EVERYONE WANTS SOMETHIN' FOR NOTHIN'...:

Turning New Jersey red (RUSS SCHRIEFER, 11/7/09, Politico)

Just as important as the political environment being “open” to electing a Republican was the candidate and his message.

For seven years Chris Christie earned a stellar reputation as a U.S. attorney, convicting over 136 public officials on corruption charges. His work earned bipartisan praise, even from Gov. Corzine. We believed from day one that Christie’s record as an independent crime fighter gave voters the permission they needed to believe he could change Trenton, particularly with taxes and the economy. This summer, when an FBI raid brought down numerous public officials, it was less about corruption and more about New Jerseyans once again being disappointed by a state government out of control.

In a time of economic uncertainty, voters, particularly independents, cared more about New Jersey’s status as the highest taxed state in the nation than Christie’s driving record or his weight (both of which were subjects of Corzine ads). By focusing on the economic message and not getting distracted by launching retaliatory personal attacks on Gov. Corzine, we kept talking to voters about issues they cared about.

DOES ANYONE? EVER?:

The Rose Garden Path (Peggy Noonan, 11/06/09, WSJ)

[I]t's too simple to say this was a vote against Obama. Yes, he went to Jersey three times and draped himself like a shawl around the Democratic incumbent. But the crowds showed and nobody booed and everyone had a good time. What happened actually is more interesting. They just didn't listen to him.

"ABSOLUTELY A HERO":

She Ran to Gunfire, and Ended It (JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr., 11/07/09, NY Times)

The police officer who brought down a gunman after he went on a shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army base here was on the way to have her car repaired when she responded to a police radio report of gunfire at a center where soldiers are processed before being sent overseas, the authorities said Friday.

As she pulled up to the center, the officer, Sgt. Kimberly Denise Munley, spotted the gunman, later identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, brandishing a pistol and chasing a wounded soldier outside the building, said Chuck Medley, the director of emergency services at the base.

Sergeant Munley — a woman with a fierce love of hunting, surfing and other outdoor sports — bolted from her car, yanked her pistol out and shot at Major Hasan. He turned on her and began to fire. She ran toward him, continuing to fire, and both she and Major Hasan went down with several bullet wounds, Mr. Medley said.

FOR TERRORISM TO SUCCEED...:

Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting (ROBERT A. GEORGE, Nov 6, 2009, NBC Chicago)

At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for not only his trademark eloquence, but also grace and perspective.

But instead of a somber chief executive offering reassuring words and expressions of sympathy and compassion, viewers saw a wildly disconnected and inappropriately light president making introductory remarks. At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a "shout-out" to "Dr. Joe Medicine Crow -- that Congressional Medal of Honor winner." Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms. Who is advising him?

Anyone at home aware of the major news story of the previous hours had to have been stunned. An incident like this requires a scrapping of the early light banter. The president should apologize for the tone of his remarks, explain what has happened, express sympathy for those slain and appeal for calm and patience until all the facts are in. That's the least that should occur.

Indeed, an argument could be made that Obama should have canceled the Indian event, out of respect for people having been murdered at an Army post a few hours before. That would have prevented any sort of jarring emotional switch at the event.

Did the president's team not realize what sort of image they were presenting to the country at this moment? The disconnect between what Americans at home knew had been going on -- and the initial words coming out of their president's mouth was jolting, if not disturbing.

And, let's face it, not only is the UR not eloquent but he's Tom Hagen, not Vito Corleane.

THERE IS NO LEBANON:

Rival Lebanon factions agree on unity government (BASSEM MROUE, 11/07/09, Associated Press)

Hariri's Cabinet lineup appears to have given the opposition the seats they have been demanding for months, including the Telecommunications Ministry.

A Hezbollah statement issued Saturday said the opposition leaders agreed during the meeting "to go ahead with the formation of a national unity government according to what was agreed upon during negotiations."

It added that they "hope that this step will be for the good of Lebanon and its people."

During the months-long negotiations, one of the most contentious points was the demand by Hezbollah and its allies that Jibran Bassil stay on as telecommunications minister, a sensitive post for security reasons.

Hariri refused to give the position to the opposition.

Hariri ultimately relented, but only if the minister was not Bassil, but rather another member of his party. Bassil will become Minister of Power and Hydraulic Resources in the future Cabinet, according to the daily Al-Akhbar that is close to Hezbollah.

IF ONLY THEY DIDN'T GET FREAKY WITH EQUINES, ONE MIGHT VIOLATE THE TIME-ZONE RULE:

McGinn widens lead over Mallahan for Seattle mayor (The Associated Press, 11/07/09)

Environmentalist Mike McGinn has widened his lead over cell phone executive Joe Mallahan to 1,209 votes in the race for Seattle mayor.

Mike McGinn pledged this morning to bring a plan before voters within two years to expand light rail to more neighborhoods within Seattle.

Neighborhoods that could be connected, he said: West Seattle, Ballard, Fremont, Queen Anne and Belltown. [...]

McGinn mentioned the possibility of funding the light-rail extensions with car-tab taxes, sales taxes or other taxes.

THE TANCREDISTS WILL KEEP THESE SORTS OF WETBACKS OUT:

Unique homecoming to Vietnam for US commander: On the day his side lost the Vietnam War, Hung Ba Le fled his homeland at the age of 5 in a fishing trawler crammed with 400 refugees. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming - as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer. (BEN STOCKING, 11/07/09, Associated Press)

On the day his side lost the Vietnam War, Hung Ba Le fled his homeland at the age of 5 in a fishing trawler crammed with 400 refugees. Thirty-four years later, he made an unlikely homecoming - as the commander of a U.S. Navy destroyer.

Le piloted the USS Lassen on Saturday into Danang, home of China Beach, where U.S. troops frequently headed for R&R during the war, which ended on April 30, 1975, when the southern city of Saigon was taken by communist troops from North Vietnam.

That was the day Le and his family embarked on an uncertain journey in a fishing boat piloted by Le's father, who was a commander in the South Vietnamese navy. They were rescued at sea by the USS Barbour County, taken to a U.S. base in the Philippines, a refugee camp in California and finally to northern Virginia, where they rebuilt their lives.

THE POLES ARE ALWAYS THERE FOR US, WE SELDOM FOR THEM:

Revolutionary War hero becomes honorary US citizen (WILLIAM C. MANN, 11/07/09, Associated Press)

Finally, Gen. Casimir Pulaski became an American citizen on Friday, 230 years after the Polish nobleman died fighting for the as yet-unborn United States.

President Barack Obama signed a joint resolution of the Senate and the House that made Pulaski an honorary citizen.

EVER TRY FINDING BOOKS A TWEEN BOY WILL READ?:

Whale Riders: a review of LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld Illustrated by Keith Thompson (AUSTIN GROSSMAN, November 5, 2009, NY Times)

Scott Westerfeld’s “Leviathan” is a tightly paced young adult novel set in an alternate version of the First World War and a welcome addition to the steampunk genre: a neo-retro period adventure. Just as cyberpunk reimagined science fiction with computers, steampunk reinvents it through a fantasy of the technological past. Its signature style is a whimsical Jules Verne-ian, 19th-century take on high technology — gadgets, gauges and goggles take the place of circuits and fusion reactors. Its genteel heroes and heroines display both the pluck of idealized Victorian adven­turers and their understanding of formal dress. [...]

If it poses a big question, that question would be, Wouldn’t it be cool if the First World War had been fought with genetically engineered mutant animals, against steam-­powered walking machines like the ones from “The Empire Strikes Back”? And the answer is, Yes, it would.

LOSING THE DECENT LEFT:

Troubling Signals On Free Speech: In his eagerness to please international opinion, President Obama has taken a small but significant step toward censoring free speech. (Stuart Taylor Jr., Oct. 31, 2009, National Journal)

It was nice to hear Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton say on October 26, "I strongly disagree" with Islamic countries seeking to censor free speech worldwide by making defamation of religion a crime under international law.

But watch what the Obama administration does, not just what it says. I'm not talking about its attacks on Fox News. I'm talking about a little-publicized October 2 resolution in which Clinton's own State Department joined Islamic nations in adopting language all-too-friendly to censoring speech that some religions and races find offensive.

The ambiguously worded United Nations Human Rights Council resolution could plausibly be read as encouraging or even obliging the U.S. to make it a crime to engage in hate speech, or, perhaps, in mere "negative racial and religious stereotyping." This despite decades of First Amendment case law protecting such speech.

WANT TO RUN IN A RED DISTRICT ON HAVING PROPOSED A DEAL THAT WAS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE CHURCH?:

The abortion deal (Patrick O'Connor, 11/07/09, Politico)

Abortion opponents won a huge last-minute concession late Friday night after Democratic leaders agreed to grant them a vote on an amendment that would effectively bar insurers that participate in the exchanges from offering coverage for abortions.

Members of the Rules Committee approved a vote on the amendment early Saturday morning after hours of negotiations in Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Capitol office, so the full House will get a chance to vote on it when the broader health care bill comes to the floor.

Leaders reluctantly made the decision after working for days to broker a truce that would garner a blessing from the Conference of Catholic Bishops. But the church, according to members and aides, wouldn't accept a compromise crafted by Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth that would have established a body to make sure private insurance companies don't use federal funds to pay for abortions.

AM I MISSING SOMETHING...:

Zelaya-Micheletti Honduras Deal Risks Trouble for Obama (Tim Padgett, Nov 6, 2009, TIME)

When the U.S. last week finally brokered a deal between ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and the man who replaced him following the June 28 coup, de facto President Roberto Micheletti, observers wondered how the Obama Administration had won Micheletti's agreement. That's because the pact allowed for Zelaya to be restored to office before Honduras' Nov. 29 presidential election - a prospect Micheletti had fiercely opposed. But as the dust settles, the more common question this week is, What was Zelaya thinking when he signed this accord?

The Oct. 30 agreement, in fact, leaves it to the Honduran congress to decide whether the leftist Zelaya should be restored before the presidential vote (in which he's not a candidate). But Zelaya, still holed up in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa since sneaking back into the country from exile in September, appears to have grossly miscalculated the odds of the legislature voting in his favor, and that leaves a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the accord. On Friday, Zelaya told Radio Globo that the accord was "dead," adding that there was "no sense in deceiving Hondurans."

It ought to have been apparent to Zelaya that when the pact was inked, only a quarter of the chamber's 128 deputies backed his reinstatement - even his ruling Liberal Party is split on the issue - and the math has barely budged since then. U.S. officials say they hoped that four months after the coup, the congress would be less of an anti-Zelaya hothouse and therefore more amenable to letting him finish the last three months of his term as the democratically elected President.

NOT THAT VOTING AGAINST IT WILL SAVE THEIR SEATS:

Vulnerable Democratic freshman abandon the health care bill (Kathy Kiely, November 06, 2009 , USA Today)

Some of the most vulnerable Democrats in the House are starting to flake off the health care bill.

There are a dozen first-term Democrats representing districts that Republican presidential nominee John McCain won last year. So far, six have announced that they will vote against their party's health care bill.

Update, 5:43 p.m. ET: Now there are seven. The New York Daily News has just published a statement from hometown Rep. Michael McMahon, D-N.Y. He's in the no column. "I believe the net negatives of this bill outweight the positive effects," McMahon says.

Five of those announcements came today. All of the lawmakers who announced opposition cited concerns about the price tag of the legislation, estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to be more than $1 trillion over 10 years.

FACILITATING EVIL:

Ellsworth angers abortion foes (Thomas B. Langhorne, November 6, 2009, Louisville Courier Press)

Eighth District U.S. Rep. Brad Ellsworth, D-Ind., might have expected that his amendment to the health care reform bill, which he says will ensure no federal funds are used to provide elective abortions, would be opposed by Planned Parenthood. [...]

But the Ellsworth amendment, which House leaders have said they may incorporate into the bill, also has sparked a furious backlash among national, state and local anti-abortion groups who typically support Ellsworth.

Pitted against the Ellsworth amendment are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Right to Life Committee, Indiana Right to Life and Vanderburgh County Right to Life.

"It was a bayonet in the back from someone who said he was on our side," said Doug Johnson, Washington, D.C.-based legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee. [...]

The crux of the Right to Life case against the Ellsworth amendment is that it does not strike what Johnson calls "trump-all" language in the health care reform bill that states, "Nothing in this Act shall be construed as preventing the public health insurance option from providing for or prohibiting coverage of services described in paragraph (4)(A)."

The services described in paragraph (4)(A) are "abortions for which the expenditure of federal funds appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services is not permitted."

A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CAN NOT GRANDSTAND:

Hoyer: House vote may be pushed back (AP, 11/06/09)

House Democrats acknowledged they don't yet have the votes to pass a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, and signaled they may push back the vote until Sunday or early next week. [...]

The apparent problem: Democrats have yet to resolve intraparty disputes over abortion funding and illegal immigrants' access to health care.

WHAT HASN'T HE CEDED?:

Obama cedes the center (Michael Gerson, November 6, 2009, Washington Post)

Advocates of purity politics on both left and right see Tuesday's lessons differently. "If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary 'bipartisanship,' " said the Daily Kos, "you will lose votes." But what could this possibility mean in practice? Would Democrats have saved Virginia and New Jersey if they embraced a single-payer takeover of American health care? If they proposed another trillion dollars in new debt? Yes, Democratic turnout and enthusiasm were down in both states. But this is probably because Obamamania was an acute, not chronic, malady. And though Obama remains fairly popular, his liberal policies look considerably less appealing without his winning personality on the ticket.

Others make a similar argument with a different ideology: If only more conservatives were nominated, such as Doug Hoffman in New York's 23rd Congressional District, the party might be pure enough to excite the base. Liberal Republicans who eventually endorse Democrats, such as Hoffman's opponent, should probably expect a conservative primary challenge. But this strategy is self-destructive when universalized. Would Republican appeal throughout the Northeast really be expanded by more ideological nominees? Though the Republican Party will remain the conservative party nationally, it is not possible for Republicans to win everywhere with an identical conservative message.

The Republican candidates who won on Tuesday were generally conservative, but not angry. They were supported by the Republican base but spent most of their time reaching toward the middle. It was a center-right victory in a center-right country.

Politicians who have run for governor -- say, Bill Clinton -- had a good feel for the politics of the center. Obama has yet to demonstrate it. According to the White House, on election night he was "not watching returns" -- displaying a French monarch's indifference to America's shifting middle.

Now comes Obama's largest test, which will determine the ideological atmosphere for the 2010 election. If the president -- opposed by a majority of Americans, with almost no support from the other party -- imposes an ideologically divisive health reform, it will smack of radicalism, reinforce polarization and may cede the ideological center to Republicans for years to come.

OTHER THAN THAT, WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?:

Obamacare's nasty surprise: Fewer insured, higher costs might be the result (Martin Feldstein, November 6, 2009, Washington Post)

This well-intentioned feature would provide a strong incentive for someone who is healthy to drop his or her health insurance, saving the substantial premium costs. After all, if serious illness hit this person or a family member, he could immediately obtain coverage. As healthy individuals decline coverage in this way, insurance companies would come to have a sicker population. The higher cost of insuring that group would force insurers to raise their premiums. (Separate accident policies might develop to deal with the risk of high-cost care after accidents when there is insufficient time to buy insurance.)

The higher premium level would cause others who are currently insured to drop coverage, pushing premiums even higher. The result would be a spiral of rising premiums and shrinking numbers of insured.

In an attempt to prevent this, the draft legislation provides penalties for individuals who choose not to buy insurance and for employers that do not offer health insurance. But the levels of these fines are generally too low to cause a rational individual to insure.

Consider: 27 million people are covered by health insurance purchased directly, i.e. outside employer-based plans. The average cost of an insurance policy with family coverage in 2009 is $13,375. A married couple with a median family income of $75,000 who choose not to insure would be subject to a fine of 2.5 percent of that $75,000, or $1,875. So the family would save a net $11,500 by not insuring. If a serious illness occurs -- a chronic condition or a condition that requires surgery -- they could then buy insurance. Since fewer than one family in four has annual health-care costs that exceed $10,000, the decision to drop coverage looks like a good bet. For a lower-income family, the fine is smaller, and the incentive to be uninsured is even greater.

EVEN WORSE, IF IT'S ANZIO, HE'S THE ITALIANS:

Obama Faces His Anzio (PAUL KRUGMAN, 11/06/09, NY Times)

[P]resident Obama came into office with a strong mandate and proclaimed the need to take bold action on the economy. His actual actions, however, were cautious rather than bold.

THE ISSUE GOES AWAY ONCE YOU GRANT THEM AMNESTY, BUT IN THE MEANTIME...:

Illegal immigration issue threatens healthcare vote (Jared Allen, 11/05/09, The Hill)

The illegal immigration issue is emerging as the biggest threat to passing healthcare reform in the House.

Congressional Hispanics have threatened to vote against the bill because of a last-minute threat from within the Democratic Caucus to bolster the House bill’s immigration restrictions to match those included in the Senate Finance bill.

SQUARE ENOUGH CIRCLES AND YOU'RE LEFT WITH SWISS CHEESE:

Democrats Pose Health Bill Hurdle (NAFTALI BENDAVID, 11/06/09, WSJ)

Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu says she generally backs President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul efforts. But she'd like to see a few items in the bill before voting for it, including bigger federal Medicaid payments for her home state of Louisiana, extended health coverage for her pet cause of foster children, and help for teaching hospitals in her state.

While pushing more spending in those areas, Ms. Landrieu also wants the plan to cut the overall amount the nation spends on health care.

JOINING THE HOLDER/HILLARY HUMILIATION CLUB:

Supreme Court query puts Janet Napolitano on the spot (JOSH GERSTEIN, 11/6/09, Politico)

On Monday, the justices asked the Justice Department to provide its views on Arizona’s attempt to force employers to verify the immigration status of potential employees. The law being challenged in the cases was signed by Napolitano in 2007, when she was governor of Arizona.

Napolitano, who was a defendant in the litigation, has stated that she believes the law is constitutional, but business groups and immigration reform advocates generally in President Barack Obama’s camp are asking the Supreme Court to strike down the statute.

“It is awkward, given the fact that she signed the law,” said Glenn Hamer of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, one of the organizations asking the Supreme Court to take up the issue. “It’s got to be a difficult situation for the administration.”

JUST ANOTHER THIRD WAY THEOCRAT:

David Cameron: My faith and fear of failure (Geordie Greig and Joe Murphy, 06.11.09, Evening Standard)

David Cameron today revealed his faith in God, his fear of failure and his dread that another of his children could die.

In his most intimate interview so far, he said he prayed regularly but did not feel he had “a direct line” to God.

“If you are asking, do I drop to my knees and pray for guidance, no,” he said, adding that he had been a “questioning Christian” who struggled with tenets like the virgin birth.

“But do I have faith and is it important, yes. It's not always the rock that perhaps it should be.” [...]

David Cameron gave his strongest backing yet to London's long-awaited Crossrail scheme.

He said he had studied "all the economic arguments" and concluded that Crossrail could transform the capital.

"I think Crossrail has that transformational capability, to make London a more effective and economically successful city," he said.

"I back Crossrail. I want Crossrail to go ahead."

His comments will be a huge boost to Mayor Boris Johnson who is fighting to ensure the £16 billion east-west line is under construction in time for his re-election campaign.

YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE THAT SHE GIVES ALL THE GOOD LINES TO THREE GUYS:

Tina Fey's 10 Favorite 30 Rock Moments: The Emmy-winning comedian tells The Daily Beast what really cracks her up on 30 Rock. (Nicole LaPorte, 11/05/09, Daily Beast)

LIZ: Why are you wearing a tux?

JACK: It’s after six. What am I, a farmer?

HOW DOES STASIS BOG DOWN?:

Election results rattle some Democrats: With independent voters favoring GOP candidates in New Jersey and Virginia, many in Congress wonder whether they'll lose electoral support themselves if they stick with Obama on controversial issues. (James Oliphant and Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, November 5, 2009, LA Times)

Exit polls circulating on the House floor Wednesday were even more unnerving to Democrats. The Republican candidates, the polls indicated, had received the votes of two-thirds of independent voters.

Now, as the entire House of Representatives and a third of the Senate prepare for next year's midterm elections, some moderate Democrats are wondering whether they can afford to follow President Obama's ambitious legislative agenda on such controversial issues as healthcare and climate change. One said the results were a "wake-up call."

"There are going to be a lot more tensions between the White House and Congress," predicted Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), a member of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats. "They've been under the surface so far -- and they're going to come out in the open."

The president's agenda already has been bogged down by an extended and draining battle over healthcare, one that could stretch into the new year.

After that bruising fight, bitter conflicts loom over climate change, financial market reform and immigration. That sets up a potential conflict between the White House and some Democrats who want to avoid controversial votes that can -- and almost certainly will -- be used against them by their opponents in next year's campaigns.

IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY ACTUAL EFFECT ON THE GROUND...:

Barack Obama's 'dithering' hurts Afghan mission, British sources say: US President Barack Obama’s indecision over his strategy for Afghanistan threatens to undermine the Western mission, British sources have said. (James Kirkup, 05 Nov 2009, Daily Telegraph)

One British source said that the absence of a clear strategy from the US, the largest troop contributor in Afghanistan, is hampering the British Government’s attempts to maintain public support for an increasingly unpopular conflict.

“The truth is that until we have some clarity from Obama, it’s going to be hard for us to explain to people what we’re doing there,” the source said.

Britain is urging Hamid Karzai to send more Afghan forces to Helmand province to support British troops there.

Mr Karzai was returned for second term this week after an election widely agreed to have been flawed and corrupt.

“We need the Americans to have a clear message for Karzai about what he has to do, but that’s just not there at the moment,” said the British source.

The private frustrations of British ministers and commanders were echoed by General Lord Guthrie, a former Chief of the Defence Staff, who said the American deliberations had brought the Afghan mission to a pivotal moment.

“It’s a tipping point because of President Obama’s delayed decision on whether to send more troops,” Lord Guthrie said.

EXCEPT IN REVERSE?:

AP sources: Authorities had concerns about suspect (LARA JAKES, 11/05/09, Associated Press)

Federal law enforcement officials say the suspected Fort Hood, Texas, shooter[, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan,] had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats. [...]

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

IF THIS WHITE HOUSE WEREN'T SO INEPT...:

Liberal lawmakers defy Obama on Patriot Act (LARRY MARGASAK, 11/05/09, Associated Press)

Defying the Obama administration, the House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to remove from the USA Patriot Act a tool for tracking non-U.S. citizens in anti-terrorism investigations.

The committee, dominated by Democratic liberals, also voted to amend the anti-terrorism law to curb the government's surveillance and seizure powers.

The bill went to the full House on a 16-10 vote along party lines, with Republicans casting all the votes in opposition.

EVEN DARWIN WOULD FIND IT AMUSING...:

Secularism 'means fall in births' (BBC, 11/05/09)

Europe is facing a population crisis because of attacks on religion by secular writers, Britain's chief rabbi has said.

Lord Sacks blamed Europe's falling birth rate on a culture of "consumerism and instant gratification".

He said the continent was "dying" and accused its citizens of not being prepared for parenthood's "sacrifices". [...]

The 61-year-old, who took his seat in the Lords last week, said: "Wherever you turn today - Jewish, Christian or Muslim - the more religious the community, the larger on average are their families.

"The major assault on religion today comes from the neo-Darwinians."

PREPARED TO LOSE THEIR SEATS ANYWAY:

The Worst Bill Ever: Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all. (WSJ, 11/01/09)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has reportedly told fellow Democrats that she's prepared to lose seats in 2010 if that's what it takes to pass ObamaCare...

THE HOUSING MARKET IS SERIOUSLY UNDERPRICED (via Brandon Heathcotte)

700 Million Worldwide Desire to Migrate Permanently: U.S. tops desired destination countries (Neli Esipova and Julie Ray, 11/02/09, Gallup)

The United States is the top desired destination country for the 700 million adults who would like to relocate permanently to another country. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of these respondents, which translates to more than 165 million adults worldwide, name the United States as their desired future residence. With an additional estimated 45 million saying they would like to move to Canada, Northern America is one of the two most desired regions.