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 …

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,” …

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 …

Matthews: Politico Serves As The Drudge-Like ‘News Conduit’ For Dick Cheney  —  Last month, Politico conducted an “interview” with former Vice President Dick Cheney.  As ThinkProgress noted at the time, the paper's top reporters — Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen — transcribed Cheney's attacks …

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.”

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

RedState's Erickson Stands By Assertion That Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Was An ‘Affirmative Action’ Award  —  When it was announced last year that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, RedState editor Erick Erickson tweeted that Obama only won the award because …

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 …

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 …

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.

11 pp.  of House-Senate health differences - Panetta meets CIA fallen at Dover — POTUS, VPOTUS to hold 90-min. Sit Room meeting on air security — Edsall: outside chance GOP takes House  —  BREAKING - -L.A. Times A1: “Northrop headquarters moving to Washington”: “Northrop Grumman Corp …

Personal Bankruptcy Filings Rising Fast  —  The number of Americans filing for personal bankruptcy rose by nearly a third in 2009, a surge largely driven by foreclosures and job losses.  —  And more people are filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which liquidates assets to pay off some debts and absolves the filers of others.

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:

Romney will decide on 2012 run after midterms  —  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said Tuesday that he'll decide whether to run for president in 2012 sometime after this fall's midterm elections.  —  Romney, a 2008 Republican candidate for president and rumored 2012 contender …

No Longer Majority Black, Harlem Is in Transition  —  For nearly a century, Harlem has been synonymous with black urban America.  Given its magnetic and growing appeal to younger black professionals and its historic residential enclaves and cultural institutions, the neighborhood's reputation …

Our Incompetent Civilization  —  Sometimes we have to choose between evils.  —  Printer  —  Friendly  —  When does a civilization become incompetent?  I've been mulling the question in a number of contexts over the last year, including our inability to put a stop to Somali piracy …