The Republican candidates looking to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012 continue to spar over who is the real conservative in the race. The latest attack comes from the team behind former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux and they are taking aim at former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner for a mailing in 2004 which included a clip from a newspaper praising him for moderate leanings.

You won't read it in the mainstream U.S. media, but the British press are all over a story about first lady Michelle Obama spending an estimated $10 million in taxpayer money on her frequent vacations. The Telegraph and the Daily Mail of London report that Mrs. Obama has spent no fewer than 42 days on vacation over the past year -- thats one in every nine days.

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is heading back home to the Keystone State, the first time he has returned to his base since his fourth place finish in the Iowa straw poll held in Ames earlier in the month. The Santorum camp has insisted their fundraising has picked up after Ames and there is more interest in Pennsylvania in the campaign. Santorum will be in Old Forge on Monday before heading to Harrisburg and Centre Hall on Tuesday.

Is Newt Gingrich making a comeback in the Republican presidential race?

With U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the South Florida congresswoman who serves as the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, appearing at the South Florida Summit for Israel on Sunday night, an old foe took aim at her -- Karen Harrington, the restaurant owner who was the Republican nominee against her in 2010 and who hopes to take her on again in 2012.

With Rick Perry leading in Iowa and Mitt Romney in control in New Hampshire, the tie breaker could be South Carolina. When Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans differ from each other in presidential contests (1988, 1996, 2000, 2008), South Carolina always picks whoever goes on to win the GOP nod.

Ron Paul has the only "positive-negative" ratio of any top-tier candidates in the GOP presidential field, a new Associated Press-GfK survey shows. The Aug. 18-22 telephone survey of the general population showed 37 percent of the respondents said they have a positive view of the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman, while 36 percent said they did not. Paul's "+1" score topped the other leading Republican candidates: Mitt Romney: 39% favorable vs. 41% unfavorable = -2 Rick Perry: 33% favorable vs. 36% unfavorable =-3

If Hurricane -- or even Tropical Storm -- Irene doesn't force cancellation, the No. 1 and No. 2 playoff seeds will meet at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Women's Professional Soccer title match in Rochester, N.Y. The game is scheduled to be televised on Fox Sports. The Western New York Flash finished first atop the three-year-old WPS this season, and won the automatic berth and right to host the title game. The Independence finished close behind in second place and dispatched No. 3 magicJack in the semifinals last week to earn their spot in the final Saturday.

The chair of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority on Friday lambasted the state for attempting a "corporate takeover" of the Tri-Rail commuter system. Kristin Jacobs said she was "astounded" to hear a state Department of Transportation official claim that the Florida East Coast Railway could cut $10 million a year from the operating budget of the three-county passenger line. "How does the state rely on FEC when the FEC has no experience with passenger rail?" Jacobs asked. Full story upcoming in Sunshine State News.

Flailing at "right-wing extremists," the left-wing extremists at MoveOn.org are using Gov. Rick Scott to raise money. In an e-mail campaign, lightly customized for Florida, the George Soros organization is soliciting $5 monthly donations, ostensibly to "fight Rick Scott." "With so much at stake, we've launched a major effort to bring MoveOn's grassroots muscle and Internet organizing to state capitols all across the country," the solicitation reads.

Here's a great opportunity for Facebook fans of Florida football to pitch in and give state tourism efforts a boost. Visit Florida, the Sunshine State's tourism arm, is kicking off The Florida Fan Game Sept. 2. It's a good one -- a contest between the fans of six state schools:Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida, Central Florida and Florida A&M.

Carlos Sierra is mad about the fact that his boss, former Gov. Buddy Roemer of Louisiana, is being left out of the debates among the Republican presidential candidates. Sierra, Roemers campaign manager, sent out an e-mail on Thursday, and -- much like Tom Harkin and Fred Harris did when they ran for the Democratic presidential nominations --used a rather vulgar term for cow droppings.

A Sachs/Mason-Dixon poll released on Friday found that Florida Republicans remain undecided on who they want to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. While Nelson was beating the various Republican hopefuls, he failed to crack 50 percent against any of them despite his decades on Floridas political stage.

CNN is reporting that former Gov. George Pataki of New York will not enter the Republican presidential contest. Pataki is heading out to Iowa on Saturday and the buzz was that he was entering the GOP field. This is not the first time that the former governor kicked over running for the presidency before deciding not to -- he did much the same thing in the 2000 and 2008 presidential races.

The University of Miami football program declared several players ineligible as the school tries to get out ahead of an NCAA investigation, ESPN reported Friday. The players were not identified, but quarterback Jacory Harris and up to 12 other teammates are being investigated for their alleged connections to convicted ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro, who claims he provided cash and other inducements to Miami players since he became a team booster in 2001. Simply being declared ineligible now does not necessarily mean a player would miss any games, ESPN said.