**President Obama
*"The U.S. economy would have turned in a far worse performance in the third quarter without help from the federal government. Now the question is whether growth can continue without that support," Wall Street Journal reports.

*Treasury Sec. Geithner said as much when he testified in the House yesterday. But he also said, per ABC, "Unemployment remains unacceptably high. For every person out of work, for every family facing foreclosure, for every small business facing a credit crunch, the recession remains alive and acute."

*AP's analysis is that Obama has a mixed message on the recovery. "It's important for a president to voice optimism after good economic numbers. It can help restore consumer confidence -- crucial for any recovery, since consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the overall economy. Yet he couldn't be too upbeat, knowing that looming is another government report -- one due next week -- that could show unemployment topping 10 percent in October after reaching a 26-year high of 9.8 percent in September."

*USA Today continues a look at Obama one year after his election, writing that as president he has shown a pragmatic streak. "Obama's style, on issues from health care to Afghanistan, is raising questions across the partisan divide about whether the work of his presidency -- or just the fact that he's the nation's first African-American president -- will be historic."

*Obama's surgeon general, Regina Benjamin, was finally confirmed.

**Congress
*Washington Post got hold of an accidentally-leaked ethics investigation report documenting the panel's inquiry into more than 30 lawmakers and aides, including seven on the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee.

*Politico sat down with Speaker Pelosi yesterday afternoon, following her introduction of the House health care reform legislation.

*Politics Daily's new gossip columnist, Emily Miller, talks life after Jack Abramoff with ex-Rep. and ex-con Bob Ney (R-Ohio) on the air.

*Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who led the Dems' charge back to power in 2006, "are now finding themselves on opposite sides of an internal Democratic argument on health care reform," Politico reports.

*"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is continuing to work the phones to try to build support from waffling moderates for his health care reform plan that includes a public insurance option," Roll Call reports.

*"A bipartisan group of senators announced a deal Thursday to extend the first-time homebuyer's tax credit set to expire within weeks," The Hill reports.

**Campaign Stuff
*Jeb Bush said that Obama is attacking capitalism, CNN reports.

*Politico: "The House Republican leadership is prepared to welcome Doug Hoffman into its ranks, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said Thursday, a sign that the GOP establishment is recalibrating its approach toward the contentious New York special election and the Conservative Party nominee whose candidacy has divided the party."

*A SurveyUSA poll in the CA-10 special election finds Democrat John Garamendi easily ahead.

*What does this say about his future? Former Gov. George Pataki (R) endorses Hoffman (C) in the NY-23 special election, Politico reports.

*The New Mexican: "The woman who political observers say could have been the Republican front-runner in next year's gubernatorial primary -- and the toughest opponent for likely Democratic nominee Diane Denish -- said Thursday she won't run." Former Rep. Heather Wilson wrote: "The governor of New Mexico has no significant national security role -- an issue area that continues to be an important part of my life."

*MA Sen: Jack E. Robinson, who is not the first African American to play Major League Baseball, is entering the race -- his fourth bid for major political office in the last nine years, Boston Globe reports.

And the two Harvard grads in the race are lagging in the polls, as The Crimson points out.

*IL SEN: David Hoffman (D) met with David Axelrod at the White House yesterday afternoon -- the second candidate in the race to have such a meeting.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad