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.”

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart won't seek reelection  —  U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a passionate defender and architect of legislation to strengthen the U.S. embargo against Cuba, announced Thursday he won't seek reelection to Congress.  —  The Miami Republican made the announcement …

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 …

Iran protests: live blog  —  Protesters clashed with the security forces and a number of opposition figures were rough-up, as the regime stamped its authority on the 31st anniversary of the revolution.  Read how the day unfolded  —  8.00am:  —  The Iranian opposition has been gearing …

Left frets over fate of 'don't ask'  —  Congressional liberals were heartened when Barack Obama pledged to repeal “don't ask, don't tell,” but their initial elation has given way to concerns the repeal will stall in the penalty box of presidential promises: the U.S. Senate.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Europe Commits to Action on Greek Debt  —  BRUSSELS — European leaders, facing a crucial test for the credibility of their common currency, promised “determined and coordinated action” to safeguard the euro as they sought to persuade jittery bond market investors that Greece would not be allowed to default on its government debt.

Speechwriter: Edwards cut ‘I lied’ from statement  —  Wendy Button, a former Edwards speechwriter, writes that she worked on Edwards' statement admitting that he was the baby's father — and that he then changed and weakened it.  —  It was very different compared to the one he and I had worked on over the summer.

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.

Debra Medina is a 9/11 Truther  —  Ok, her politician answer was that she didn't have enough proof to take a side on whether or not the government had anything to do with causing the twin towers to fall.  Really?  How in the hell do you not take a side on that issue?

Food stamps  —  I can't get over the fact that one in eight Americans are on food stamps.  —  Graph credit: The New York Times.