Cain: Doesn't Matter If Christie Joins Race

◼ "It doesn't matter, just like it didn't matter if Rick Perry got in. I stick to my message," Cain said. "If he gets in, he gets in." - FOX/Houston
◼ Time to raise Cain to contender status (H)e's beginning to look like a contender. - Michael Barone/Washington Examiner
◼ Cain is able to shake up the GOP race - Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post
◼ Cain says Christie too liberal for conservatives - Yahoo/AP

Governor Rick Perry: Americans Aren't Soft, We've Got a Soft President

◼ “Americans aren't soft,” Perry said. “We've got some bad policies on tax and regulation in D.C. that are kicking people out of jobs every day. That's the real tragedy. What we've got is a soft president.”
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Rick Perry

Hot Air Candidate Survey Results: October Edition

◼ Herman Cain leads the pack for the first time, taking 39% of the vote. Cain also wins the second choice and declared candidate ballots. Sarah Palin takes second for a third consecutive week. Rick Perry drops from first to third. Mitt Romney takes fourth, and Chris Christie returns to the survey in fifth.

Marco Rubio is again the top pick for vice president, taking 40% of the vote. Complete results.

Fast and Furious Friday Document Dump

◼ Late Friday, the White House turned over new documents in the Congressional investigation into the ATF "Fast and Furious" gunwalking scandal. - CBS

The documents show extensive communications between then-ATF Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix office Bill Newell - who led Fast and Furious - and then-White House National Security Staffer Kevin O'Reilly. Emails indicate the two also spoke on the phone. Such detailed, direct communications between a local ATF manager in Phoenix and a White House national security staffer has raised interest among Congressional investigators looking into Fast and Furious.

◼ What did Napolitano know about Fast and Furious? - Ken Klukowski/Washington Examiner
◼ The cover-up is undeniable. Grassley & Issa drop a nuke on Phoenix US Attorneys Office. Emails utterly damning. Newell perjury certain. - Sipsey Street Irregulars

◼ New Fast and Furious details indicate gov’t cover-up, White House involvement - The Daily Caller

Poll: Dem approval rating at historic low

◼ Congressional Democrats have just a 28 percent approval rating, which broke their record-low of 30 percent in December 2007. - Joel Gehrke/Washington Examiner

Republicans in Congress have an even lower approval rating of 26 percent. Those statistics flip when Gallup polls the approval ratings of each party as a whole. Republicans have a 43 percent approval rating compared to 42 for the Democrats, and a 53 percent disapproval rating compared to 55 percent for the Democrats.

The most important election cycle statistic comes from polling of how the public views the parties on specific issues, as Republicans have signficantly higher numbers than the Democrats. 49 percent of respondents believe that Republicans will "do a better of protecting the country" from national security threats, with just 38 percent prefering the Democrats. On economic issues, the 48 percent believe the Republicans will be better at "keeping the country prosperous." Only 39 percent will say that of Democrats.

SOLYNDRA Won't Reveal Contracts, Customers or Executive Bonuses

◼ Top executives at Solyndra have refused to tell U.S. officials whether they received executive bonuses after the company began to fail, and they have frustrated bankruptcy proceedings by refusing to answer questions about the solar firm's sudden and dramatic shutdown, according to papers filed by Justice Department lawyers late Friday. - ABC

The fresh allegations that Solyndra is refusing to cooperate in bankruptcy proceedings come just days after two top Solyndra executives declined to answer questions from Congress, invoking their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.