Election 2010: Massachusetts Special Senate Election  —  2010 Massachusetts Senate: Coakley 50%, Brown 41%  —  State Attorney General Martha Coakley holds a nine-point lead over her Republican rival, state Senator Scott Brown, in Massachusetts' special U.S. Senate election to fill the seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy.

Airline security idiocy of the day: Milblogger Michael Yon handcuffed, Joan Rivers blocked  —  Milblogger/independent war correspondent extraordinaire Michael Yon reports that he was stopped at Sea-Tac airport and handcuffed by TSA agents: … I've met Michael and have blogged …

The Tea Party Teens  —  The United States opens this decade in a sour mood.  First, Americans are anxious about the future.  Sixty-one percent of Americans believe the country is in decline, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey.  Only 27 percent feel confident …

For Obama, terrorism is a four-letter word: Bush  —  The attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was more than just al Qaeda's latest attempt to bring death and destruction to American shores.  It was also, in its still-unfolding political aftermath, a head-on collision between …

Why Didn't He Just Blow Himself Up In The Toilet?  —  A reader asks a very interesting question about the undie-bomber - why did he get back into his seat to detonate a bomb that had a ramshackle detonator and where he could be overcome by fellow travelers?  Read the whole email:

Press Pool, C-SPAN Join Criticism of Conference Process on Health-Care  —  Yesterday, several outlets reported that the Democrats would “almost certainly” forgo the official conference process to get a health-care bill passed, opting instead to negotiate largely behind closed doors.

BRIT HUME SPEAKS, AGAIN.... I didn't intend to return to the subject, but Fox News' Brit Hume spoke to Bill O'Reilly last night about his calls for Tiger Woods to change his religion.  At this point, Hume now wants to debate the meaning of the word “proselytize.”

What the Dems know that we don't: Universal Voter Registration  —  Many are puzzled that Democrats persist in ramming unpopular and destructive legislation down our collective throats while seemingly unconcerned by their plummeting poll numbers.  A widespread belief is that the Democrats …

Greer quits, Thrasher expected to head GOP  —  Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer resigned his post Tuesday, effective Feb. 20.  He is expected to be replaced by state Sen. John Thrasher of St. Augustine, a former House speaker and formerly a prominent lobbyist.

Cut This Story!  —  ONE REASON SEEKERS of news are abandoning print newspapers for the Internet has nothing directly to do with technology.  It's that newspaper articles are too long.  On the Internet, news articles get to the point.  Newspaper writing, by contrast, is encrusted with conventions …

What Liberal Revolt?  —  Claims That Obama's Base Have Turned On Him Are Based On Scant Evidence  —  Does President Obama have a problem with his political base?  That conclusion seems inescapable in recent weeks, as prominent liberal voices have expressed their unhappiness with the president …

Steele Doesn't Know If GOP Ready To Lead  —  RNC chair Michael Steele doesn't think his party can take back the House in '10, and even if they do, he doesn't know if the GOP is ready.  —  Appearing on Sean Hannity's nationally syndicated show the same day his new book, “Right Now,” …

Politico Editor Defends Platform Granted To Cheney  —  Politico editor John Harris is pushing back hard on criticism of his publication for providing a frequent, often uncritical platform to Dick Cheney, claiming in an email to me that “trying to get newsworthy people to say interesting things is part of what we do.”

Dems cheer Cherry's exit from race  —  Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry's abrupt withdrawal from the state's gubernatorial race is the latest sign of leading Democratic candidates struggling to run in a tough economic environment.  —  Cherry was Gov. Jennifer Granholm's favored candidate …

Glenn Beck on birther issue: 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard'  —  Claims controversy is political ‘dream come true’ for Obama  —  On the air today, popular radio host Glenn Beck mocked “birthers” and claimed there is a concerted campaign to get those questioning Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility onto …

How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market  —  Every day, millions of Americans stand at store checkout counters and make a seemingly random decision: after swiping their debit card, they choose whether to punch in a code, or to sign their name.  —  It is a pointless distinction to most consumers …

‘Avatar’ arouses conservatives' ire  —  Conservatives are blind to the 3-D blockbuster's charms.  —  A Na'vi warrior races into battle on a Thanator, a fearsome panther-like creature native to Pandora.  (WETA / Twentieth Century Fox)  —  It's no secret that “Avatar” has been stunningly successful on nearly every front.

Time for accountability at the White House  —  Now it turns out that there was a third uninvited guest at the White House state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, this one a member of the Indian delegation.  It was enough of a shock that the would-be stars Tareq and Michaele Salahi had crashed.

Sweatshirt Sparks School Controversy  —  Hoodie Contains Image Of World Trade Center Towers  —  DEARBORN, Mich. — About 15 Arab-American students at Edsel Ford High School are in trouble over a sweatshirt they had made over the holiday break.  —  On the back of the sweatshirt …

Hate radio host Neal Boortz: Health bill will kill more people than a terrorist attack.  —  Following the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack, many on the right have used the incident as a political football, trying to score partisan points on the issue of terrorism.