Reid My Lips: Last Night Was a Disaster  —  The Senate majority leader should've stayed home.  —  Why Harry Reid agreed to have a debate with Sharron Angle is a bit of a mystery to me.  If your campaign is based on portraying your opponent as loony, then why give that opponent a chance to look reasonable?

Treasury Defends HAMP Again - I Can't Stop Laughing  —  I see nothing.  (photo: sirtwitchalot2000 on Flickr)  —  So Ezra stepped out and pretty sharply criticized HAMP.  To him I say welcome.  But because he has a Beltway audience, the Treasury Department got right angry and dialed him up and pleaded their case.

Christine O'Donnell outraises Chris Coons more than 2-to-1  —  Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell raised a substantial $3.8 million during the last three months, more than twice what her Democratic opponent raised, but it hasn't yet thinned his substantial lead in most polls.

Feds oppose Calif. Prop 19 to legalize marijuana  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Attorney General Eric Holder says the federal government will enforce its marijuana laws in California even if voters next month make the state the first in the nation to legalize the drug.

Tides Foundation CEO To Fox News Advertisers: Drop Glenn Beck Or Have Blood On Your Hands  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  In an extraordinary move to nip the inflammatory commentary coming from Glenn Beck, the founder and CEO of the Tides Foundation (a frequent Beck target) …

California Democrats cling to leads: Reuters/Ipsos  —  (Reuters) - Democratic candidates are clinging to narrow leads over their Republican rivals in two key California races with less than three weeks to go until November 2 elections, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Friday.

Republican ‘Contender’ Dons Duckie Pajamas, Parties With Scantily Clad Women  —  Who among us hasn't donned duckie pajamas for a night out with scantily clad women, then run for Congress?  —  Well, in the event that you haven't, consider the case of NRCC's latest big “contender,” …

Sorry Folks, The Put-Back Apocalypse Ain't Gonna Happen  —  You should probably be a buyer of Bank of America right now.  —  I never thought I'd find myself typing those words.  I've been a huge critic of Bank of America for years.  I'm bearish on the financial supermarket model.

Raese's Wife Loses W.Va. Voter Status  —  In an escalating residency controversy between West Virginia's Senate contenders, the wife of Republican businessman John Raese is being purged from the state's voter rolls because she is also registered to vote in Florida.

Hey, Secret Big Political Donor, Don't Forget The 35% Gift Tax  —  In the run-up to next month's elections, a big and controversial development has been the ability of tycoons to make unlimited political donations without any public disclosure whatsoever.  This is done by giving the money to certain 501 …

Wilders not guilty on all counts - Update  —  The public prosecution department on Friday afternoon stated that Geert Wilders is not guilty of discriminating against Muslims.  Earlier on Friday it announced he should also be found not guilty of inciting hatred.

Long Battle by Foes of Campaign Finance Rules Shifts Landscape  —  WASHINGTON — It was Thanksgiving break of 1998 at Capital University Law School in Ohio, and Senator Mitch McConnell was on the phone for Prof. Bradley Smith.  —  Mr. McConnell's aides had already approached …

Immigrants Find Voting Can Come At a Cost  —  The way Joseph E. Joseph tells it, he was just doing his civic duty.  —  On his way home from work one evening in 1992, he came across a group of volunteers in Brooklyn registering people to vote.  Mr. Joseph, a legal permanent resident …

Obama's half brother in Kenya says he married teen  —  NAIROBI, Kenya - President Barack Obama's polygamist half brother in Kenya has married a woman who is more than 30 years younger than him.  —  The 19-year-old's mother told The Associated Press on Friday she is furious …

Lee Abrams resigns from Tribune Co.  —  Lee Abrams.  (Handout)  —  Tribune Co. Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams, who began the work week by sending a companywide e-mail that contained content deemed inappropriate, resigned Friday.  —  The e-mail, the latest in a weekly series …

Rand Paul vs The Department of Education  —  Rand Paul's stated rationale for wanting to abolish the Department of Education is revealing of his ignorance of the relevant issues: … Igor Volsky points out that “[c]urrently, there is a legislative prohibition on the federal government getting involved …

Anthem Approved For Health Insurance Rate Hikes As High As 47 Percent  —  The state's largest insurer has been approved to raise health premium rates by 41 percent to 47 percent for some of its policies sold to individual buyers, in the largest price hikes yet seen in Connecticut since the adoption of national health care reform.

Poll: GOP has edge in most competitive Democratic seats  —  Republicans maintain an edge over Democrats in some of the most highly contested congressional districts, a new poll found Friday.  —  GOP candidates have a four-point edge among likely voters in the 53 most competitive congressional districts held …

Michelle Obama and Illinois Election Law  —  Did Michelle Obama violate Illinois election law?  —  The question arose after the first lady, who voted early at her Chicago precinct Thursday, responded to voters who voiced support for her husband.  It's unlawful in the state to have a …

Before meeting with Obama, Rice says mistakes were made in Iraq  —  Washington (CNN) — Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right move, but the United States made mistakes in the aftermath, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told CNN on Friday.