Jeb Bush On Sarah Palin: If She Only Had A Brain...  (VIDEO)  —  Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has some advice for Sarah Palin: You'd be a great, if you only had a brain.  —  In a recent interview with Newsmax, Bush was asked whether he thought Palin was a viable candidate for president.

Conrad: Reform “dead” unless House passes Senate bill first  —  If congressional Democrats decide to pass fixes to the Senate health care bill through reconciliation, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) is one of the most important people to bring on board with the plan.

OBAMA & DEMS IN ‘05: 51 VOTE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION’ IS ‘ARROGANT’ POWER GRAB AGAINST THE FOUNDERS’ INTENT  —  Biden: “I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don't make the kind of naked power grab you are doing.”

Top Palin aide resigns  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's senior adviser and spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton has resigned, POLITICO has learned.  —  Stapleton has been a Palin confidant since December 2006 and one of the governor's most trusted aides since she was vaulted onto …

Questions of Influence in Abuse Case of Paterson Aide  —  Last fall, a woman went to court in the Bronx to testify that she had been violently assaulted by a top aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, and to seek a protective order against the man.  —  In the ensuing months, she returned to court twice …

Weiner: The Republican Party Is a Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Insurance Industry  —  Anthony Weiner just made a fiery speech in the middle of the House debate on repealing the insurance industry's anti-trust exemption [Update: Measure passed, 406-19)].  Angered by a motion to recommit …

SeaWorld Orlando trainer killed in whale attack  —  An experienced female trainer at Sea World Orlando, Dawn Brancheau, was fatally injured by one of the whales.  —  A SeaWorld employee died this afternoon during an incident at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium, an Orange County Sheriff's Office official confirmed.

Don't get Rep. Anthony Weiner angry  —  You wouldn't like him when he's angry.  —  Watch this through to at least the third minute, by which time a Republican has pulled a parliamentary maneuver to stop Weiner and give him a chance to take back his words, and Weiner substitutes his words for, uh, other words.

Breaking: Could “The Party” Be Over?  —  Update 2:28: Newsroom rumors are running fierce right now.  But it's tough to nail any sort of confirmation on where the column stands.  Will keep pounding.  —  Update 1:45: Have made several calls to the very top crust of Post newsroom management.

The Ron Paul Delusion  —  Why the Texas congressman does not represent the future of conservatism  —  What are we to make of the Republican Party's future now that libertarian Rep. Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll at the well-attended Conservative Political Action Conference last week?

G.M. to Close Hummer After Sale Collapses  —  DETROIT — General Motors said Wednesday that it would shut down Hummer, the brand of big sport-utility vehicles that became synonymous with the term “gas guzzler,” after a deal to sell it to a Chinese manufacturer fell apart.

Every Central Falls teacher fired, labor outraged … CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — The full force of organized labor showed up in Central Falls Tuesday, with several hundred union members rallying in support of the city's teachers and bringing plenty of harsh words for the education officials …

Miss Beverly Hills tries to one-up Carrie Prejean, says it's divine law that gays be put to death.  —  Last year, Miss California Carrie Prejean endeared herself to the right wing when she answered a question about same-sex marriage by saying that she believes marriage “should be between a man and a woman.”

Pledge of Allegiance dispute results in Md. teacher having to apologize  —  The mother of a 13-year-old Montgomery County middle school student is demanding an apology from a teacher who had school police escort the youngster from a classroom for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Son of Hamas founder spied for Israel for more than a decade  —  The son of one of Hamas's founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged today.

Looking at the swing voters  —  Our national poll last week found that 37% of voters were definitely planning to go Republican this year and 34% were definitely planning to support Democrats- that leaves 29% of the electorate up for grabs- who are those swing voters?

Did Blackwater Rescue Alan Grayson in Niger?  —  Before joining Congress, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) was the scourge of military contractors, filing dozens of whistleblower lawsuits against companies who defrauded the government in connection with their work in Iraq.

CA Senate moved to Clear Advantage from Safe  —  Republicans have to sort out a competitive primary in California, but Sen. Barbara Boxer's (D) poll numbers are less than intimidating.  The contest is worth watching because of the building GOP wave.  Move from Currently Safe to Clear Advantage for Incumbent Party.

“I'm Live-Tweeting My Abortion”  —  “I'm doing this to de-mystify abortion,” she says.  “I'm doing this so other women know, 'Hey, it's not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.' It's just not that bad.”  —  These are the words of Angie Jackson, a blogger and mother of a 4-year-old son.

On spending, conservatives are quite conflicted  —  The government spends too much!  Except when it comes to schools and infrastructure and Social Security and ...  Conservatives agree that the government spends too much.  But ask them what to cut ...  At last week's Conservative Political …

Have Gays Found Their Place in the GOP?  —  Dramatic Moment at Conservative Confab Could Be a Sign of Change Within Republican Party When It Comes to Gay Rights  —  (CBS) This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.  —  A memorable moment at last week's …

Crist sounding more and more ... independent  —  Either Charlie Crist realizes he can't escape the stimulus, or he's leaning toward an independent run for Senate.  —  Crist is saying some curious things for a man in the midst of a conservative primary challenge.  —  Here's a few, just from the last couple days:

McCain's ‘birther’ attack  —  priceless, where was this mccain in 2008?  —  Posted By: priceless, where was this mccain in 2008?  America...yet another lie and spin...from a moderate ‘fence sitter’!  I do not believe that Bilderberg Bush-0bama is a legal citizen and qualified to be President either and I …

My Gift to the Obama Presidency  —  Though the White House won't want to admit it, Bush lawyers were protecting the executive's power to fight a vigorous war on terror.  —  Barack Obama may not realize it, but I may have just helped save his presidency.  How?

What's the Matter With Democrats?  —  The party embraced globalization while its union allies were cut down.  —  It's no secret that the tea party faithful regard the Obama administration as a Constitution-shredding tyranny.  But in a profile of the movement published last week …

McCain: Obama Suspended His Campaign Too!  —  Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), under fire in a GOP primary for his support for the bailout, is now claiming, inaccurately, that Barack Obama joined him in suspending his presidential campaign to address the 2008 financial crisis.

Serious threat to the web in Italy  —  In late 2006, students at a school in Turin, Italy filmed and then uploaded a video to Google Video that showed them bullying an autistic schoolmate.  The video was totally reprehensible and we took it down within hours of being notified by the Italian police.

Reid Spars With CEOs, Walks Out Of Meeting  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION?  —  Corporate America descended on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning hoping to ride the small business gravy train that's been gaining steam.  Instead, they caught an earful from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

Obama zeros in on law professor for 9th Circuit post  —  UC Berkeley's Goodwin Liu will be nominated to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, The Times has learned.  Though he will face opposition from conservatives, he has admirers in that camp as well.  —  Reporting from Washington …

Vermont Senate Votes to Close Nuclear Plant  —  MONTPELIER, Vt. — In an unusual state foray into nuclear regulation, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 Wednesday to block a license extension for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, citing radioactive leaks, misstatements in testimony by plant officials and other problems.