GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann drives Democrats batty with her in-your-face conservatism, yet no matter what they throw at her, she still seems to end up on top. In 2008, Democrats thought she wouldn't be able to recover from her sensational October cable-television comment that Obama "may have anti-American views." Almost $2 million poured into her Democratic rival's campaign as a result. Still, Bachmann managed to pull off a narrow victory. This time around, bolstered by progressive online activists who detest Bachmann, Democrats are hoping to mount an even more aggressive effort to dislodge the two-term congresswoman. But that hasn't stopped Bachmann, who recently described Democrats' health care plan as the "crown jewel of socialism." And Bachmann won't be an easy mark - she's amassed an army of small donors and attained rock-star status on the right, which is just as eager to return her to Congress as the left is to send her back home to Minnesota.

In June, I announced that I would not run for governor in 2010. However, in the following months, I received many requests from Republican activists to reconsider that decision. As a result, two weeks ago I asked some friends to sound out the opinions of party leaders about the possibility of my candidacy and to understand the challenges of a late entry into the race. Though I received much gratifying encouragement to run, I concluded that my business obligations would prevent me from dedicating the time needed to run an effective campaign. Accordingly, I will not reconsider my previous decision, and I will not be a candidate for governor next year. I am optimistic about Republican prospects to keep the governorship, and I look forward to supporting the party's endorsed candidate."

"At the end of the day, if anybody thinks you're going to have any democracy in Afghanistan anytime soon is kidding themselves. For a lot less money, you could enlist the support of these warlords by just basically giving them to work with them in their areas. In my opinion, they would take care of the Taliban. If it's in the context of supporting some kind of a system like that then I think more troops are something I would consider. Bit if you're not going to have a realistic understanding of how things are in Afghanistan and that the fact that you have to make a deal with these tribal leaders and warlords if you're get this under control. If you don't understand that, then I think it's a misguided mission to put troops in there."

"Mayor R.T. Rybak has been honest and forthcoming regarding his consideration of a run for Governor, and our campaign has been careful to not raise contributions or make expenditures for the purpose of influencing a campaign for Governor until a formal decision was made. The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board has found that certain expenses incurred by the Mayor's campaign should be counted as expenses related to a Governor's campaign. Although we disagree with the basis, we will accept the Board's finding and take action to account for these expenses and reimburse the Mayor's campaign for them. Mayor Rybak filed the paperwork to create a Rybak for Governor Committee yesterday."