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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has shown throughout her career that when it comes to voting, it's her principles and constituents that guide her, not her party. Sen. Olympia Snowe has received overwhelming support from her constituents in past elections. Those principles, analysts note, are guiding her to find a compromise on health care reform currently stalemated in Congress. Jennifer Duffy, who follows the Senate for the Cook Political Report, said Snowe's independent streak is "not new behavior for her." "I think they [Republicans] also realize that the only reason that the state of Maine has two Republican...

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Friday that it has entered a final phase of uranium enrichment, and is also building more nuclear weapons with spent fuel rods extracted from its only operating plutonium-producing reactor.

Where has Ed Schultz been for the last eight years? Obviously not out with his progressive peeps. Otherwise he could not possibly have said what he did on his MSNBC show this evening: "I never saw anywhere in the news a Democrat carry a picture to any kind of a rally with a picture of Adolph Hitler putting them close to a characterization of President Bush. Never saw that!" Oh, really? View video here.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The teen who ran away from her Ohio home after converting from Islam to Christianity will stay with her foster parents in Orlando for the time being, a judge ruled. The judge also put a gag order on all the attorneys involved in the case, barring them from talking to the media. Rifqa Bary, 17, ran away to Florida in July, saying she feared being killed for changing religions. The Florida judge also ordered sealed a police report about a teenage girl. The judge said two weeks ago that he would postpone deciding whether Bary should return...

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), still facing the prospect of a tough re-election in 2010, has reversed her position on the public insurance option, saying Tuesday she will oppose the measure as a part of health care reform after previously expressing support for the policy, the Arkansas News reported. Lincoln’s vote on a health care reform bill could be key as the Senate Democratic leadership looks to build a coalition of 60 Senators to pass legislation without using reconciliation. Reconciliation is a budgetary tool that would allow Democrats to clear a bill with just 51 votes. “For some in my caucus,...

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe has shown throughout her career that when it comes to voting, it's her principles and constituents that guide her, not her party. Those principles, analysts note, are guiding her to find a compromise on health care reform currently stalemated in Congress. Jennifer Duffy, who follows the Senate for the Cook Political Report, said Snowe's independent streak is "not new behavior for her." "I think they [Republicans] also realize that the only reason that the state of Maine has two Republican senators at all is the fact that they are very independent-minded and they vote their state,"...

A Proper Juxtaposition Share on Other Sites J.J Speelman National Politics, Opinion It was a sunny day in Charlotte, NC. President Obama was just sworn in as the nation’s 44th president and there was a sort of happy energy flowing around the streets of an economically challenged area of the city. As I was driving down the long stretch of Beaties Ford Road, I noticed to my left, a shirt vendor selling Barrack Obama tees and hats. A few parking lots up the road, I saw another vendor selling the same products, along with a few that had Obama’s face...

Learn some handy detailing secrets to keep the exterior of your vehicle clean. From keeping your tires shiny and avoiding dust between washes to removing the ever-present bird droppings, youll learn some tips that will help your car stay clean using common household products. Watch Video...

Check out the Tweet that MSNBC's David Shuster posted a little while ago. He apparently sees some significant irony in the fact that the ObamaCare protester who had a finger bitten off by a supporter of Pres. Obama's plan was treated by Medicare. "that's right, it was medicare... a govt run program that represents all the protestor objects to... it was medicare that treated him." To which we would respond: so what?

Courtesy photo / Ventura County Sheriff's Department -- This image provided by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department shows the beginning of an altercation between William Rice, at right in the khaki shirt and olive shorts, and an unidentified man wearing black, who authorities say bit off Rice's little finger. The sheriff's department is seeking the public's help in identifying the man in black at far right, by calling the investigations bureau at (805)494-8201. A healthcare-reform opponent whose finger was partially bitten off Wednesday during a Thousand Oaks rally said today that doctors could not re-attach the severed section. William...

Minot Air Force Base is preparing to activate a new B-52 bomber squadron that will send 10 more B-52s to the North Dakota base. The new unit will be the fourth B-52 squadron in the Air Force. Minot base already has one squadron and Barksdale Air Force Base has the other two B-52 units. The Air Force has not said whether the planes will be transferred from Barksdale or taken from backup aircraft. Air Force officials say adding the new squadron at Minot is part of plans to put a stronger emphasis on nuclear mission training for B-52 units.

The Chicago Tribune just conducted a city wide poll regarding the citizen's feelings about the Olympics. The results are interesting. Support in Chicago for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games has dwindled, with residents now sharply divided over whether the city should host the Games, a Tribune/WGN poll has found. Nearly as many city residents oppose Mayor Richard Daley's Olympic plans, 45 percent, as support them, 47 percent. And residents increasingly and overwhelmingly oppose using tax dollars to cover any financial shortfalls for the Games, with 84 percent disapproving of the use of public money.

Former Democratic strategist turned journalist George Stephanopoulos appeared on Thursday’s Good Morning America to declare that President Obama’s address to Congress on September 9 must "intimidate Republicans a little bit." Stephanopoulos, who was a top aide to Bill Clinton, added that the White House should force the GOP to "make sure they understand the consequences of failure."

Markos (An Atheist, born in Chicago, and educated in Berkeley, California) Moulitsas said:

For any of you who watch Glenn Beck...he has done a good job in his show for the last 2 weeks of shining light on the RADICAL Communists in Barak's Administration. you can find all his shows at: Glenn Beck ClipsI believe I am going to take him up on his suggestion and start calling my Representative and Senators demanding that they do something about these people in DC....investigations, hearings, something needs to be done. We also need to be seriously vigilant in every primary election from this day forward. Wholly committed to not settling for "conservative enough." There has...

Few economists saw our current crisis coming, but this predictive failure was the least of the field’s problems. More important was the profession’s blindness to the very possibility of catastrophic failures in a market economy. During the golden years, financial economists came to believe that markets were inherently stable — indeed, that stocks and other assets were always priced just right. There was nothing in the prevailing models suggesting the possibility of the kind of collapse that happened last year. Meanwhile, macroeconomists were divided in their views. But the main division was between those who insisted that free-market economies never...

The passing of the 'great' senator from Massachusetts has prompted me to compose the following chart. Please feel free to suggest additions: THINGS DEMOCRATS CAN GET AWAY WITH Vehicular homicide -- Sen Edward Kennedy Tax evasion -- most Democrats in Congress, most of Bambi's cabinet Perjury, sex in the oval office, Filegate, Travelgate, Memogate, "suicide" of Vince Foster (to name a few) -- the Clintons Burning people alive because of quirky religious beliefs -- AG Janet Reno Stealing from the National Archives -- Sandy Berger Firing Justice Dept attorneys -- AG Eric Holder THINGS REPUBLICANS CANNOT GET AWAY WITH Saying...

New claims for jobless aid fell less than expected last week, and the number of people continuing to receive unemployment benefits rose — further signs that any economic recovery will be hindered by a weak job market and flat incomes. Most economists think the recession is over, but they say the jobless rate will keep rising until at least next summer as the economy struggles to mount a sustained recovery. That means household incomes will remain depressed and consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy, will continue to lag. "Firms are still not hiring, and that reflects...

Rangel continues to fight ethics probeThursday, September 03, 2009 | 4:40 PM NEW YORK -- The most senior congressman in New York, is in serious political trouble. There are more calls for the resignation of Charlie Rangel as Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee after the democrat from Harlem failed to declare hundreds of thousands in income and net worth. The Washington Post calls his latest scandal "a treasure trove of outrage", the paper Thursday writes he needs to "step aside as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee." "The ethics committee is going to have to...

At noon, on Tuesday, September 8, President Barack Obama will deliver a "back-to-school" address to students. The 15-20 minute speech will be broadcast via the web and on C-Span. You can learn more about this event at http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/bts.html. The White House and the U.S. Department of Education did not involve the Georgia Department of Education in the planning of this event. A letter inviting students to view the speech was sent directly to principals and local superintendents, not to the GaDOE. There is nothing in state or federal law that would require or prohibit a school from showing this speech...