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.

“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.

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.

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.

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."

The measure of employee output per hour jumped at a 9.5 percent annual rate, topping the highest estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Labor costs fell at a 5.2 percent rate, capping the biggest 12-month drop since records began in 1948.

Sheriff Ed Cain, who confirmed his switch earlier this week, was joined at Wednesday’s formal announcement by County Judge Billy Caraway, Precinct 4 Commissioner Bobby Franklin, County Attorney Rebecca Walton, Precinct 5 Constable Wayne McDaniel, Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Kent Walker and Precinct 5 Justice of the Peace Butch Cummings.

As each of the officials spoke, they repeated the same theme — their beliefs and values have stayed the same, but are no longer reflected by the Democratic Party.

Mr. Christie also said he would enforce a stricter cap on increases in spending at the local level — the primary driver of the rising property taxes that have set off anger among voters.

In Newark, the governor-elect sought to show that he would make urban education a priority, traveling to a charter school and pressing his argument that children in the poorest cities were being held back by teachers’ unions blocking school vouchers and merit pay.

The trend here is that suburban and independent voters moved into the GOP column. The overall shift away from Democrats was 13 points in Virginia, 12 points in New Jersey, and eight points in Pennsylvania.

Mr. McDonnell offered suburban voters, working women and independents a better way to increase jobs and expand the economy, from the bottom up. It was a stark contrast to what Americans are seeing in Washington, where elitist Democratic politicians, in bed with the Wall Street establishment, are taking Americans’ tax dollars away to invest in arrogant, top-down public-sector schemes. This helped Mr. McDonnell forge a powerful coalition involving not just independents but also young voters; he won the under-30 vote by 10 percent. Thanks for the opportunity, President Obama. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Virginia a New Republican Party was born. See you in 2010.

The Offaly player got the better of the Scottish defence to fire home an unstoppable shot in injury time to break the deadlock in a tight game.

White House senior adviser David Axelrod said the 2010 elections would almost certainly revolve around Mr. Obama's agenda. He added the president will have an easier time using his popularity to win votes for Democrats if the candidates help the president with his legislative agenda. "You're not going to excite those voters by running away," he said. "You're going to excite them by helping create success."

While most Americans say it is important to them that President Obama keep the promises he made during the campaign (82%), far fewer, 48%, currently believe he has done so. This represents a slide in support for the president on this measure since April, when nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) said he was keeping his promises.

"I'm tired of Corzine. We have the highest property taxes in the United States," said John Kempton, a retired funeral director delighted to help lay the Democrat to rest as a one-term governor. He smiled over his coffee at a diner counter in Ocean County, a woodsy, middle-class suburban expanse of the state's midsection, where the verdict on Corzine was especially emphatic: Christie, 65.7 percent; Corzine, 28.5 percent.

"Ocean County is emblematic of the dissatisfaction with high property taxes, and dissatisfaction, really, with the definitive promises that Corzine made about taxes four years ago," said Peter J. Woolley, director of polling at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

No longer does his base find it interesting to see or hear from its ubiquitous president.

Obama is on television all the time. You can’t swing a dead cat without seeing a video clip or photo or hearing his voice. 24/7.

It’s a permanent campaign, the likes of which our country has never seen.

He’ll talk about anything, from “Dad’s need to go back to school” to “We must get the Olympics for Chicago.”