Man Charged With Stockpiling Weapons Was Tea Partier, Palin Fan  —  The Massachusetts man charged this week with stockpiling weapons after saying he feared an imminent “Armageddon” appears to have been active in the Tea Party movement, and saw Sarah Palin, who he said is on a …

A deal on nominations that even a Republican could love  —  The administration scored a big victory last night, or at least it thinks it did.  After President Obama finally threatened to make recess appointments if Senate Republicans didn't let some of its nominees through the confirmation process …

A Bipartisan Meeting on Health Reform: The Invites Are Out  —  On Tuesday the President discussed the upcoming bipartisan meeting on health reform, saying “Let's get the relevant parties together; let's put the best ideas on the table.  My hope is that we can find enough overlap …

NH Rep. Nancy Elliott Doesn't Do Anal  —  New Hampshire state Rep. Nancy Elliott wants to repeal same-sex marriage because “we're talking about taking the penis of a man and putting it in the rectum of another man and wriggling it around in excrement.  And you have to think, would I want that to be done to ME?”

Harold Ford's Tennessee Tax Dodge  —  When it comes to his shadow run for Senate, Harold Ford is a New Yorker through and through.  When it comes to paying taxes, though, he's still a Tennessean — he's never filed a New York return.  —  Ford claims to have moved to New York three years ago …

Tim Pawlenty: The Esquire Interview  —  The Minnesota governor, whom many expect to run for president in 2012, on bailouts, health care, whether Obama is a socialist, and where Republicans go from here  —  In his first major interview since launching his political-action committee …

Obama will help select location of Khalid Sheik Mohammed terrorism trial  —  President Obama is planning to insert himself into the debate about where to try the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, three administration officials said Thursday, signaling a recognition …

Zuckerman Said to Mull Run for U.S. Senate  —  Could another media mogul be looking to make a splash in New York politics?  —  Mortimer B. Zuckerman, real estate tycoon and publisher of The Daily News, is considering a run for the Senate seat now held by Kirsten E. Gillibrand, according to two people told of the discussions.

Video: O'Donnell meltdown on Morning Joe  —  Anyone who recalls Lawrence O'Donnell's meltdown with John O'Neill over the latter's opposition to John Kerry in 2004 won't be surprised at O'Donnell's inability to behave himself with Marc Thiessen on today's Morning Joe.

Taliban Rape Tapes: A ‘Muslim Abu Ghraib’  —  **Post updated with link to downloadable video.  —  With breaking news out of Palestine today that a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas has been literally caught with his pants down, rape tapes seem to be popping up all over the pious Muslim world.

Is Medina a birther?  —  After ducking questions yesterday about whether the Bush administration aided in the Sept. 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, then saying she has never believed the government was involved, Republican gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina gave a series of interviews late in the day.

Iron Man was right  —  Spencer Ackerman's adjudication of the dispute between Captain America and Iron Man is some of the most relevant punditry you'll read today.  And, incidentally, I agree with Spencer entirely: Iron Man was unequivocally right in the argument over superhero registration.

A RUTHLESS BILL MAHER RETURNS  —  They once said, if you lose Walter Cronkite, you lose the nation.  —  But what happens if you lose Bill Maher?  —  The liberal comedian has surprised friends and foes alike by adding President Barack Obama to his list of usual targets, such as conservatives and the religious right.

His Father's Son  —  As the youngest child of Ted Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy has become the heir apparent to a political dynasty.  But six months after his father's death, he reveals what that watershed moment taught him and why he won't run for Congress again this November.  —  Patrick Kennedy talked for hours

Corker: Willing to Be Sole GOP Vote on Financial Overhaul  —  GOP Sen. Bob Corker said he “absolutely” would be willing to buck his party to pass a bill cracking down on financial market abuses and creating new rules to prevent firms from becoming “too big to fail.”

Why the MSM loves Palin  —  Fox News has been making a serious charge about mainstream political reporters: They hate Sarah Palin.  —  This is not just wrong, it's absurd.  The reality is exactly the opposite: We love Palin.  —  And if Palin does not exactly love us …

Dick Durbin Throws Weight Behind Effort To Reform Filibuster  —  Okay, this could be significant: Senator Dick Durbin is now throwing his weight behind a new effort to reform the filibuster, a move that could give it a boost, given Durbin's clout as a senior member of the Dem leadership.

Republicans and Medicare  —  “Don't cut Medicare.  The reform bills passed by the House and Senate cut Medicare by approximately $500 billion.  This is wrong.”  So declared Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, in a recent op-ed article written with John Goodman, the president of the National Center for Policy Analysis.

What's Next, Mr. President?  —  By 2008, Americans were disgusted with their government.  They were sick of partisan gridlock and general incompetence.  Along came Barack Obama offering to usher in a new era.  It was time, he said, to put away childish things.  —  There were actually two elements to the Obama campaign.

The golden-ticket holders  —  Curious who's getting an invite to Blair House for the big health-care summit?  Well, wonder no more.  The White House has released the congressional guest list. … This seems like too many people to get anything done.  And where are the good-faith folks …

Sarah Palin to speak in Daytona Beach, at Orange County GOP event — but media glare isn't welcome  —  (ED REINKE/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / February 5, 2010)  —  Sarah Palin will make two high-profile, big-ticket appearances in Central Florida during the next month — but she doesn't want any media coverage.

Cantor To Obama And Dems: Um, You're In Power, Remember?  —  One funny thing about GOP obstructionism is that it does more than just block the Dem agenda in the short term.  It also works politically for Republicans in the long run: The public isn't tuned into procedural details and only sees …

The Legacy of Billy Tauzin: The White House-PhRMA Deal  —  More than a million spectators gathered before the Capitol on a frosty January afternoon to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama, who promised in his campaign to change Washington's mercenary culture of lobbyists, special interest influence and backroom deals.

Quayle son running for Congress in Arizona  —  Ben Quayle, the son of Vice President Dan Quayle, has filed papers to enter the race for the Phoenix congressional seat being vacated by Republican John Shadegg, an aide said.  —  Quayle, a lawyer and principal at a local venture capital firm …

Subprime Goes Hollywood  —  The Wall Street wizards who gave you credit default swaps want to turn the movie industry into their next casino.  —  Post Comment  —  If you thought the mortgage-backed securities and other complex financial instruments that crashed the economy were risky …

Tea Parties and the American Political Tradition  —  So far the movement looks a lot like the opposition to Roosevelt's court-packing scheme.  —  Sarah Palin wants to lead it.  Liberals mock it.  The curious who watch clips of its rallies will note both the absence of ordinary partisan iconography …