Breaking: Reid Signals Support For Reconciliation Vote On Public Option  —  In another surprising step forward for the public option, Senator Harry Reid's office says that if a final decision is made to pass health reform via reconciliation, the Majority Leader would support holding a reconciliation vote on the public option.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg is diagnosed with cancer … U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey's 86-year-old senior senator, was diagnosed with treatable stomach cancer in the last 24 hours and will begin chemotherapy today.  —  The Democrat still plans to finish out his current term …

Pawlenty compares administration to Tiger Woods, voters to scorned wife  —  Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) on Friday told voters to follow the lead of Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren and “take a nine-iron and smash the window out of big government.”  —  Pawlenty, who is considered …

Is the next GOP presidential candidate a CPAC speaker?  —  There's no question that the next GOP presidential nominee will have spoken at this year's CPAC conference, a top Republican lawmaker said Friday.  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight …

Rapper Sky Blu says Mitt Romney used ‘Vulcan grip’ on him in plane fiasco  —  Sky Blu, singer of the band LMFAO, says Mitt Romney had him in a ‘Vulcan grip’ while aboard an airplane Monday night in Vancouver.  —  Mitt Romney used a “Vulcan grip” on rapper Sky Blu?  —  Wow.

A Sensible Response to Terrorism  —  As you probably know, a white guy entranced by an extremely version of Tea Party-style right-populist paranoia deliberately crashed an airplane into an IRS building in Texas yesterday.  I'm not especially interested in debating semantics …

Krugman Don't Know Health Insurance  —  When I debated Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman on health care reform, I asked him if he was familiar with the work of University of Pennsylvania economist Mark Pauly.  Pauly is a leader in the economics of health insurance.

Bachmann: Obama ‘intending to fail’  —  Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) urged conservatives on Friday to fight to prevent an American “decline” created by the policies of President Barack Obama.  —  In a long and meandering speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference evoking …

John Ashcroft: Civilian Trials For Terrorists Have ‘Use And Utility’  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  In an acknowledgment that throws a wrench in Republican talking points, former Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Friday that the criminal justice system does, indeed, have a role to play in trying terrorist suspects.

Holder admits nine Obama Dept. of Justice officials worked for terrorist detainees, offers no details  —  Attorney General Eric Holder says nine Obama appointees in the Justice Department have represented or advocated for terrorist detainees before joining the Justice Department.

Profit-Seeking Palin Reportedly Rips CPAC As A Profiteering Convention  —  One leading Republican who is conspicuously absent from this year's CPAC is Fox News pundit Sarah Palin.  A source told Politico that Palin declined the invitation because she “does not want to be affiliated” …

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure  —  Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks  —  MOSCOW, Ohio — Like many people, Terry Hoskins has had troubles with his bank.  But his solution to foreclosure might be unique.  —  Hoskins said he's been in a struggle …

India row over Jesus beer image  —  The government in the Indian state of Meghalaya has confiscated textbooks showing pictures of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette and a can of beer.  —  The book has been used for primary classes and has caused a furore in the north-eastern state, where more than 70% of the population are Christians.

Ellsworth to run for Indiana Senate  —  Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth announced today that he will seek the seat being vacated by Sen. Evan Bayh.  —  “After many conversations with Hoosiers this week, and with the love and support of my family, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate,” Ellsworth said in a statement.

IOWA POLL RESULTS - FEBRUARY 2010  —  The Research 2000 Iowa Poll was conducted from February 15 through February 17, 2010.  A total of 600 likely voters who vote regularly in state elections were interviewed statewide by telephone.  —  Those interviewed were selected by the random variation …

Gays, gay marriage foes spar at CPAC  —  The young crowd at CPAC doesn't seem terribly interested in the issue of same-sex marriage, but there's been a bit of shadow boxing between the gay Republican group GOProud, which got a booth over objections from social conservatives …

CPAC audience boos former GOP Rep. Bob Barr for saying waterboarding is torture.  —  This afternoon, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held a debate titled “Does Security Trump Freedom?” that featured former GOP congressman and Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr …

The Power Elite  —  One of the great achievements of modern times is that we have made society more fair.  Sixty years ago, the upper echelons were dominated by what E. Digby Baltzell called The Protestant Establishment and C. Wright Mills called The Power Elite.