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You really have to admire the chutzpah. In her 2012 campaign, Senator Heidi Heitkamp worked long and hard to brand herself not as a liberal Democrat, but as an “independent” who would “stand up” to President Barack Obama. Such rhetoric was necessary in a state where Obama lost by more than 20 points, and Heitkamp herself won by just a few thousand votes. It’s hard to imagine Heitkamp being in the US Senate now had she not campaigned so hard against Obama. But she did, and she won, and then spent her first year in the US Senate voting with...

Remember when the media rushed to talk about transparency in the Barack Obama “Hope and Change” era? Good times, good times. Leonard Downie, who once worked as the executive editor of the Washington Post and wrote a novel about Washington corruption and the Iraq War, finds a bigger and non-fictional problem in the successor to George W. Bush. Downie gives the Post a preview of his report from the Committee to Protect Journalists which outlines the Obama war on reporters and their sources: “A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and...

So says FTVLive. After all the free publicity the RNC’s given them by threatening to boycott NBC News as a debate sponsor, is NBC really going to slaughter this cash cow?In fairness, a multi-hour miniseries about Hillary’s triumph over serial victimization would have been a terrible drag. Better to do it in a shorter, snappier format. Three words, my friends: “Hillary! The Musical”. NBC sources tell FTVLive that the NBC suits have figured the Clinton miniseries “just isn’t worth it.”Word is that NBC is going to let it quietly go away without saying a word. NBC does not want to...

Former Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican party's presidential nominee in 2012, received large applause as he was introduced on Friday's broadcast of The Tonight Show by host Jay Leno in his first appearance on the late night show since he lost to President Barack Obama in November. Leno asked Romney about the Obama administration's scandal-plagued week and gave him ample time to address the AP, IRS and Benghazi investigations. After making it clear he was done in politics, Romney was given nearly ten minutes to slam Obama's handling of Benghazi and his administration's involvement in other scandals. While discussing the...

Taking heat on the campaign trail over fossil fuel production on federal lands, the Interior Department today announced an oil and gas lease sale that will offer more than 20 million acres off the coast of Texas and will make available all unleased areas in the Western Gulf of Mexico Planning Area. The sale will be held Nov. 28 in New Orleans. “The President’s commitment to a comprehensive, all-of-the-above energy strategy is creating jobs here at home while reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “Exploration and development of our Western Gulf’s vital energy resources will...

AFP - The Libyan authorities said late Saturday they had decided to dissolve all militias and armed groups that did not come under State authority. The move, a day after Benghazi residents rebelled against the militias in violence that killed at least 11 people and wounded over 70, was announced by Mohammed al-Megaryef, head of the national assembly, in the eastern city.

Here's something you probably thought you'd never see. Vulgarian Bill Maher Tuesday actually came out on Twitter in defense of - wait for it! - conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh: Bill Maher @billmaher Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout So, why do you think he did this? In the wake of the Limbaugh-Sandra Fluke controversy, Maher's coming under a lot of pressure from conservative groups for his vulgar attacks on women. Despite his claim Friday that he's different from Limbaugh because he doesn't have any sponsors, he knows...

Support for Rush Limbaugh came from an unexpected place Tuesday when Bill Maher took to Twitter to castigate liberals for their continued criticism of the conservative radio host. Maher, who hosts the left-leaning HBO series Real Time, posted a comment on his Twitter account just after 4 pm, saying, "Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting. Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout."

When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton voiced her concerns on Wednesday over intelligence reports that Latin American drug cartels are closely linked with Hezbollah and Iran, many within the U.S. law enforcement community were grateful that Obama Administration officials were finally acknowledging what cops already knew.

Some Democrats Are Wary of Occupy Wall StreetBy Alex Roarty Oct 27 2011, 4:29 PM ET Pinched by a still sour economy and a deeply pessimistic public, President Obama and his Democratic allies are evincing a sharper, far more populist message as a defense against next year's Republican charge. Highlighted by a $450 billion proposal in Congress, paid for by taxing the wealthy, they have found a message tailor-made for their traditional base. But their new tone and, most notably, the emergence of the populist-fueled Occupy Wall Street movement, have left some Democrats worried. They are nervous that the president's...

Trying to stop the layoffs of at least 6,000 workers, union leaders are asking Gov. Dannel Malloy to come back to the table to work out a concession agreement that will get passed by state workers. On Tuesday, the State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition sent a letter to Malloy asking to reopen talks. Larry Dorman, a SEBAC said the leaders are not necessarily asking to "renegotiate" the labor savings and concessions agreement that failed to garner enough support for ratification. SEBAC leaders have not said specifically what would be part of a new concession agreement, but they are optimistic they...

Bachmann’s newly installed political team has had its own battles with message discipline — typified by campaign manager Ed Rollins’ recent comments alleging that former Alaska governor Sarah Palin hasn’t been “serious” over the last few years. After the incident, Bachmann was “very firm” with Rollins, according to an adviser to the congresswoman, telling him this should not happen again and that there should be “no more press”. Bachmann also demanded that Rollins call the Palin people and apologize. “She is definitely not tone deaf,” the source added. Bachmann’s move to limit her exposure in the wake of her debate...

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin clarified remarks posted on Twitter this week in response to a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a church that demonstrates at military funerals, saying she was making a point about a double standard on free speech, not that the group shouldn’t have the right to protest. Her quote was interpreted by many news outlets, including The Daily Caller, to mean that she disagreed with the Supreme Court’s ruling, although in a new statement exclusive to TheDC, Palin said she agreed with the ruling in favor of the church. “Obviously my comment meant that when...

Sarah Palin found a very strange ally on Monday. With media outlet after media outlet disgracefully accusing the former Alaska governor of inciting Jared Lee Loughner to go on a shooting rampage in Tucson Saturday, Barbara Walters said on "The View," "To blame Sarah Palin as some are doing I think is very unfair to her" (video follows with transcript and commentary): CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR VIDEO

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed the "unshakeable bond" between the United States and Israel in an effort to quell the diplomatic spat that has rocked ties between Washington and its closest Middle East ally. "We have an absolute commitment to Israel's security. We have a close, unshakeable bond between the United States and Israel," Clinton told a news briefing. Her comments marked a turn after days of tough U.S. talk following Israel's announcement last week that it would approve construction of a housing project in East Jerusalem, a move which infuriated the Palestinians and put hopes for...

Former US President Jimmy Carter is asking for forgiveness of the Jewish community for forgiveness for any stigma he may have caused Israel. “…..I have the hope and a prayer that the State of Israel will flourish as a Jewish state within secure and recognized borders in peaceful co-existence with its neighbors and with all the Moslem States, and that this peaceful co-existence will bring security, prosperity and happiness to the people of Israel and to the people of the Middle East of all faiths. “We must recognize Israel’s achievements under difficult circumstances, even as we strive in a positive...

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President Obama stopped short of an apology to Sgt. James Crowley on Friday for saying he "acted stupidly" for arresting black Harvard scholar Henry Lewis Gates Jr., but said he should have chosen his words more carefully. At an impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing, Obama said he spoke with Crowley over the phone, and said he wanted to share a beer with Crowley and Gates at the White House. "Because this has been ratcheting up and I helped contribute to ratcheting it up, I want to make clear that in my choice of words I unfortunately gave...

Rush has questions where Obama was born, twice today. First was a joke: 'What does God and Obama have in common? Neither has a Birth Certificate'. The dam is breaking folks.

Authorities at Mexico City's international airport said they have installed 10 heat-imaging cameras to catch any departing or arriving passengers with flu symptoms. Those passing through the facility were also first being asked to feel out a health questionnaire, spokesman Victor Mejia said on Thursday. The cameras showed passengers in colours corresponding to heat coming off parts of their body, he said, adding: "If the image is yellow, orange or red, doctors will take them to a third check point." There, a quick test would be carried out to see whether the passenger should be taken to hospital for an...