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.

Rangel Steps Aside From Post During Ethics Inquiry  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Charles B. Rangel of New York announced on Wednesday that he would temporarily step down from his powerful post as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in an attempt to avert a politically bruising fight …

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 …

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.

GOP casts doubt on parliamentarian  —  Senate Republicans are waging a pre-emptive strike against the Senate's parliamentarian — a hitherto little-known official who could determine the fate of the Democrats' health care reform efforts.  —  In interviews with POLITICO …

DNC attacks Romney for anti-populist stands  —  With former Governor Mitt Romney's book tour getting underway, the Democratic National Committee is attacking him in terms that suggest they've settled on attack lines on the frontrunner for the 2012 nomination.

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.

Michael Moore: 'Democrats are a bunch of wusses...It's disgusting... I'm sick of them'  —  America's top documentary filmmaker talks “Capitalism,” politics and Oscars with Raw Story  —  Just over a year ago, Michael Moore vigorously campaigned for President Obama and the Democratic Party.

Argentina celebrates diplomatic coup as Hillary Clinton calls for talks over Falklands  —  Giles Whittell, Hannah Strange, Catherine Philp and Martin Fletcher in Stanley  —  Argentina was celebrating a diplomatic coup yesterday in its attempt to force Britain to accept talks on the future …

How SPLC Hypes the Hate  —  Dangerous extremist militias taking over America?  The Southern Poverty Law Center reports “an astonishing 363 new Patriot groups appeared in 2009, with the totals going from 149 groups (including 42 militias) to 512 (127 of them militias) - a 244% jump” from 2008.

Fuel Taxes Must Rise, Harvard Researchers Say  —  To meet the Obama administration's targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, some researchers say, Americans may have to experience a sobering reality: gas at $7 a gallon.  —  To reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector 14 percent …

Swiss Post  —  If you've been following the US Postal Service's various travails, you'll be interested in Sasha Issenberg's profile of Swiss Post in Issue 30 of Monocle.  Unfortunately, it's a subscriber-only piece, but this is a flavor of it: … Basically, Swiss Post was given additional flexibility …

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.

Paterson Should Stay, Despite Lowest Approval Ever, New York State Voters Tell Quinnipiac University Poll; Independent Prosecutor Should Probe Gov, Voters Say 2-1  —  New York Gov. David Paterson should finish his term, rather than resign, New York State voters say 61 - 31 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released today.