Senate Dems warm to reconciliation  —  An idea that seemed toxic only weeks ago — using a parliamentary tactic to ram health reform through the Senate — is gaining acceptance among moderate Democrats who have resisted the strategy but now say GOP opposition may force their hands.

Exclusive: W.H. privately plots 2012 campaign run  —  President Barack Obama's top advisers are quietly laying the groundwork for the 2012 reelection campaign, which is likely to be run out of Chicago and managed by White House deputy chief of staff Jim Messina, according to Democrats familiar with the discussions.

Wall Street shifting political contributions to Republicans  —  Commercial banks and high-flying investment firms have shifted their political contributions toward Republicans in recent months amid harsh rhetoric from Democrats about fat bank profits, generous bonuses and stingy lending policies on Wall Street.

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.

The old “coconut” smear: Another white liberal bigmouth with race issues  —  A few readers asked me why I hadn't commented on MSNBC's latest attack on the Tea Party as RAAAAACIST.  Been there, done that.  Over and over and over again.  (The Dallas Tea Party posted an excellent rejoinder video here.)

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.

US stimulus added up to 2.1 mln jobs in Q4 2009-CBO  —  * It lowered jobless rate by up to 2.1 pct (Adds detail, background)  —  The massive stimulus package passed last year to blunt the impact of the worst U.S. recession in 70 years created up to 2.1 million jobs in the last three months of 2009 …

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.

Politician Makes Controversial Statement — By: Mark Steyn  —  If I were minded to make a health care TV ad, I'd rustle up the Premier of Newfoundland's interview on NTV last night.  Justifying his decision to eschew the pleasures of the monopoly government health care system he presides …

Home purchase loan demand at lowest since 1997  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. mortgage applications fell for a third straight week, with demand for home purchase loans sinking to the lowest level in 13 years as inclement weather weighed, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

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 …

Bust the Health Care Trusts  —  MY health insurer here in California is Anthem Blue Cross.  So far, my group policy hasn't been affected by Anthem's planned rate increase of as much as 39 percent for its customers with individual policies — but the trend worries me, as it should everyone.

U.S. to embed agents in Mexican law enforcement units battling cartels in Juarez  —  CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO — For the first time, U.S. officials plan to embed American intelligence agents in Mexican law enforcement units to help pursue drug cartel leaders and their hit men operating …

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 …

Citi in Talks to Sell Hedge-Fund Business  —  Citigroup Inc. is in talks to sell a hedge-fund business with about $4 billion in assets as the bank company continues to whittle down a $547 billion pool of assets marked for sale, according to people familiar with the sale talks.

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.