Assassins had Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in sight as soon as he got to Dubai  —  Mahmoud al-Mabhouh took no notice of the two men who joined him in the lift of his hotel in Dubai during the short ride to the second floor on the afternoon of January 20.  —  One was short and portly with a moustache, the other tall.

Photo Evidence: Michelle Obama Keeps Socialist Books In The White House Library  —  I arrived in Washington DC today to cover CPAC and since I was in town, and since CPAC doesn't really get rolling until tomorrow, I tagged along with some Scott Hennen Show listeners on an extensive tour …

Tea Party Speaker: Hang Patty Murray  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  A tea party gathering in Asotin County, Washington turned more than a bit ugly on Saturday when a featured speaker actually called for the hanging of Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash), the fourth ranking Democrat in the Senate and a vulnerable re-election candidate.

The straw that broke Evan Bayh's tenure  —  The last time Sen. Evan Bayh was the subject of this column was in October, when he organized a letter from 10 moderate Democrats informing Majority Leader Harry Reid that they would oppose any increase in the statutory debt ceiling unless …

Constitutional Conservatism: A Statement for the 21st Century  —  We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding.  Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law.  They sought to secure national independence …

What's holding the Democratic Party down  —  If you want to be honest, face these facts: At this moment, President Obama is losing, Democrats are losing and liberals are losing.  —  Who's winning?  Republicans, conservatives, the practitioners of obstruction and the Tea Party.

Selling insurance across state lines: A terrible, no good, very bad health-care idea  —  The big Republican idea to bring down health-care costs is to “let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines.”  Jon Chait has some commentary here, but I want to simplify a little bit.

Democrat Caddell rips White House for obeisance to organized labor  —  Longtime Democratic strategist Pat Caddell on Wednesday blasted the Obama White House for creating “a world in which there is no dissent,” following his banishment from Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff's campaign for Senate.

U.S. Economy Grinds To Halt As Nation Realizes Money Just A Symbolic, Mutually Shared Illusion  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. economy ceased to function this week after unexpected existential remarks by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke shocked Americans into realizing that money is, in fact …

Duke lacrosse accuser charged with attempted murder, arson  —  DURHAM, N.C. — Durham police arrested Duke lacrosse accuser Crystal Gale Mangum, 33, late Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a bathtub and threatened to stab him.

At CPAC, a new conservative order  —  Since Richard Nixon was president, the Conservative Political Action Conference has provided the American Right with an annual occasion for self-evaluation.  On Thursday, when some 10,000 activists gather in Washington for this year's conference …

U.S. state pension funds have $1 trillion shortfall: Pew  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. states face a total shortfall of at least $1 trillion in their funds for employees' pensions and retirement benefits, and their financial problems are quickly mounting, according to a report released by the Pew Center on the States on Thursday.

Ministers lavished £9m on climate change stunts... but public opinion is left cold by global warming ‘propaganda’  —  A disastrous series of failed climate change publicity stunts cost taxpayers £9million, it emerged yesterday.  —  The projects paid for by the Government's Climate Challenge Fund …

Salem Communications buys Hot Air  —  The conservative blog Hot Air has been purchased by radio broadcaster Salem Communications, which adds the popular website to a stable that also includes Townhall.com and several right-leaning radio hosts.  —  In a statement obtained by POLITICO set …

Meet the Flintstones  —  Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

Sarah Palin and the mutual loathing society  —  The Republican presidential nominee, an Arizona senator, was a maverick, which was part of his charm.  He spoke and acted impulsively, which was part of his problem.  Voters thought his entertaining dimensions might be incompatible with presidential responsibilities.

Gibbs calls Cantor a ‘hypocrite’ on stimulus  —  White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the number two House Republican a ‘hypocrite’ for criticizing the use of stimulus funds while at the same time requesting them for his district.  —  Democrats have been defending the $787 billion program Wednesday, its one-year anniversary.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Rolls Back Non-Discrimination Protections For Gay State Workers  —  Gay and lesbian state workers in Virginia are no longer specifically protected against discrimination, thanks to a little-noticed change made by new Gov. Bob McDonnell.

“A dose of realism”?  How about this for “realism”: We Need Leadership  —  Larry Tribe criticizes my February 15 post, which itself had criticized the Democratic Leadership's planned response to Citizens United as not good enough.  He agrees that the Leadership's response is “incomplete,” …

A History of Obama Feigning Interest in Mundane Things  —  From time to time, everyone is forced to experience the ritual of the apartment tour.  As your friend or relative leads you through their home for the first time, politeness dictates that you pretend to be impressed by the things you're being shown …

DA rips gap in Bishop report  —  He says omission of standoff ‘glaring’  —  The Norfolk district attorney ramped up his criticism of the 1986 investigation of Seth Bishop's death yesterday, saying that it was “glaring” and “striking” that local police accounts of Amy Bishop's armed standoff …

The Left's Top 25 Journalists  — Home - Cheat sheet - Buzz board - Big Fat Story - Blogs & stories - Videos - Galleries - Crossword  —  Blogs and Stories  —  From Jane Hamsher and Ezra Klein to Kos and Krugman, Tunku Varadarajan counts down the most influential left-wing journalists in the country.

Agreement Is Near on New Overseer of Banking Risks  —  WASHINGTON — The Senate and the Obama administration are nearing agreement on forming a council of regulators, led by the Treasury secretary, to identify systemic risk to the nation's financial system, officials said Wednesday.