Under Fire, Rangel Steps Aside as Chair of Committee  —  WASHINGTON — Caught in a swirl of ethics inquiries, Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation, announced Wednesday that he would temporarily step down from his powerful post as chairman of the tax-policy-writing Ways and Means Committee.

Perry trounces Hutchison in Texas  —  Gov. Rick Perry won a decisive victory over Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Texas GOP primary for governor Tuesday night, bringing a bruising fight between two of the state's most popular Republicans to an anticlimactic conclusion.

It's Jay Leno's new ‘Tonight Show’ starring Sarah Palin  —  Sarah Palin popped up on Jay Leno's revived NBC “Tonight Show” tonight and poked a little fun at herself by writing Jay's introduction cue notes on her hand.  (See video below.)  —  The pair, both of whom have taken hits in the media …

Bunning Accepts Deal Allowing Benefits Bill to Advance  —  Under increasing pressure from Democrats and members of his own party, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Tuesday night abandoned his one-man filibuster of a one-month extension to unemployment benefits and other programs.

President Obama to Say Democrats Will Use Reconciliation to Pass Senate Health Care Reform Fix, If Not Given Up or Down Vote  —  White House officials tell ABC News that in his remarks tomorrow President Obama will indicate a willingness to work with Republicans on some issue …

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.

More Diplomatic Incompetence from the Obama Administration  —  One wonders: does the Obama administration deliberately try to screw up our foreign policy, or is it just a matter of ignorance and incompetence?  This is painful reading: “Argentina celebrates diplomatic coup as Hillary Clinton calls for talks over Falklands.”

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.

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.