Our political Quote of the Day comes from an op-ed column in the New York Post by law prof Glenn Reynolds, aka InstaPundit, who says the government is to blame for the college loan bubble but Obama’s recent announcement of a fix will do little to fix it. Keep in mind when you read this must-read-in-full column that Reynolds works in the college community, so this is more than just an impersonal analysis: It’s officially a crisis. Student loan debt has hit the $1 trillion mark, exceeding...

You know the campaign has begun in earnest when you start seeing musical parodies about the candidates. Here’s one starting to gain popularity on You Tube: Rick Perry supposedly singing “It Sucks to Be You” — clearly produced by a non-fan:

I’ve often said that CBS truly blew it with Bob Schieffer. He was the natural replacement for Walter Cronkite but CBS sorely wanted Dan Rather. So Cronkite was encouraged to retire early and CBS chose Rather, sacrificing Roger Mudd in the process. The real Walter In Waiting who went to the same stylistic school of journalism was Bob Schieffer. But Schieffer was, above all, a good company man and he continued to serve CBS well. Schieffer has been fascinating for journalists to watch since he...

A top White House advisor on NBC’s Meet the Press today gave a preview of how the White House will deal with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney if Romney win the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination, which polls consistently show would happen if many Republicans hold their noses: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Note that this is a theme that could peel off some moderate Republican voters and independent voters. Earlier this month I traveled...

Is former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ducking the Sunday morning interview shows — shows where candidates could find themselves on the hot seat, having to answer some unwanted questions from reporters? Fox News’ Chris Wallace has called Romney on it and Wallace does seem to have the facts on his side: Four GOP hopefuls hit the Sunday talk shows this week, a roster that did not include ostensible front-runner Mitt Romney. The absence was pointedly noted by “Fox News Sunday’s”...

A new Iowa Poll puts former Godfather’s CEO Herman Cain in the lead with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, shows onetime Tea Party favorite Michelle Bachmann is continuing to head south and continues to show another one time Tea Party favorite, Texas. Gov. Rick Perry is continuing his political road to the bottom (for now): Herman Cain and Mitt Romney top The Des Moines Register’s new Iowa Poll, with the retired pizza executive edging the former Massachusetts governor 23 percent to 22...

Our political Quote of the Day comes from John Yemma, editor of The Christian Science Monitor, who looks at the Occupy movements in the United States and Europe and asks whether we are in a new era of leaderlessness. Here’s part of his must-read-in-full post: The tea party and the “Occupy Wall Street” movements evolved on different planets, even if members of both groups sport red-white-and-blue face paint, funny hats, and placards proclaiming their anger. Tea partyers tend to be older,...

Over the past month I’ve had truly poor experiences with two big corporations that you would think are stellar when dealing with customers. And I contend the experiences are indicative of how the quality corporations deliver to customers is suffering on some fronts. THE ABSOLUTE WORST EXPERIENCE: Dealing with Time Warner. I will say it: I have lived all over the world and even survived dealing with India’s government owned telephone company in New Delhi in the 70s. Time Warner is seemingly...

And now the bad news: our national debt is nearly as big as our economy. USA Today reports: The Obama administration won a reprieve this week from some particularly scary economic news that had been projected to occur around Halloween. The news: The ever-escalating national debt will hit and then surpass the size of the entire U.S. economy — an ignominious distinction previously achieved by the likes of Japan, Italy and Greece. The reprieve: The Bureau of Economic Analysis posted third-quarter...

Jon Huntsman’s daughters have spoofed the now famous — or infamous depending on how agitated you were about the ad (I personally can’t see what all the fuss and pundit time spent on it was all about) — Herman Cain “smoking man” ad featuring. His daughters wear fake mustaches for part of the take off on Cain campaign manager Mark Block’s talking head ad and instead of blowing cigarette smoke they choose bubbles. It is a classic — worth of SNL:

The move to find a strong Anti-Romney — let alone a strong anti-Obama — has moved into full gear in the Republican Party: a Tea Party group has strongly suggested Rep. Michele Bachmann to drop out of the Presidential race: A tea party group has a surprising and harsh urging for long-time tea party favorite Michele Bachmann: Quit the presidential race. “It’s time for Michelle [sic] Bachmann to go,” reads the first line of a statement from American Majority President Ned...

Amid good (guarded) news from Europe and good (guarded) news from the United States on the economic front, there’s bad news coming from Spain: unemployment is continuing to rise. One of the protest movements (The Indignants movement) there is believed to have partially inspired Occupy Wall Street: Note that in Spain as in the United States they are now talking about a “lost generation” of young people who are finding their dreams and hard work most likely cannot be translated into...

Now there’s (guarded) good news on the economic front — good enough so it’s causing the growing pessimism and emerging pessimism about the economy to shrink. And another tidbit of good news within this good news: the good news is coming from not just the United States and from Europe. The U.S. economy grew at its fastest clip in a year during late summer as consumers and businesses shrugged off fears of a new recession, according to government data released Thursday that helped...

A new Fox News poll finds former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain on the rise faster than a thick pan pizza — as GOP voters continue to show signs that they are not ready to hold their noses and give definitive support to previous front-runner Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney: Herman Cain takes the lead in the Republican presidential nomination contest as GOP voters continue to deny Mitt Romney clear front-runner status. A Fox News poll released Wednesday shows support for Cain has quadrupled...

Could it really be that the Republican Party — in a year when they are facing one of the most vulnerable Presidents in recent years — could nominate an ongoing political train wreck named Rick Perry? The latest CRASSSSSSSSSSH we hear is THIS STORY that suggests that Perry, whose poll numbers have zoomed south as debates have revealed him to be an unenergetic, ill-prepared, lethargic or hyperactive candidate (pick which one you want since they all fit depending on the debate), is considering...

So how does Bill Clinton’s former — and stellar — political strategist see 2012 as shaping up? Can Herman Cain get the nomination? What does he think of Rick Perry? Mitt Romney? Who does he think will be the GOP nominee in the end? He recently talked with a conservative talk show host and gave THESE answers.

Our political Quote of the Day comes from the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin who notes how Texas Gov. Rick Perry smothered his own flat tax proposal with his goodbye-independent-voters comments on CNBC gleefully saying how using the birther issue against Barack Obama is politically useful and “fun.” She also notes that he has also been denounced by some conservatives. It is very important in these polarized times to note that YES there are serious, thoughtful, serious conservatives...

I honestly don’t see what the media hype swirling around this Herman Cain ad is all about. It features a boring blurb by Chief of Staff Mark Block that is unlikely to make one voter who doesn’t want to already support Herman Cain decide to support Herman Cain. And monitoring the cable and broadcast talkers yesterday on XM radio (A MUST if you travel extensively by car as I am doing the next 9 months) a huge fuss was made over Block smoking a cigarette. My father had lung cancer and I...

You’ve heard of the winter of discontent? Welcome to the autumn of mutinies. In the United States and beyond rebellion is in the air and those who aren’t rebellious enough could be forced to walk the political plank. The Republican Party is facing a mutiny and a counter mutiny. It’s 2011 Cain mutiny is led by Godfather Pizza’s likable former CEO, conservative Herman Cain, who zoomed to the top of Republican Presidential nomination polls and who has (for now) won the hearts if not yet completely...

Our political Quote of the Day is not unexpected. Jeb Bush has basically told Texas Gov. Rick Perry to knock it off on re-raising the birther “issue”: “Republican candidates should categorically reject the notion that President Obama was not born in the United States. It is a complete distraction from the failed economic policies of the President.” Bush is correct. The Republican Party’s best bet is to run a THOUGHTFUL, SERIOUS campaign offering specific ideas that differ...

Former Godfathers’ Pizza CEO Herman Cain is now showing he can deliver more than pizza and refurbished pizza franchise stores: he has delivered a big, fat, pie of problems for up-until-now front runner Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. He is now leading in a major CBS News/NYTimes poll – as Romney finds himself enmeshed in a political controversy that could further hurt him with conservative GOPers. Businessman Herman Cain is now atop the field of Republican White House hopefuls, squeaking...

If there was any doubt that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is NOT a candidate for thoughtful Americans who are Republicans, Democrats and independents he has now erased it in an interview with CNBC. He has pretty much summed up the sorry state of American politics: he says the birther issue is “fun” and a “good issue to keep alive.” Yes, demonization is SO much fun. Suggesting that a sitting American President is not an American or might be violating the constitution by being in the...

What is each of the two wars and the total cost of war costing the United States? Click HERE to see the constantly rising figure.

It now turns out that Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi’s end may have been more brutal than originally thought: footage suggests he was sodomized.

This story was highly predictable. Republican political maven Karl Rove is someone who above all wants a strong GOPer to get the Presidential nomination so Republicans can win the White House and perhaps get total control of Congress. He has tossed verbal cold water on the hot conventional wisdom and rhetoric surrounding some Tea Party favorites such as failed Delaware Senate candidate and Tea Party favorite (for a while) Christine O’Donnell and Sarah Palin. He is believed to favor a “establishment”...