Obama is slated to give a big national address on Iraq the Iraq war on Tuesday

A report on CNN says that Rep. John Boehner plans to give a "prebuttal" today via a Web video.

The story says Boehner is expected to point to remarks made by then Sen. Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opposing the surge.

From Wall Street Journal: "A little-known favorite of the tea-party movement appeared close Wednesday to ousting Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the scion of a political dynasty in Alaska, leaving former Gov. Sarah Palin poised to draw more blood in a long-running feud with the Murkowski family."

The story reports that former state and federal judge Joe Miller, backed by Palin, has so far landed 51 percent of the votes to Ms. Murkowski's 49 percent.

Alaska has to count rural votes so the count won't be official for two weeks.

"Still, political observers said the senator would have a difficult time erasing Mr. Miller's lead. Ms. Murkowski would have to win about 70 percent of the remaining absentee ballots."

The AP is out with a story about how political ads have surpased 2006 levels.  It reports that candidates for state and federal office have spent $395 million on ads for the November elections. That's compared to $286 million at the stage in the 2006 midterms.

And fore than half the ads have been negative.

The story says that "political parties and outside groups have been more negative, going on the attack in nearly 80 percent of their ads while spending $150 million, $41 million ahead of the 2006 pace."

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