Robert Gibbs Scrawls Notes on Hand, Mocking Sarah Palin (Video)  —  Posted by Brian Montopoli Following President Obama's surprise appearance at the White House press briefing, press secretary Robert Gibbs garnered laughter from the press corps by holding up his hand to reveal that he had written notes on his palm in black marker.

In Albany, a Rumor of a Rumor Catches Fire  —  Albany — long a place of scandal, the rumor of scandal and the echoing talk about the rumor of scandal — has had a week a bit unlike any other.  Newspapers, blogs, reputable outfits and fringe gossip sites have worked themselves into a frenzy …

Something Much Darker  —  Andrew Sullivan has a serious problem.  —  I.  —  “Trying to explain the doctrine of the Trinity to readers of The New Republic is not easy.”  On June 2, 1944, W.H. Auden penned that sentence in a letter to Ursula Niebuhr.  On January 26, 2010 …

Senate Expels Monserrate Over Assault of Companion  —  ALBANY — The State Senate on Tuesday expelled a senator convicted of domestic assault, the first time in nearly a century that the Legislature has forced a member from office.  —  The Senate voted 53-to-8 to immediately oust the senator …

Wilder: Obama needs to fire DNC Chairman Kaine, W.H. advisers  —  During the 2008 campaign, I strongly endorsed Barack Obama for president.  I did so early, when many Democratic leaders — including many prominent African-American politicians — believed the safe bet was to back then-front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Palin headlines birther conference; press pretends not to notice  —  If you don't think there's a media double standard that favors Republicans over Democrats, then let's play a game of what-if.  —  What if, in 2006, at Yearly Kos, the first annual convention of liberal bloggers and their readers …

Draft version of Senate Dems' jobs bill leaks  —  A draft version of the Senate jobs bill began circulating around Washington, offering a glimpse of the package of spending items and tax cuts Senate Democrats envision as the basis for legislation Majority Reid Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wants to begin debating within days.

Cantor On The Summit: We'll Be There!  —  It's on!  Eric Cantor, on Fox News just now, made it official: Count Republicans in.  —  Cantor had written a letter with John Boehner yesterday to the White House, apparently laying down some preconditions for attending the White House's health care summit.

Poll: Bipartisanship popular, compromise tricky  —  Americans spread the blame when it comes to the lack of cooperation in Washington, and, in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, most want the two sides to keep working to pass comprehensive health-care reform.

China PLA officers urge economic punch against U.S.  —  BEIJING (Reuters) - Senior Chinese military officers have proposed that their country boost defense spending, adjust PLA deployments, and possibly sell some U.S. bonds to punish Washington for its latest round of arms sales to Taiwan.

Unemployment taxes slam businesses  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Employers are getting hit with a massive tax hike at a time when they can least afford it.  —  Companies in at least 35 states will have to fork over more in unemployment insurance taxes this year, according to the National Association of State Workforce Agencies.

New Wind Farms in the U.S. Have Not Led to Jobs  —  Millions Have Been Invested in Wind Farms, but That Hasn't Brought Jobs  —  Despite all the talk of green jobs, the overwhelming majority of stimulus money spent on wind power has gone to foreign companies, according to a new report …

Blogging the Snowpocalypse  —  You will probably have noticed that I did not post this morning.  That's because sometime before 8 am, I decided that I should get to the grocery store and pick up my lung medicine in the hiatus between snows.  —  Four hours later, I returned with a trunk full …

Exclusive Pics: Lt. Dan Choi back in service?  —  This past weekend at the NGLTF Creating Change conference, there was a notable absence that many have already tweeted and remarked about.  Lt. Dan Choi was supposed to lead a Knights Out sponsored workshop on Friday morning about ending …

The Obama Obesity Proposals: The Good, The Bad, The Missing  —  With a flourish of his pen, President Obama signed an executive order this morning creating yet another national anti-obesity strategy.  He was flanked by gaggle of usual suspects — and his wife, Michelle Obama, for whom combating childhood obesity is a cause.