Education of a President  —  On a busy afternoon in the West Wing late last month, President Barack Obama seemed relaxed and unhurried as he sat down in a newly reupholstered brown leather chair in the Oval Office.  He had just returned from the East Room, where he signed the Small Business Jobs Act …

THE HILL POLL: Republicans are up in 8 of 10 open House districts  —  Republicans are winning eight out of 10 competitive open House seats surveyed in a groundbreaking new poll by The Hill.  —  Taken on top of 11 GOP leads out of 12 freshman Democratic districts polled last week …

GOP governor hopeful Carl Paladino cashed in on Buffalo gay clubs Cobalt, Buddies II  —  Carl Paladino says kids shouldn't be “brainwashed” into thinking it's okay to be gay or be taken to a “disgusting” gay pride parade.  —  But he had no problem when his son, William, ran Cobalt …

Obama's related to Palin  —  NEW YORK - President Barack Obama has family ties to none other than Sarah Palin, according to the genealogists at Ancestry.com, a discovery the family history site made when looking for connections between political foes.  —  And that's not all …

GOP Groups Launch Massive Ad Blitz  —  Alliance Spends $50 Million on Competitive House Races Where Democrats Have More Money Now  —  An alliance of Republican groups is launching a $50 million advertising blitz this week in a final push to help the GOP win a majority in the House …

Michelle Rhee to announce resignation as D.C. schools chancellor on Wednesday  —  D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee will announce Wednesday that she is resigning at the end of this month, bringing an abrupt end to a tenure that drew national acclaim but that also became a central issue …

Wage cuts hurt, but they may be the only way to get Americans back to work  —  Last week, General Motors and the United Auto Workers announced agreement on a new two-tier wage structure that would allow the automaker to produce its next-generation subcompact car in Michigan rather than in South Korea.

Whitman and Brown's final debate a contentious one  —  The rivals for California governor continue their attacks on each other and stick to their talking points without offering details on how they would fix the troubled state.  —  Meg Whitman called Jerry Brown “the same old same old,” …

Truth Lies Here  —  How can Americans talk to one another—let alone engage in political debate—when the Web allows every side to invent its own facts?  —  THIS PAST AUGUST, the left-leaning San Francisco-based Web site AlterNet posted a remarkable scoop: members of a group calling itself …

The enormous mortgage-bond scandal  —  You thought the foreclosure mess was bad?  You're right about that.  But it gets so much worse once you start adding in a whole bunch of parallel messes in the world of mortgage bonds.  For instance, as Tracy Alloway says, mortgage-bond documentation generally …

Gay Sex vs. Straight Sex  —  Gay issues have been in the news a lot lately, from the debate over same-sex marriage in Congress to a sickening rash of gay-bashing here in New York City.  We see a lot of emotion out there, instead of information, and we wanted to provide some data-based context …

Obama administration appeals gay marriage ruling  —  (Reuters) - The Obama administration decided on Tuesday to appeal a judge's rulings that prevented the U.S. government from banning same-sex marriages, a move that could undermine support among President Barack Obama's traditional liberal base ahead of a key election.

JPMorgan exits electronic mortgage tracking system  —  NEW YORK - JPMorgan Chase's CEO says the bank has stopped using the electronic mortgage tracking system used by major financial institutions.  —  Lawyers have argued in court proceedings that the system is unable to accurately prove ownership of mortgages.

Pat Quinn: Says Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady's first priority after winning the primary “was to sponsor a bill that would mass-euthanize sheltered dogs and cats in gas chambers.”  —  Pat Quinn blasts Bill Brady for sponsoring bill on pet euthanasia in Illinois gubernatorial race

Obama's outsized ego  —  Obama's arrogance problem isn't a matter of psychology but of strategy.  —  “That's all right, all of you know who I am,” President Obama joked last week when the presidential seal fell off his podium during a speech in Pittsburgh.

Liu Xiaobo and the War for the Terms of Modernity  —  Dissident Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize has scared China's communist elites.  The Beijing government has responded viciously by vilifying Liu and the prize selection committee.  China's cyber-sheriffs have tried to keep news of Liu's award off the Internet.

MAINE: Nazi symbols spray-painted on Jewish Republican candidate's signs  —  Media Blackout!  —  From Eric Dondero:  —  Symbols of the National Socialist Party (NAZIs) were recently spray-painted on signs of a Jewish Republican candidate for Maine State Senate.  Blogger Al Diamon DownEast.com explains:

In South Dakota: Another Sarah Palin?  —  A New Republican Star Takes on a Tough Democratic Incumbent  —  If money is any indication, the hottest Republican House candidate in the country is Kristi Noem.  The 38-year-old rancher has raised more campaign cash than any Republican house challenger in the country.

Chile Rejoices as Capsule Brings Miners to Freedom  —  President Sebastián Piñera of Chile embraced Florencio Ávalos, the first of the miners trapped in the San José Mine to come to the surface.  Mr. Piñera has staked his presidency on the rescue.  More Photos »

Dudley Says He “Was a Minority”; Black Lawmaker Disagrees  —  When Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Dudley addressed the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs' monthly “Coffee & Issues” breakfast on Sept. 24, he reprised a comment he'd made at an earlier interview with the Urban League of Portland.

Chamber of Commerce: The White House Wants Our Donor Lists So Its Allies Can Intimidate Our Donors  —  Tuesday afternoon, I spoke with Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, about the White House pressing the Chamber to release its donors list …

Rubio Shows Crist His Heels In Florida Senate Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Democrat Meek A Distant Third  —  In the Florida U.S. Senate race, Republican Marco Rubio is running away with a commanding 44 - 30 percent likely voter lead over Gov. Charlie Crist, running as an independent …