There aren’t many competitions where you can lose 99 percent of the time and still be considered a leading contender, but somehow Barbara Boxer is pulling it off. A recent Field Poll has her with a 14-point lead over her closest Republican rival. However, her colleagues in Washington have seen fit to only enact three of the nearly 400 bills the three-term senator has sponsored since she was elected in 1992, raising questions of why the popular liberal icon—who set a record for the most votes received in a California election—has failed so spectacularly to land any punches.

California lawmakers are racing to hammer out a deal aimed at alleviating the state's growing water shortages, with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatening to veto about 700 unrelated bills if legislators don't find a water solution by midnight Sunday.

Mr. Schwarzenegger was huddled in closed-door meetings with legislative leaders in the Democratic-run statehouse Friday, as they worked to close sharp differences on a package of water measures that the Republican governor says are critical to meeting California's future water needs.

While authorities have made gains against the local production of narcotics over the past decade, some local law enforcement officials are concerned that meth labs may be making a comeback.

In just the past two months, six labs have been busted in the Inland Empire, said Erasmo Carrizosa, special agent supervisor and clandestine lab coordinator for the state Department of Justice.

"That's not a real significant number, but that's more than last year," said Carrizosa, who is based in Riverside. "I think it's creeping up on us."

In the 1990s, there were major problems with Mexican nationals operating meth labs in the Inland Empire, said Al Garcia, a supervisor for the San Bernardino County West End Narcotics Enforcement Team.

State revenue has already fallen more than $1 billion short of assumptions in the budget lawmakers passed less than three months ago, according to a new report from the state controller.

Disappointing income tax receipts are the main culprit, falling 11% below what lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expected when they agreed on a patchwork budget during the summer, halting the state’s issuance of IOUs. Sales and corporate taxes have also slid below projections.

"While there are encouraging signs that California's economy is preparing for a comeback, the recession continues to drag state revenues down,” said Controller John Chiang in a statement. He called the new figures “a major blow to a budget that is barely 10 weeks old.”

Sarah Palin stands ready to stump for the Republican gubernatorial candidates running in the two most closely watched campaigns in the country this fall, but neither seems to want her help.
Less than a month before voters go to the polls, it appears increasingly clear that the former Alaska governor, vice-presidential nominee and conservative favorite will not appear on behalf of either New Jersey’s Chris Christie or Virginia’s Bob McDonnell.
Palin is the only one of the most talked-about potential 2012 presidential candidates who has not yet campaigned for either Republican candidate.
Given her loyal following among many in the party’s grass roots, it’s Palin who could surely draw the largest crowd and perhaps raise the most money for the two candidates — her book, “Going Rogue,” is already the No. 1 best-seller on Amazon, more than a month before it’s even released.
“The governor offered her assistance with both races,” said Palin adviser Meg Stapleton. “The ball is in their court.”

In a clear dig at former President George W. Bush, a State Department spokesman compared President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to the flying footwear his predecessor faced in Iraq.

"From our standpoint, you know, we think that this gives us a sense of momentum … when the United States has accolades tossed its way, rather than shoes," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Friday.

Crowley was referring to a 2008 incident in which an Iraqi reporter hurled his shoe at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad. The act of protest struck a chord with millions in the Arab and Muslim worlds who had been captivated and angered by daily images of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Got curious about how the media in Norway is playing the Nobel Peace Prize decision (I read/write Norwegian fluently), so I check out the Aftenposten (largest daily) this morning. Found one of those opinion poll widgets on their site- vote on if you think the prize to Obama was correct. 62% of Aftenposten's own Norwegian readers voted not vs 37% who voted yes. Just thought you'd be interested in how it plays out over there. Swedish dailies are pretty much skewing this as a stupid joke the Norwegians have created (to be expected…Swedes love to laugh at dumb stuff their next door neighbors do).

Nicholas Ballasy reports “a senior aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told CNSNews.com that it is ‘likely’ that Reid will use H.R. 1586—a bill passed by the House in March to impose a 90-percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of certain bailed-out financial institutions—as a ‘shell’ for enacting the final version of the Senate’s health care bill, which Reid is responsible for crafting.”

This story confirms the four part scenario that would railroad the bill through the Senate using a very unusual closed door procedure to craft the bill with no input from the American people.

The four stage plan to pass Obamacare has been publicly confirmed and is ready to be implemented.