Howard Dean warns Democrats Sarah Palin could beat Obama in 2012  —  Howard Dean, the former Democratic National Committee chairman who helped Democrats capture the White House in 2008, warns that Sarah Palin could defeat President Obama in 2012.  —  Dean says his fellow Democrats should beware …

Ill. Dioceses Suspend Adoption Licensing  —  Two Illinois Catholic Charities agencies have suspended licensing new foster care and adoptive parents following the state's enactment of a civil unions law.  —  Glenn Van Cura, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet …

What would Michelle say?  President Obama wolfs down TWO chili dogs and fries... the day after his wife unveils new dietary guide  — Mr Obama also visits Chrysler factory in Toledo - and fails to mention grim unemployment statistics  —  When his wife unveiled the USDA's new nutritional plate yesterday …

Our Fantasy Nation?  —  With Tea Party conservatives and many Republicans balking at raising the debt ceiling, let me offer them an example of a nation that lives up to their ideals.  —  It has among the lowest tax burdens of any major country: fewer than 2 percent of the people pay any taxes.

Anthony Weiner's bulging controversy a classic example of abysmal damage control  —  WASHINGTON - Weinergate ain't Watergate, not even close.  —  But they're both classic examples of abysmal damage control.  —  For such a savvy practitioner of the political game, Anthony Weiner has violated …

Sunday Reflection: Hard to get good goons these days  —  So the public employee unions have been on the defensive across the nation, and they've been losing battles in state capitols from Wisconsin, to Ohio, to Tennessee.  —  Although there have been some violent incidents and death threats …

Bank of America Gets Pad Locked After Homeowner Forecloses On It  —  Well, it has happened in Florida and involves a North Carolina based bank.  —  Instead of Bank of America foreclosing on some Florida homeowner, the homeowners had sheriff's deputies foreclose on the bank.

Wounded Yemeni president in Saudi Arabia  —  Ali Abdullah Saleh is in Riyadh for treatment amid speculation over his rule, two days after he was injured in attack.  —  Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh is in Riyadh for medical treatment, after he was injured in an attack on his compound on Friday …

A Peaceful Neo-Nazi?  —  I am writing to inform you of truly great news.  I know how sad and worried you all were when I was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to two years in prison.  As it turns out, this was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Climate of fear: scientists face death threats  —  Australia's leading climate change scientists are being targeted by a vicious, unrelenting email campaign that has resulted in police investigations of death threats.  —  The Australian National University has confirmed …

Obama Retools 2008 Machine for Tough Run  —  CHICAGO — Saddled with a faltering economic recovery, President Obama is rebuilding the campaign machinery that vaulted him into office, hoping it can overcome the challenges of persistently high unemployment and a fractured coalition of supporters.

Edwards Case Casts Spotlight on a Long Reclusive Donor  —  Rachel Mellon, now 100 years old and long one of the richest women in America, has lived a life of maximum discretion and minimum exposure.  Even in her prime, in the 1960s, when she redesigned the White House Rose Garden …