Robert Gibbs: Public Option Via Reconciliation Can't Pass Congress  —  Hmm.  At the press briefing just now, Robert Gibbs made the White House's most expansive comments yet about the push for a reconciliation vote on the public option — and, to put it mildly, supporters won't find them encouraging.

MSNBC Regular Donny Deutsch Slams Marco Rubio With Racially Charged Attack: He's a ‘Coconut’  —  MSNBC and CNBC contributor — and professed Charlie Crist admirer — Donny Deutsch used racially charged language on Monday night, smearing Republican senatorial candidate Marco Rubio as a “coconut.”

Thoughts on Mitt Romney, Scott Brown and the State of the GOP  —  BEGIN TRANSCRIPT  —  RUSH: To the phones.  We go to Chicago.  This is Ed. Nice to have you with us, sir, hello.  —  CALLER: Hi how you doing, Rush?  —  RUSH: Very well thank you.  —  CALLER: I just called to make a quick comment about Glenn Beck.

Harry Reid Says GOP Should “Stop Crying” About Reconciliation  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Tuesday that Republicans “should stop crying” about the possible use of the parliamentary procedure known as budget reconciliation to pass a health care reform bill.

Hate Sells: Why Liberal Magazines Are Suffering Under Obama  —  The George W. Bush years were good for more than just oilfield-services companies and waterboard manufacturers.  They were also a boon for liberal political magazines, whose circulation soared on the wings of the Bush hatred that swept much of the country.

‘My heart, my choice,’ Williams says, defending decision for U.S. heart surgery  —  An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

Where Scott Brown Is Coming From  —  In just 48 hours, Scott Brown would be sworn in as the newest member of the United States Senate, stepping into the shoes (and office suite) of Edward M. Kennedy and the world of woe on Capitol Hill.  But as he zipped down a Massachusetts highway …

French Ad Shocks, but Will It Stop Young Smokers?  —  PARIS — A new French anti-smoking ad aimed at the young that plays off a pornographic stereotype has gotten more attention than even its creators intended, with critics suggesting that it offends common decency and creates a false analogy between oral sex and smoking.

Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output  —  Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as the economic stimulus package, certain recipients of funds appropriated in ARRA (most grant and loan recipients …

ABC News prepares major restructuring; between 300 and 400 staffers could be cut [updated]  —  ABC News is poised to make a major round of cuts that will reduce the size of the news division by as much as 20% and radically reorder the network's traditional approach to news gathering.

Bank lending plummets in 2009  —  Lending by the banking industry fell by $587 billion, or 7.5 percent, in 2009, the largest annual decline since the 1940s, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported Tuesday.  —  FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said that some small banks have dialed back on lending …

Nir Rosen: Stop the Iraq madness!  —  This blog knows all too well that no one is right all the time, and that it is important to listen to people who know their stuff and disagree with you.  So when I saw Nir Rosen, a fellow at the NYU Center on Law and Security, make some comments …

Fearing Obama Agenda, States Push to Loosen Gun Laws  —  When President Obama took office, gun rights advocates sounded the alarm, warning that he intended to strip them of their arms and ammunition.  —  And yet the opposite is happening.  Mr. Obama has been largely silent on the issue …

Hutchison: Perry's tactics tough on her campaign  —  JUSTIN, Texas — Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison acknowledged Tuesday that Republican Gov. Rick Perry has succeeded at casting her as a Washington insider, hindering her effort to kick him out of the Texas governor's mansion.

Haaretz exclusive: Hamas founder's son worked for Shin Bet for years  —  The son of a leading Hamas figure, who famously converted to Christianity, served for over a decade as the Shin Bet security service's most valuable source in the militant organization's leadership, Haaretz has learned.

Video of Bob Marshall Proves He Said What He Meant, Meant What He Said  —  Watch Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall claim at an anti-Planned Parenthood press conference that disabled children are God's punishment for abortion:  —  After his remarks set off a national controversy …

Stupak: ‘Unacceptable’  —  This statement from Bart Stupak is conciliatory in tone, but not in substance, and it isn't going to make things easy in the House:  —  I was pleased to see that President Obama's health care proposal did not include several of the sweetheart deals provided to select states in the Senate bill.

Weather helps freeze global recovery  —  Hopes for a swift global recovery suffered a jolt on Tuesday as freezing winter weather contributed to a sudden drop in spending and confidence across several advanced economies.  —  Although policymakers predicted a bumpy rebound in global economic health …

Toyota Official Says Recall May Not Fully Solve Safety Problem  —  WASHINGTON — In the first of many Congressional hearings into Toyota's extensive recalls, a senior company executive told the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday that the repairs prescribed by the company might …

Sanders: Skeptics like Nazi deniers  —  Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is comparing climate change skeptics to those who disregarded the Nazi threat in America in the 1930s, adding a strident rhetorical shot to the already volatile debate over climate change.

Jimmy Carter Objects To Article Comparing His Foreign Policy To Obama's  —  In last month's issue of Foreign Policy magazine, leading analyst and Iraq War supporter Walter Russell Mead opined that President Obama's foreign policy agenda was turning into a duplicate of Jimmy Carter's.

NAACP president: Van Jones a misunderstood treasure  —  Editor's note: Benjamin Todd Jealous is president and CEO of the NAACP.  The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts and literature, as well as individuals or groups …

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® Declines Sharply  —  The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in January, declined sharply in February.  The Index now stands at 46.0 (1985=100), down from 56.5 in January.  The Present Situation Index decreased to 19.4 from 25.2.