What Did You Do For Lunch?
If you're certain White House reporters, the answer could be lunch with President Obama... Politico reports that CNN's David Gergen , WaPo 's Chris Cillizza , Newsweek 's Jon Meacham and Howard Fineman , the Atlanta Journal-Constitution 's Cynthia Tucker , Politico 's Mike Allen , NPR/Fox's Mara Liasson , TPM 's Josh Marshall and NYT 's David Brooks , Andy Rosenthal , and Gail Collins joined the President, David Axelrod, Anita Dunn, Bill Burton and Robert Gibbs for an off-the-record lunch...

House debates healthcare bill
Washington, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- As the U.S. House of Representatives debated the healthcare bill Saturday, President Obama came to the Capitol to help win over doubters. Democratic House leaders hope to win approval for the 1,900-page, $1 trillion bill by the end of the day, The Washington Post reported. Since all Republicans are expected to vote against the bill, passage depends on keeping enough wavering Democrats in the fold. Obama got to the Capitol just before noon, about three hours after the...

Halloween In DC: PHOTO
The holiday is celebrated a bit differently in the nation's capitol: Any thoughts on what this year's top Beltway ensembles will be? "Olympia Snowe" dressed as Hamlet--or covered in waffles? "Roger Ailes" carrying around a shopping bag containing David Axelrod's scalp? "Anita Dunn" carrying a bag containing Ailes's? "Liz Cheney" as rabid werewolf? "John Boehner" with miniature Eric Cantor dolls buzzing 'round his head?...

Dem Consultant Claims White House Warned Him To Stay Off Fox: PHOTO
David Axelrod's appearance on FOX News Wednesday apparently wasn't a sign of a truce between the Obama Administration and the cable News network as it appears The White House is putting pressure on Democrat consultants to avoid the station at all costs. For its part, The White House has denied these allegations. Such was reported Friday by the Los Angeles Times (h/t NBer Gary Hall): Story Continues Below Ad ↓ At least one Democratic political strategist has gotten a blunt warning from the...

Obama seeks health care votes on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON (AP)

Pelosi Remarks Following House Democrats' Meeting with President Obama
Washington, Nov 07, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders held a press availability this afternoon following a Democratic Whip meeting with President Obama in the Cannon Caucus Room. Below are the Speaker's opening remarks:

Expanded release of The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Boondock fans! Well, you made the first film successful and now you've done it again! Because of your support, Boondock II: All Saints Day is platforming out into the following cities! Thanks for coming out! T.Duff--- Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Worth, Houston, Minneapolis/St Paul, Oceanside, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. *This is for the weekend starting November 13. Theater listings will be announced next week.

Voters Seek
Independent voters are more volatile than ever, and politicians who want their votes need to regain their trust first, writes David Brooks . Polls show those voters, especially in new suburbs hard hit by Recession, trust the government less than ever before, leaving them "in the position of a person who is feeling gravely ill at the same time he has lost faith in his doctor," Brooks writes in the New York Times .

Has Technology Ruined Romance for Us?: PHOTO
Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote an essay in the New York Times yesterday about how technology is ruining love and sex for the youngins. Although Brooks reaches this conclusion based on the testimony of some horndogs who agreed to be "online sex diarists" for New York magazine (he admits it's a pretty unrepresentative demographic), Brooks nevertheless believes their stories tell us something fundamental about love in the age of technology: it's allowed people to treat potential sex...

Sunday Show Preview
• NBC's Meet the Press : Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS), Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NYT 's David Brooks , WaPo 's E.J. Dionne , MSNBC's Rachel Maddow , Republican strategist Ed Gillespie and NBC's Tom Brokaw • CBS' Face the Nation : Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO), Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Republican political consultant Ed Rollins • ABC's This Week : DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, RNC Chairman Michael Steele and a roundtable with...

Obama arrival in Tokyo delayed by a day
Washington — President Barack Obama is attending a memorial service at Fort Hood on Tuesday and now won't get to his planned first stop in Asia next week until one day later than expected.

Obama nearing decision to send more troops to Afghanistan
Washington — President Barack Obama is nearing a decision to send more than 30,000 additional U.S. Troops to Afghanistan next year, but he may not announce it until after he consults with key allies and completes a trip to Asia later this month, administration and Military officials have told McClatchy. As it now stands, the administration's plan calls for sending three Army brigades from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. and the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum,...

Obamas to attend Fort Hood memorial Tuesday
Washington (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will attend a memorial service in Fort Hood , Texas, on Tuesday for victims of a mass shooting. The White House announced the trip on Saturday. Obama is scheduled to depart on Wednesday on an Asia tour. Thirteen people died in the mass shooting Thursday at the sprawling U.S. Army base in Texas. An Army psychiatrist trained to treat war wounded is suspected in the killings.

Obamas to attend Fort Hood memorial Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, will attend a memorial service in Fort Hood, Texas, on Tuesday for victims of a mass shooting.

Obama leaning toward 34,000 more troops for Afghanistan
Washington — President Barack Obama is nearing a decision to send more than 30,000 additional U.S. Troops to Afghanistan next year, but he may not announce it until after he consults with key allies and completes a trip to Asia later this month, administration and Military officials have told McClatchy. As it now stands, the administration's plan calls for sending three Army brigades from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. and the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum,...

Mainstream Coverage Of White House Vs. Fox News Not So Fair Or Balanced [Fair & Balanced]: PHOTO
A couple of weeks after The White House declared war on FOX News (with communications director Anita Dunn saying on CNN, "Let's not pretend they're a News network the way CNN is"), peace talks have begun.

Surrender: Axelrod interviewed for 11 minutes by noted “not news” network: PHOTO
I guess that “truce” was for real: Not only did he give Major Garrett a full 11 minutes but he did it the day after they got stomped in Virginia and New Jersey. Peace in our time! You can take your pick of the video below or the transcript ; curiously, there are no questions about the recent hostilities. Nothing about Anita Dunn dumping all over FOX on Kurtz’s show a few weeks ago or Axelrod himself recently calling FNC “not really a News station.” Nothing about...

Noted & Quoted: “Explaining to my mom, I had to tell her in a way she wouldn't freak out.”: PHOTO

Martina and More Added to CMA Show: PHOTO
Martina McBride, Kid Rock and Jamey Johnson have been added to the performing lineup for The 43rd Annual CMA Awards telecast, Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC-TV. Kid Rock will join Jamey for their first televised duet. Already on the list of performers are Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn and many others. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the show from the Sommet Center in Nashville.   Leave a Comment Your Name: Your...

Scozzafava Endorses Democrat Owens Over Conservative Hoffman: PHOTO
Republican State Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava threw her support to Democrat Bill Owens a day after dropping out of the race to fill former GOP Rep. John McHugh's upstate New York House seat.

CBS's Schieffer Accuses Limbaugh of Breaking White House's 'Truce' with FNC: PHOTO
Rush Limbaugh's tough criticisms of President Barack Obama on Fox News Sunday “broke” The White House's truce with Fox News, Bob Schieffer suggested during an interview with Obama's Senior Adviser, David Axelrod, on Face the Nation . After playing a clip of Limbaugh dismissing as “a photo-op” Obama's trip to Dover Air Force Base to witness returning casualties from Afghanistan and quoting Limbaugh's characterizations of Obama as “narcissistic,” “immature, inexperienced” and...

Ten million swine flu doses this week, officials say
Ten million new doses of vaccine against the pandemic H1N1 Influenza virus will become available in the next week, easing the shortages of vaccine that have occurred around the country, administration officials said over the weekend. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Saturday and presidential adviser David Axelrod reiterated today that manufacturers were shipping vaccine seven days a week, and Axelrod predicted that the U.S. would have all the vaccine it needed "in...

Book: Bayh a 'coin toss' away from being veep: PHOTO
President Barack Obama nearly chose Sen. Evan Bayh as his running mate, according to a new book by Obama campaign manager David Plouffe , excerpts of which were posted by Time magazine. "It's a coin toss now between Bayh and ( Joe ) Biden , but (Virginia Gov. Tim ) Kaine is still a distinct possibility," Obama told Plouffe and senior adviser David Axelrod after the aides had interviewed the final three in August. Bayh's interview, which took place in West Virginia, where Bayh was vacationing...

Video: H1N1 vaccine frustrations reach the White House: PHOTO
Manufacturing delays in the H1N1 vaccine process have been frustrating America's attempts to stay healthy. In an interview with NPR's Scott Simon, Obama's senior adviser admitted that White House estimates of available vaccines were based on bad information from the manufacturer. Broadcasting this weekend on National Public Radio, Scott Simon reminded David Axelrod of promises made by The White House in August. "The Centers for Disease Control said that 120 million doses would be available....