It may sound counterintuitive, but the White House says a postponed meeting with Republicans is a sign that the president and newly empowered GOP can work together following the midterms.

The spark of bipartisanship is buried somewhere in the cancelation of a high profile dinner the White House scheduled for November 18TH --- a working meeting between Obama and House and Senate Republican leaders. According to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, the postponed session is a sign that "bipartisanship is happening."

Pressed by skeptical reporters at a White House briefing on Wednesday, Gibbs put a positive spin on both the Republican request to postpone the meeting until after Thanksgiving, as well as Obama's decision to play nice and reschedule it. "We've all agreed to more meetings, " Gibbs said. "And that's a good thing." (read more)

A day after New Zealand Prime Minister John Phillip Key accidentally called Hillary Clinton, "President Clinton," the secretary of state and former presidential candidate said she has no plans to seek the title -- again.

She made the comments in New Zealand on Friday, the second to last stop on her two-week Asia-Pacific tour. In two separate interviews there, Secretary Clinton said she doesn't intend to run for president in 2012 or 2016.

Asked by TV3 New Zealand whether she really has ruled out running for the White House through 2016, "Oh yes, yes," she insisted. "I'm very pleased to be doing what I'm doing as secretary of state," she told TV3 New Zealand."

In a separate interview with TV New Zealand, ONE News political editor Guyon Espiner asked Clinton whether the U.S. is ready for a female president. She responded with a big laugh and then, "I hope so." But she quickly added, "Well, not me. But it will be someone and it is nice coming to countries that have already proven that they can elect women to the highest governing positions that they have in their systems." New Zealand's former prime ministers include Helen Clark and Jenny Shipley. (read more)

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., sounded feisty in an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS Wednesday night. "I intend to win," said Pelosi.

But she isn't sure Democratic voters are as worked up as she is for the midterms - or really need to be, as long as they get to the polls. Indeed, she implied voter enthusiasm is overrated.

"Why don't you have enthusiasm?" asked Rose, referring to the so-called enthusiasm gap favoring Republicans in many pre-election polls. Enthusiasm "is a funny thing," Pelosi replied. "People say who has the energy? Well, people say, I'm going to vote. I'm not enthusiastic about it, but I'm going to vote."

It's not a question of voter enthusiasm, according to Pelosi. "It's a question of who's going to vote, whether they're enthusiastic or not." She also refused to consider the possibility she could lose her job as speaker, with control of the House slipping into Republican hands. After November 2nd she said, "I have every anticipation that we'll come together in a similar format as we are now with me as Speaker of the House." (read more)

Paper props are apparently the weapon of choice in a spat between White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and GOP operative Karl Rove.

Waving a blank piece of paper to illustrate his point during a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, Gibbs said the president does not have an enemies list, as Rove has charged.

Rove's Wednesday comeback included three times as many paper props. Appearing on Fox News, where the former George W. Bush adviser is also a contributor, Rove held up a piece of paper that read, "White House credibility" and the word "NONE." And he had additional props. "In fact, you know, while we're at it, let's talk about the president's evidence for the accusation that the Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads had foreign donors," said Rove as he held up another paper reading "Obama's Evidence" and the word "NADA."

During Tuesday's off-camera briefing with reporters Gibbs asked to see the donors to American Crossroads, referring to Rove's group.

Rove's direct answer included -- more paper. "I'm happy to respond to Mr. Gibbs's request for a list of the foreign contributors to American Crossroads," Rove said holding up a paper that read, "Crossroad's Foreign Donors" with the number zero below it. (read more)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dismissed new speculation that the Obama White House is considering putting her in the #2 spot. "I have no interest and no reason for doing anything other than just dismissing these stories and moving on because we have no time, so much to do," Clinton told a Wednesday summit in Washington called "The Most Powerful Woman" sponsored by "Fortune."

But voters appear open to the idea. By more than 2-to-1, voters would prefer to have Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (55 percent) as vice president over the man who currently holds that position, Vice President Joe Biden (25 percent), according to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. (read more)

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday defended a much-discussed remark recently made by President Obama that the U.S. "can absorb a terrorist attack," saying the U.S. has taken a number of actions to enhance security but "we can't seal the United States under a glass dome."

"I think what he meant is that we are resilient, we have absorbed terrorist attacks, we've absorbed a lot of other damage to our country and we always come back and will come back again," Napolitano told Fox News. "But again if someone were to get through, if an attack were to get through, we would recover efficiently and go after the attacker and come back as a country."

Obama made the statement to author Bob Woodward in his new book "Obama's Wars."

"We will do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever, that ever took place on our soil, we absorbed it, and we are stronger," Obama is quoted as telling Woodward.

Some critics took the comment to mean that the U.S. isn't aggressive or ready enough for an attack. Even before the book was released, conservatives attacked Obama's use of the word "absorb." (read more)

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she is not trying to undermine the Republican Party with her write-in race. She is moving ahead with her decision to run as a write-in (a stance frowned on by the RNC and NRSC) and moving to the center, as she tries to keep her Senate seat.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, Murkowski responded to GOP officials who say she is a spoilsport for refusing to back off after losing the Republican nomination to political newcomer Joe Miller. "Listening to my constituents" is the reason she gave for launching her new write-in bid.

Murkowski accused Miller of being too radical for Alaska. She also took aim at Tea Party activists. "The Tea Party Express out of California came in at the last minute and ran a mud-slinging campaign with smears, a terrible campaign with lies and fabrications," said Murkowski. "That influenced the outcome." (read more)

Barack Obama carried Connecticut by an overwhelming majority two years ago when he ran for president. But President Obama's campaign appearances in Connecticut Thursday night holds both risks and rewards for Democrat Richard Blumenthal, who seeks to help Democrats keep retiring Sen. Chris Dodd's Senate seat.

The risks? Obama's popularity has fallen in this reliably Democratic state. It could be a risk for the four-year veteran of Connecticut politics and the state's attorney general to appear side-by-side with the president.  Thursday night Obama will hold a fundraising event with Blumenthal in Stamford, and then has a DNC event at a private home in Greenwich.

"President Barack Obama appears to be a drag on Blumenthal, even in Connecticut, where the president's job approval rating is a negative 45 - 52 percent, " said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz, PhD. "For attorney General Blumenthal, an elected official with a 70 percent rating, this race is surprisingly close. "

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel isn't saying much about his future at the White House, but history is on his side if he decides to jump ship soon. He even got the blessing of his boss if he decides to run for mayor of Chicago. "I think he'd be a terrific mayor, President Obama told ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview that aired Thursday. "My expectation is, he'd make a decision after these midterm elections."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs had more supportive words about a possible Emanuel bid for mayor. "Something like that doesn't come around a lot," said Gibbs on Wednesday. "It's no surprise that's a job he's been interested in."

While an Emanuel departure would shake up the West Wing, it is not rare for a chief of staff to move on after a few years. A little less than 2.5 years is an average term-of-service for a White House Chief of Staff. The last chief of staff to serve for an entire presidential administration was John R. Steelman under Harry S. Truman.

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Since President Barack Obama's days on the campaign trail, "I love you back" has been one of his favorite retorts to "we love you" shout outs at political rallies.

Now Illinois state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) hopes some of the Obama-love will help him win his Senate campaign against Rep. Mark Kirk (R). According to Real Clear Politics, Giannoulias is trailing Kirk by 1 percent. Thursday Giannoulias launches a new state-wide campaign ad featuring nothing but an extensive endorsement by Obama. "Alexi is my friend. I know his character, "says Obama in the video clip taped during an August visit by Obama to Illinois. "You can trust him. You can count on him."

In fact, the ad is all Obama talking, and viewers don't even hear Giannoulias in it. (read more)