Poll finds most Americans are unhappy with government  —  Two-thirds of Americans are “dissatisfied” or downright “angry” about the way the federal government is working, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.  On average, the public estimates that 53 cents of every tax dollar they send to Washington is “wasted.”

Medina Campaign Responds to Glenn Beck Interview  —  I was asked a question on the Glenn Beck show today regarding my thoughts on the so-called 9/11 truth movement.  I have never been involved with the 9/11 truth movement, and there is no doubt in my mind that Muslim terrorists flew planes into those buildings on 9/11.

Obama ‘Agnostic’ on Deficit Cuts, Won't Prejudge Tax Increases  —  Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama said he is “agnostic” about raising taxes on households making less than $250,000 as part of a broad effort to rein in the budget deficit.  —  Obama, in a Feb. 9 Oval Office interview …

Baucus, Grassley Propose New Jobs Bill  —  The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate tax-writing committee today unveiled the main elements of a new jobs and economic recovery measure, hoping to put some rare bipartisan momentum behind major legislation.

Iran is now a ‘nuclear state’ says Ahmadinejad as thousands take to the streets  —  Iran is now a ‘nuclear state’, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced this morning.  —  He spoke as tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Tehran to mark the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution.

Support for Gays in the Military Depends on the Question  —  Posted by Kevin Hechtkopf A new CBS News/ New York Times poll finds that the wording of the question is key when it comes to determining whether Americans support allowing gays to serve in the military.

Joe Biden update: Iraq one of Obama's ‘great achievements’  —  Who knew?  —  Thank goodness, Vice President Joe Biden went on CNN to chat with Larry King Wednesday night.  So many think things are not going so well for the Democrat administration, as The Ticket chronicled here.

Democrats rush to curb corporate election spending before Nov. vote  —  Democrats are hoping to fast-track a set of sweeping new campaign finance regulations to prevent the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United decision from affecting the November midterm elections.

Feds push for tracking cell phones  —  Two years ago, when the FBI was stymied by a band of armed robbers known as the “Scarecrow Bandits” that had robbed more than 20 Texas banks, it came up with a novel method of locating the thieves.  —  FBI agents obtained logs from mobile phone companies corresponding …

The Right's Top 25 Journalists  —  Blogs and Stories  —  From Instapundit and Laura Ingraham to O'Reilly and Beck, Tunku Varadarajan counts down the most influential right-wing media figures in the country.  —  In these times of bare-knuckle political partisanship, opposition …

The Lobbying-Media Complex  —  President Obama spent most of December 4 touring Allentown, Pennsylvania, meeting with local workers and discussing the economic crisis.  A few hours later, the state's former governor, Tom Ridge, was on MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews, offering up his own recovery plan.

Elizabeth Edwards Threatens Husband's Ex-Aide With Lawsuit  —  Andrew Young May Be Sued for Allegedly Contributing to Failure of Edwards' Marriage  —  Elizabeth Edwards may be preparing to sue her husband's longtime aide for allegedly contributing to the demise of her marriage.

Diaz-Balart To Retire  —  Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) will announce later today he will not seek another term, CongressDaily reports this morning.  —  Diaz-Balart is the 18th House GOPer to step down, and one of the few who holds a seat that Dems could target.

2 ex-employees say Blackwater billed government for prostitute  —  Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security contractor of defrauding the government for years with phony billing, including charging for a prostitute, alcohol and spa trips.

Freedom's Just Another Word for Nothing Left to Lose  —  I don't know that I'd make too much of this, but tracking the Congressional Democrats' approval ratings in Quinnipiac polling over the past six months — they're now down to just 28 percent overall, including 19 percent (!) among independents — is interesting in this respect.

Climate-Change Debate Is Heating Up in Deep Freeze  —  WASHINGTON — As millions of people along the East Coast hole up in their snowbound homes, the two sides in the climate-change debate are seizing on the mounting drifts to bolster their arguments.  —  Skeptics of global warming are using …