CPAC: White kids on dope  —  Ah, to be an anthropologist at CPAC, where the kids was smokin' th' political crack.  From the WaPo: … Verily, that's the way to bring the party back: blame the media.  I talked to a conservative the other day who assured me that Obama's success is entirely …

Obama may use 50-vote tactic on energy, healthcare  —  President Obama's budget director said the White House would consider using a Senate procedural tactic so that only 50 votes would be rquired to pass major healthcare and energy reforms.  —  Peter Orszag, the director of the Office …

Culture of conspiracy: The Birthers  —  Bill Clinton had the Vince Foster “murder.”  George W. Bush had 9/11 Truth.  And the new administration has brought with it a new culture of conspiracy: The Birthers.  —  Out of the gaze of the mainstream and even the conservative media …

Exclusive: Dean Talks About Not Getting HHS And Post-DNC Plans  —  Having been bypassed for a cabinet post after leaving the DNC, former Gov. Howard Dean has chosen to pursue a multi-faceted career in health care advocacy, progressive political strategy, speeches, education and energy, and even election monitoring.

Mullen: Iran has fissile materials for bomb  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military official said Sunday that Iran has sufficient fissile material for a nuclear weapon, declaring it would be a “very, very bad outcome” should Tehran move forward with a bomb.

Red Eye Reams Olbermann, Garafalo for Racist Comments!  —  Great thanks to MikeC for the tip, and to Andy Levy for his dryly devastating final comments.  It all happened on Friday night's Red Eye and we have the video for your viewing pleasure:

Buildings sprang up as donations rained down on Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion  —  The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.

Bobby Jindal: The GOP's Rising Star?  —  Morley Safer Profiles Louisiana's Gov., Who Some Think May Run For The White House One Day  —  Page 1 of 4  —  (CBS) If you watched the Republican response to President Obama's address to Congress last Tuesday, you saw a rather awkward young man taking …

Under Weight of Its Mistakes, Newspaper Industry Staggers  —  Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper recalls getting “a feeling in the pit of my stomach” when he learned that the Rocky Mountain News was shutting down.  —  “Even when they were uncovering corruption in the city …

Twitter takes Washington by storm  —  WASHINGTON (AFP) - The halls of the US Congress are alive with the sounds of Twitter.  Members of the Senate and House of Representatives — or their aides — are tapping out dozens of the micro messages a day on cellphones and computers from offices …

The Revolution Devours Its Children  —  In my post on the right's civil war, I saw Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh as in the same camp—a group of hyper-orthodox “ultras” so blind to reality that they not only saw Bobby Jindal as correct in his extreme opposition to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act …

Brown woos Obama on global deal  —  GORDON BROWN hopes to forge a partnership with President Barack Obama in Washington this week, to call for a “global new deal” to lift the world out of recession.  —  As he prepares for his first White House visit since the president's inauguration …

Frustrated Building Owner Allows Sex Shop to Open in Old Town Alexandria  —  To many in Old Town Alexandria, the sex shop that opened recently on King Street is nothing short of scandalous, a historical desecration just blocks from the boyhood home of Robert E. Lee.  —  But to Michael Zarlenga, it's justice.

Thoughts on the “New Media” (Updated)  —  Thoughts on the “New Media” - compiled by Small Wars Journal  —  Last weekend I sent out the following “RFI” to a number of bloggers I know: … What follows are the replies I received through yesterday.  Some stuck to the one-two requested paragraphs, some sent more.

Capitol power plant dims clean energy hopes  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  WASHINGTON - As Congress tries to clean up the nation's energy sources and cut gases blamed for global warming, it is struggling to do so in its own backyard.

‘Fair and Balanced’ Fox News allows only Republicans to debate Obama's budget.  —  This morning on Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace welcomed Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to discuss President Obama's budget plan — with not a single congressional Democrat or White House representative present to defend it.

“Card Check” Not as Bad as Thought!  It's Worse.  —  Where's my Wii?  At a 7:30 AM (!) “card check” breakfast debate (podcast available here) I learned the following:  —  1) In the “card check” bill, if a newly unionized employer can't reach an agreement with the new union, an arbitrator will step in and impose a two-year contract.