Palin rebuffs CPAC, Keene  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Pain is turning down an invitation to speak at one high-profile conservative gathering while accepting another.  —  Palin is declining an invitation to address the Conservative Political Action Conference next month because, a source said …

Remarks by the President on Strengthening Intelligence and Aviation Security State Dining Room  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody.  The immediate reviews that I ordered after the failed Christmas terrorist attack are now complete.  I was just briefed on the findings and recommendations …

Former White House lawyer charged with attempting to kill wife in New Canaan  —  NEW CANAAN — A prominent attorney and former White House lawyer was charged with attempting to kill his wife Wednesday night.  —  John Michael Farren, 57, of New Canaan, was charged with attempted murder …

Palin aide warned of ‘epic debacle’  —  Sarah Palin's charming opening debate line for now-Vice President Joe Biden — “Hey, can I call you Joe?”  — was scripted after she repeatedly referred to him as “O'Biden” in preparation sessions, former McCain campaign senior adviser Steve Schmidt told “60 Minutes.”

Janet Napolitano Says She's Most Surprised By “Al-Qaeda's Determination” (Video)  —  Janet Napolitano told reporters today that she was most surprised by Al-Qaeda's determination.  —  Where has she been for the last 9 years?  —  They're terrorists, Janet.  It's what they do.

GOP Furious At Steele; RNC Admits Little Control  —  House and Senate leadership aides are furious with RNC chair Michael Steele and have angrily confronted the RNC's press shop over their inability to keep the chair on message.  —  In the course of a regular daily conference call between …

Iran State TV Suggests Neda's Iconic Death Was ‘Faked’  —  Iranian state television has made a documentary about the death of Neda Agha Soltan, a young Iranian woman who was shot dead during the June postelection protests in Tehran, suggesting she was an agent of the United States and Britain who staged her own death.

In Massachusetts, Anxiety for Favored Democrats  —  BOSTON — Martha M. Coakley, the Democrat running for Senator Edward M. Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts, had seemed so certain of winning the special election on Jan. 19 that she barely campaigned last month.  —  But the dynamic has changed in recent days.

N.J. Senate rejects bill legalizing gay marriage … TRENTON — The state Senate rejected a same-sex marriage bill today, a major victory for opponents who contend the measure would infringe on religious freedom and is not needed because the state already permits civil unions.

Walk Away From Your Mortgage!  —  John Courson, president and C.E.O. of the Mortgage Bankers Association, recently told The Wall Street Journal that homeowners who default on their mortgages should think about the “message” they will send to “their family and their kids and their friends.”

Beck: 'African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term.  I mean, that's not a race.'  —  Today on his radio show, Glenn Beck wanted to discuss the census.  “Apparently the census has come out,” he said.  Beck's co-host then chimed in, “Yeah and there's a little confusion because there's three boxes …

Reagan grandson arrested in Van Nuys [Updated]  —  Former President Reagan's grandson is in jail this morning after police arrested him at his parents' house in Van Nuys, Los Angeles Police Department officials said.  —  Cameron Reagan, 31, was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest …

Failed Christmas bomb plot will likely alter Obama's agenda  —  Was Christmas Day 2009 the same kind of wake-up call for Barack Obama that Sept. 11, 2001, had been for George W. Bush?  —  The near-miss by a passenger plotting to blow up an American airliner as it flew into Detroit seems …

Bubbles and the Banks  —  Health care reform is almost (knock on wood) a done deal.  Next up: fixing the financial system.  I'll be writing a lot about financial reform in the weeks ahead.  Let me begin by asking a basic question: What should reformers try to accomplish?

NBC Plan Would Move Leno Back to Late Nights  —  Conan O'Brien, left, and Jay Leno on the set of “The Tonight Show” when Mr. Leno was the host.  —  Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup …

CIA, Counterterrorism Execs Managed Bomb Crisis from Afar  —  Posted by Daniel Farber It could be said that the U.S. government can run by remote control.  On the day that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Northwest airline flight headed for Detroit, several key government players …

Potential Ford Senate Bid Sets Off Scramble  —  The New York political world reacted swiftly and strongly to the possibility of Harold Ford Jr.'s candidacy for the United States Senate, with top Senate leaders trying to squash the bid and close advisers to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg meeting …

Moving From “Solid” to “Leans”  —  Jennifer Duffy at the Cook Political Report says that something is happening in Massachusetts: … She notes that there are two more debates “which always present candidates with an opportunity to put in make-or-break performances.”  One has to remember: this is Massachusetts.

EPA proposes stricter limits on smog pollutants  —  The Environmental Protection Agency proposed stricter limits Thursday on the amount of pollution-forming ozone allowed in the air, significantly tightening rules the Bush administration had set for the nation's most widespread air pollutant.

Attention Conspiracy Theorists: Read This Post  —  I tend to be skeptical of those who believe that the Federal Reserve is engaged in a massive conspiracy, for reasons known and unknown, to protect its turf and turn us all into serfs, but then I'll read a quotation like this, and I'll scratch my head.

Dodd To Treasury?  —  Roll Call speculates that Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) may not be retiring after all — he may trade his office in the Senate's Russell Building for one in the Treasury.  Could he replace Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary?  It's not beyond the realm of possibility, but I doubt it.