The decision by Republican Dede Scozzafava to withdraw from a special U.S. House election in New York could have profound impact on the Republican Party. What that is depends on whether the Democrat wins the open seat in upstate New York or whether the Conservative Party candidate wins.

If the Democrat wins, it will mean:

-a round of back stabbing between the conservatives who hounded Scozzafava out of the race and the pragmatists who thought it would take a moderate like the pro-choice Scozzafava to hold the seat the party had held for generations;

-An unclear path as the party tries to recruit candidates for 2010 races and their fight to win back control of the U.S. House. Pragmatists like Newt Gingrich will argue strongly that the GOP needs to be flexible enough to go with candidates who fit their districts;

-a loss of face for Sarah Palin, who jumped in to endorse the Conservative Party candidate against her party's own nominated candidate.

If the Conservative Party candidate wins, it means:

-a big win for conservatives, who will be emboldened to challenge other Republican nominees if they're deemed to be RINOs - Republican in Name Only;

-a big win for Palin, who will bolster her credentials as a maverick devoted more to conservatism than party.

Posted late this afternoon on the White House blog. These cover 110 disclosure requests about specific visitors from January 20 through July 31. More will be forthcoming.....

The names disclosed today include union leaders, finance executives, world and domestic political names, celebrities and plenty of folks you've never heard of. The database also shows whether those visitors saw President Obama himself, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, or someone else at the White House; or perhaps they were just going through the visitors' center.

Says the White House, some of the names are "false positives," -- in other words, someone who shares a famous or infamous name but isn't the well-known person. The William Ayers and Jeremiah Wright entries were real visitors, but not ex-Weatherman Bill Ayers or ex-Obama pastor Rev. Wright.

President Obama, speaking today at his signing of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act:

"Twenty-two years ago, in a decision rooted in fear rather than fact, the United States instituted a travel ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV/AIDS. Now, we talk about reducing the stigma of this disease, yet we've treated a visitor living with it as a threat.

"We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDS pandemic, yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people from HIV from entering our own country.

"If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it.

"And that's why, on Monday my administration will publish a final rule that eliminates the travel ban effective just after the New Year.

"Congress and President Bush began this process last year, and they ought to be commended for it. We are finishing the job. It's a step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment, it's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives."

Who does President Obama want for the World Series, the Phillies or the Yankees?

Asked today, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs made an educated guess, based on Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe's beloved team, a team also backed by Vice President Joe Biden.

I don't know the answer to that," Gibbs said. "Probably, I will say, I think, the Phillies, because of Plouffe. But I don't know the answer to that." The president had the Phillies to the White House earlier this year, in celebration of their underdog win last year.

His aides either don't know - or aren't saying. Same with First Lady Michelle Obama. Daughters Sasha and Malia's costumes also are apparently a state secret until tomorrow, when the Obamas will open the North Portico of the White House for trick-or-treating to 2,000-plus selected kids from Washington, Maryland and Virginia.

The Obamas and Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill also are hosting a Halloween event for families of White House and military staff.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about the Obamas' costume plans: "I have not been told that the first family is going to dress up, but I will endeavor to check," he said. No word back yet.... Meanwhile, Michelle Obama's press secretary, Katie McCormick-Lelyveld reiterated what the first lady had earlier said when asked about the girls' costumes: "That info is top secret."

President Obama is meeting privately this afternoon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the White House, his seventh meeting with advisers to consider whether to expand or scale back the mission in Afghanistan, and by how much.

It was his second meeting with the Joint Chiefs as a group, representing each branch of the military, said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. Gibbs said Friday’s meeting was not necessarily the last the president would hold, and that there could be another next week. Still, Gibbs said of the review, “I think it's nearing its conclusion.”

The president and Joint Chiefs were to discuss Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s assessment and request for an additional 40,000 troops. “I think that force strength, the health of the force, is certainly a topic that will come up,” Gibbs said shortly before the closed-door meeting began. “Their views on the assessment will come up.”

As for how and when the president will share his conclusions with the American people, Gibbs said the White House had not yet discussed that in detail but that Obama “strongly believes that it's important for the American people and for the international community to know his reasoning behind whatever decision he makes and to clearly explain our goals and objectives in Afghanistan and in Pakistan _ and the region as a whole. So I anticipate that, whatever form it ultimately takes, the president will use the occasion to explain some of that to the American people so that they understand his decision-making and his thought process."

“We will not meet in perpetuity on this,” Gibbs said. “But the president believes that we're still assessing the information that he needs to make that final decision.”

The following officials were expected to attend, according to the White House:

Vice President Joe Biden; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones; Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General James E. Cartwright, USMC, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; General George W. Casey, Chief of Staff of the Army; General James T. Conway, Commandant, U.S. Marine Corps; Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations; General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force; deputy national security adviser Tom Donilon; John Brennan, assistant to the president for counterterrorism and homeland security; and Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, special assistant to the president for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

For Steve Thomma:

The brouhaha over Rush Limbaugh and the NFL reached the Congress Thursday, as a Republican Congressman used a hearing to defend the radio talker and to challenge the commissioner of professional football to explain his criticism of Limbaugh.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said he saw nothing offensive in comments made years ago by Limbaugh about quarterback Donovan McNabb, and pressed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to say exactly what it was he didn’t like about the comment.

Goodell criticized Limbaugh when the radio talk show host was part of a group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams. The group eventually dropped Limbaugh from their bid under fire from people such as Goodell.

“You said, `I think it's divisive comments, or they are not what the NFL is all about. I would not want to see those kinds of comments from people who are in responsible positions within the NFL, no, absolutely not,’’’ King told Goodell Thursday.

“I would point out that you have a couple of owners that have performed lyrics in songs that are far more offensive. In fact, I don't think anything that Rush Limbaugh said was offensive, but with Fergie and with J. Lo, they have, between the two of them, alleged that the CIA are terrorists and liars, they've promoted sexual abuse of women, they've used the N-word, verbal pornography, recreational drug use, et cetera, and they are owners of the Dolphins,

“And it is also ironic that Fergie was approved as an owner on the very day that you made your statement against Rush Limbaugh.  And I would point out for the committee, the statement that Rush Limbaugh made is this -- that seems to be the one that survives the criticism, and that is:  "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL.  The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.  They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well.  McNabb got a lot of credit for the performance of the team that he really didn't deserve," close quote. 

“Now, I've scoured this quote to try to find something that can be implied as racism on the part of Rush Limbaugh, and I can't find it.  There is an implication of racism on the part of the media. …And so if you're concerned about this, Mr. Goodell, then I'd ask you, you know, are you prepared to level the same charges against Fergie and J. Lo, or are you prepared to apologize to Rush Limbaugh today?"

Goodell responded, “My comments at the annual meeting were directed about specific comments he made about Donovan McNabb; and I made the point, and I will make it again here today, that the NFL is about bringing people together, it's about unity and that we do not -- we do not move towards divisive actions. …

“I'm not shining any kind of a light on Rush Limbaugh here.  I am not an expert on this -- all of his quotes. …

“I think Donovan McNabb is an outstanding young man.  He's an outstanding quarterback, and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin.”

While John Dingell's colleagues were invoking the spirit of Democratic leaders of the past to provide some momentum for their health care bill, Dingell was invoking his memories.

The 83-year-old Michigan congressman, who succeeded his father in 1955, came to a Capitol rally for health care with the same gavel he said he used to preside over an historic Medicare vote in the 1960s.

"I'm going to lend it to whoever it is who gets to preside over this legislation," he said of the 2009 health care effort, "because a good piece of wood doesn't war out with one great event."

If a bill passes, Dingell's name will be prominent on it. "And I'm sure my little daddy up above will be looking down on us," he told the crowd.

President Obama was asked this afternoon, at a pooled session for remarks before a meeting with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, whether his pre-dawn trip to Dover AFB to pay repects to 18 U.S. personnel killed in Afghanistan would impact his awaited decision on troop levels.

His response: "Well, obviously it was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day -- not only our troops, but their families as well. . . and obviously the burden that both our troops and our families bear in any wartime situation is going to bear on how I see these conflicts. And it is something that I think about each and every day."

Barack Obama thought seriously about picking Hillary Clinton as his running mate but thought Bill Clinton would be “”too big a complication,” according to a new book by former campaign manager David Plouffe.

“What surprised me at [our first meeting to discuss the vice presidency] was that Obama was clearly thinking more seriously about picking Hillary Clinton than Ax (David Axelrod) and I had realized,” Plouffe writes in the new book, “The Audacity to Win,” according to excerpts obtained by Time magazine.

“He said if his central criterion measured who could be the best VP, she had to be included in that list. She was competent, could help in Congress, would have international bona fides and had been through this before, albeit in a different role. He wanted to continue discussing her as we moved forward.

“We met again a couple of weeks later in mid-June and winnowed the list down to about 10 names. At our next meeting, we narrowed the list down to six. Barack continued to be intrigued by Hillary. `I still think Hillary has a lot of what I am looking for in a VP,’ he said to us. `Smarts, discipline, steadfastness. I think Bill may be too big a complication. If I picked her, my concern is that there would be more than two of us in the relationship."’

Plouffe writes that neither he nor Axelrod liked the idea of picking Clinton, I large oart of what he called complications in the campaigning together and governing should they win.

“We had initially received a lot of advice from many of her supporters to pick her, though this ‘advice’ was perhaps more accurately described as subtle pressure. Their fervor was abating a bit every day, though, helped by Hillary's comments that this was Obama's decision and that he should be left to make it.

Plouffe says that Clinton was not on the final list when Obama narrowed his choices in early August to three:
Sen Joe Biden of Delaware, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia.

“Hillary did not make the last cut. At the end of the day, Obama decided that there were just too many complications outweighing the potential strengths. But I gave him a lot of credit for so seriously thinking about his fierce former rival. Some in the Clinton orbit thought we gave Hillary short shrift. My view is that any serious consideration was somewhat surprising given all the complications and the toxicity during the primary campaign.”

As Obama headed to Hawaii for a vacation, Plouffe and Axelrod met with the three finalists.
Biden, he writes, launched a 20-minute dialogue, about why he wouldn’t want to be No. 2 and why he would be great at it.

“Ax and I couldn't get a word in edgewise,” Plouffe writes. “It confirmed what we suspected: this dog could not be taught new tricks. But the conversation also confirmed our positive assumptions: his firm grasp of issues, his blue collar sensibilities and the fact that while he would readily accept the VP slot if offered, he was not pining for it.”

Bayh, they concluded, had a short range from his top to bottom. Kaine had no experience outside Virginia. “There was no great way to explain putting someone with no foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.”

Talking by phone to Obama that night, the candidate said, “Well, it sounds like you both are for Biden, but barely," he said. "I really haven't settled this yet in my own mind. It's a coin toss now between Bayh and Biden.”

On Aug 17, Obama decided and phoned both Axelrod and Plouffe. “It’s Biden,” he said.