Cenk Uygur hosting from YouTube Space LA. The Republicans are willing to release one of their hostages over the government shutdown negotiations. The GOP leadership is now “offering” to raise the debt ceiling. This is not surprising as the Chamber of Commerce telegraphed this days ago and the GOP predictably caved to their demands and others lobbying for the financial sector. Utah Senator Mike Lee is in big trouble. Even conservative polling within the state is showing unfavorable numbers for the senator and his positions over the government shutdown and the implementation of the ACA. Even the usually insane Michele Bachmann has a limit to her lunacy. Apparently even she realizes not raising the debt ceiling and defaulting would be a disaster.

Pew research suggests that members of the Tea Party are mainly affiliated with religious conservative ideology and is mostly Christian fundamentalism by another name. Amanda Marcotte points out that the concerns of the Tea Party and their agenda are largely distractions from the real and pressing current issues of the day. Senator John McCain vents frustration with the Tea Party and the strategy behind the government shutdown on CNN. Republican Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania appears on Hugh Hewitt’s conservative talk radio show and gets chewed out for defying marching orders from the GOP leadership. While discussing the rollout of the ACA website and other topics, CNN and Wolf Blitzer has a few glitches of their own.

Azerbaijan’s election results were released a day before the election was actually held! Oops. When the post-election results were updated, the incumbent President “won” with 85% of the vote. Vice Admiral TIm Giardina, the deputy commander of nuclear forces, was fired for using counterfeit chips at a casino in Iowa. Former NFL coach Mike Ditka says his biggest regret in life was not running against Barack Obama for the US Senate in 2004. Dick Cheney is roasted at The Plaza hotel in Manhattan where torture and war crime jokes were all the rage. Joe Lieberman roasted Franco, right?