Massa to retire amid allegations he sexually harassed a male staffer  —  First-term Rep. Eric Massa announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection, saying his doctors have told him that he can't continue to “run at 100 miles an hour.”  —  But several House aides told POLITICO …

Harkin: Reconciliation is a go  —  Sen. Tom Harkin told POLITICO that Senate Democratic leaders have decided to go the reconciliation route.  The House, he said, will first pass the Senate bill after Senate leaders demonstrate to House leaders that they have the votes to pass reconciliation in the Senate.

Exclusive: RNC document mocks donors, plays on ‘fear’  —  The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”

Palin: ‘I joined Fox’ because there's too much ‘opinion interjected in hard news’ in the mainstream media.  —  In January, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) joined paid contributer.  Last night, she appeared on Jay Leno's show and decried the state of the mainstream media as “quite broken …

Pelosi picks fellow Californian to take gavel after Rangel bows out  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi has picked liberal firebrand Rep. Pete Stark to replace ousted Chairman Charles Rangel on the tax-writing committee, according to a House leadership aide.  —  The decision was made during …

Exclusive: Unknown DOJ Lawyers Identified  —  A day after a conservative group released a video condemning the Justice Department for refusing to identify seven lawyers who previously represented or advocated for terror suspects, Fox News has uncovered the identities of the seven lawyers.

A Death in the Blogging Family  —  The great Jon Swift has died.  That's the “blogging” angle to a personal tragedy.  In reality, the voice of Jon Swift - the hilarious faux conservative blogger whose talent and passion were evident in every post - belonged to Al Weisel …

GRAND JURY TO INDICT EDWARDS  —  The ultimate fall from grace, a Federal grand jury is about to indict John Edwards, The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively.  —  In another shocker, close sources say Edwards' estranged wife Elizabeth could help send the former presidential candidate to jail!

Did Republicans use reconciliation for significantly bipartisan bills?  —  Among the odder arguments Republicans are making against the reconciliation process is that the process should only be used for bipartisan bills, and since they refuse to vote for health-care reform, Democrats can't give their package of fixes an up-or-down vote.

Crazytown Watch: Charles Johnson Conflates Some Fringe Group With Rick Perry  —  Now why would he do that?  A little preventative, cyber guerrilla warfare, I'd say.  —  Here's the things about moderates, independents, or leftists in moderate name only (LIMNO-hey, it's better than FCINO) …

The Chief  —  You think it's so great being Rahm Emanuel?  —  One of the enduring mysteries about White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is why he took the job in the first place.  At the time he accepted it, he was the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, a position he'd attained with considerable effort.

Paterson Broke Ethics Law on Receiving Gifts, Panel Charges  —  Gov. David A. Paterson violated state ethics laws when he secured free tickets to the opening game of the World Series from the Yankees last fall for himself and others, the New York State Commission on Public Integrity charged on Wednesday.

Fee to Overthrow the Government: Five Dollars  —  Posted by Brian Montopoli Leave Comment - Share - - - Share - E-mail - Print - Font Since 1951, South Carolina has had a law on its books requiring anyone looking to overthrow the government to, well, register with the government.

A Word From the Wise  —  I was traveling via Los Angeles International Airport — LAX — last week.  Walking through its faded, cramped domestic terminal, I got the feeling of a place that once thought of itself as modern but has had one too many face-lifts and simply can't hide the wrinkles anymore.

Military to Review Sodomy Ban  —  As Part of Examination of Repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” Plans to Review Prohibition on Sodomy and Oral Sex  —  (CBS/ AP) The Pentagon's chief legal counsel said a nine-month study on gays in the military will likely review rules for troops on sodomy and oral sex.

Governor Christie: “Time to Hold Hands and Jump Off the Cliff” - Chris Christie For President?  —  In an amazingly candid appraisal of the sorry state of affairs in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie laid it on the line in a speech to about 200 mayors at the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

Rep. McHenry Announces Legislation to Put President Reagan on the $50 Bill  —  “Every Generation Needs Its Own Heroes”  —  Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) announced new legislation today, H.R. 4705, that would redesign the face of the $50 bill to include the likeness of our 40th President, Ronald Reagan.

Toyota's fix is a bust, owners claim  —  New complaints allege sudden acceleration and other problems after recall work.  —  Erick Garcia inspects his work at Toyota of Hollywood while perfecting the fix for shortening the gas pedal of recalled Toyota vehicles.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times / February 3, 2010)

Health Insurance Industry Looks Forward to $300 Billion Victory Over the Public Option  —  When Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and the entire Republican Senate caucus stepped up to kill the public option in the Senate …

Palin writing second book  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will write another book, her publisher announced Wednesday.  —  The new book will “reflect on the key values—both national and spiritual—that have been such a profound part of her life and which continue to inform her vision of the future,” according to HarperCollins.