel

Associated Press:

Sen. Murkowski Asks Alaska Stations Not to Air Tea Party Ads — JUNEAU, Alaska — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's campaign is warning Alaska broadcasters not to air ads by a national tea party group that the campaign says are “littered with lies and intentional mischaracterizations” about her and her write-in campaign.

Discussion: Weasel Zippers and HotAirPundit

The Note:
Joe Miller: End Federal Minimum Wage, ‘Defund Certain Components’ of EPA

Discussion: CNN, The Atlantic Online, msnbc.com, Think Progress, Hotline On Call, Joe. My. God., Daily Kos, Washington Post and The Moderate Voice

Project Veritas:

Statement regarding CNN — Now that I've had a chance to watch CNN's “Right on the Edge” documentary, I'm happy to comment. I apologize for not saying anything sooner, but don't want to comment until I have all the facts at my disposal. — As you can imagine in our line of work …

Discussion: The Politico, CNN, Right Pundits, Mediaite, Gateway Pundit, Salon, TPMMuckraker, Wonkette and Weigel

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blog:

Mondale to Obama: Ditch the ‘idiot boards’ — Former Vice President Walter Mondale suggested in an interview today President Obama stop relying on “idiot boards” — teleprompters, that is — to deliver his message to the American people. — “He uses these idiot boards to read speeches in television …

Discussion: Hot Air, Pajamas Media, MyFox DC and CNN

Susan Page / USA Today:

Elections are likely to trim number of women in Congress — GLENWOOD, Ark. — Blanche Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1992, a time when women gained so much ground in the House and Senate that it was dubbed the “Year of the Woman.” — Now, the Arkansas senator, who faces Republican John Boozman …

Discussion: Hot Air, Jezebel and ECHIDNE of the snakes

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Federal judge charged with buying drugs from stripper — A longtime federal judge was freed on a $50,000 bond Monday after his arrest on federal charges that he bought cocaine and other illegal drugs while involved in a sexual relationship with an exotic dancer for the past several months.

Discussion: TalkLeft

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

Did The Wave Crest? — We've got another new congressional generic just out today. This one from Rasmussen and it shows a 3 point spread for the GOP — GOP 45%, Dems 42%. But the context is important. Last week Rasmussen had a 6 point margin. And for most of the summer their number …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Sam Youngman / The Hill:

Gibbs won't rule out DNC appointment — White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday he loves his job, but he would not rule out a transition to chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). — Reports over the weekend indicated Gibbs was being considered for the DNC post …

Discussion: CNN and HotAirPundit

Kerry Eleveld / Advocate:
Gibbs Vague on Path to End DADT

Discussion: AMERICAblog Gay, The Huffington Post and Pam's House Blend

Bruno Waterfield / Telegraph:

Geert Wilders trial suspended after he attacks judge — Geert Wilders, the anti-Islam politician, told a Dutch court that he stood by his opinions that the Koran is a “fascist book” and Islam is as dangerous as Nazism, as he went on trial for inciting racial hatred.

Discussion: Guardian, Gates of Vienna, ParaPundit, Jihad Watch, Right Pundits and Weasel Zippers

Jack Dolan / Los Angeles Times:

$69 million in California welfare money drawn out of state — Las Vegas tops the list with $11.8 million spent at casinos or taken from ATMs, but transactions in Hawaii, Miami, Guam and elsewhere also raise questions. Officials say budget cuts hinder investigations. — Reporting from Sacramento —

Discussion: Mother Jones, MyFox DC, Gateway Pundit and ParaPundit

Scott Baker / The Blaze:

UK Pundit to Shocked TV Host: Suffering Children Should Be Smothered — Advice columnists in Britain are known as “agony aunts” (or uncles). Virginia Ironside is one. Her latest bit of advice has drawn outraged reaction from television viewers who caught her comments on the BBC yesterday.

Discussion: Daily Mail, NewsBusters.org, Babalú Blog, Hot Air and Pajamas Media

BBC:

No joke as Brazil clown tops votes for Congress — Tiririca won far more votes than any other candidate — A Brazilian clown has had the last laugh by winning a seat in Congress with more votes than any other candidate in Sunday's elections. — Tiririca, or Francisco Oliveira Silva …

Discussion: Raw Story, iOwnTheWorld.com and Reuters