Former Vice President Walter Mondale said on CNN that President Obama relies too much on teleprompters -- which Mondale called "idiot boards" -- when speaking to the American people. In a discussion of whether Obama projects empathy in his speeches, the 82 year-old Mondale said the president "has got to connect with the American people."

A deeply unpopular Congress is bolting for the campaign trail without finishing its most basic job - approving a budget for the government year that begins on Friday. Lawmakers also are postponing a major fight over taxes, two embarrassing ethics cases and other political hot potatoes until angry and frustrated voters render their verdict in the Nov. 2 elections.

Eyeing a potential Congressional win in November, House Republicans are planning to chip away at the White House's legislative agenda—in particular the health-care law—by depriving the programs of cash. The emerging plan has been devised in part to highlight the policy differences between the two main parties, especially over legislative achievements of the Obama administration that have proven unpopular with voters.

Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is making light of comments she made more than a decade ago when she was in high school about having dabbled in witchcraft. "How many of you didn't hang out with questionable folks in high school?" she asked fellow Republicans at a GOP picnic. "There's been no witchcraft since. If there was, Karl Rove would be a supporter now," O'Donnell jokingly assured the crowd.

President Obama’s political advisers, looking for ways to help Democrats and alter the course of the midterm elections in the final weeks, are considering a range of ideas, including national advertisements, to cast the Republican Party as all but taken over by Tea Party extremists, people involved in the discussion said. Read more...

Michelle Obama thinks being America’s First Lady is ‘hell’, Carla Bruni reveals today in a wildly indiscreet book. Miss Bruni divulges that Mrs Obama replied when asked about her position as the U.S. president’s wife: ‘Don’t ask! It’s hell. I can’t stand it!’

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President Barack Obama capped a rollout of new economic policies with a combative speech Wednesday that tipped the Democratic plan for the fall campaign: attack the Republicans' policies and try to monopolize the economic message until Election Day. Speaking at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio, the president gave his second aggressive campaign address of the past few days—delivering a speech that was part mea culpa, part policy address but mainly red meat for a Democratic base that party officials fear will sleep through the Nov. 2 vote. He conceded that his policies have "fed the perception that Washington is still ignoring the middle class." But he castigated Republican opponents for believing, "If I fail, they win."

Hurricane Earl has zeroed in on Nantucket Island and should hit the swank vacation spot sometime early Saturday morning...

Despite assertions to the contrary by the Obama administration, unemployment continues to move in the wrong direction. Latest numbers are at 9.6%...

The need to share can backfire. Just ask Paris Hilton, who was busted last week on cocaine possession. She told officers that the cocaine found in her purse couldn't have been hers, as it was a friend's purse --- and not hers. Well, turns out she posted a picture of "her new purse" on Twitter a few weeks back and it looks just like the one she had when busted. OOPS!...

Who knew tennis could be so electifying? A brawl between fans in the stands Thursday night briefly stopped a match between Novak Djokovic and Philipp Petzschner at the U.S. Open.

The Feds have sued Arizona sherfif Joe Arpaio for violating the civil rights of illegal aliens. Insert your own joke here...but it looks like the conservative movement has a "Joe the sheriff" to go along with "Joe the plumber"...

You would thinking spending $250K on a car would protect you from certain things...like catching on fire. Not so much in Italy. Ferrari is recalling 458 of their sport cars for randomly catching on fire. Nice!

President Barack Obama dismissed a recent poll showing that a third of Americans don’t know he’s a Christian – and blamed an online campaign of misinformation by his conservative enemies for perpetuating the myth that he’s a Muslim. Read more...

President Obama rejected criticism of his response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Sunday, saying in an interview airing on “NBC Nightly News” that his administration jumped on the crisis immediately and was determined to hold BP accountable. Obama was interviewed Sunday afternoon by “Nightly News” anchor and managing editor Brian Williams while on a trip to New Orleans to help commemorate Hurricane Katrina.

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