Massa to retire amid allegations he sexually harassed a male staffer  —  First-term Rep. Eric Massa announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election, 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.

Key House liberal may vote against healthcare bill  —  Rep. Raúl Grijalva, co-chairman of a progressive caucus, says he's “leaning toward” opposing the legislation  —  WASHINGTON — An influential House progressive says he's less likely to vote for the final healthcare reform bill …

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 …

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!

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 …

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.

The Texas Taliban  —  There's been talk lately in Texas about seceding from the US.  Even Republican Governor Rick Perry has broadly hinted that Texas should exercise its “tenth amendment” rights.  —  Well, here's a website that makes me think it might be a good idea to let them do it: Repent Amarillo.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

Scientists Taking Steps to Defend Work on Climate  —  WASHINGTON — For months, climate scientists have taken a vicious beating in the media and on the Internet, accused of hiding data, covering up errors and suppressing alternate views.  Their response until now has been largely to assert …

Video: Then-Senator Obama dumps on “50-plus-one” approach to governance  —  Most of you have seen this on Drudge, but if not, carve out three minutes and drink it in.  Naked Emperor News salvaged it from the rubble of the Great Liberal Realignment, a sort of time capsule of a moment …

FIRED-UP PRESIDENT DEMANDS ‘UP-OR-DOWN VOTE’ ON HEALTH CARE.... Watching President Obama's speech this afternoon on the way forward on health care reform, I noticed something I haven't seen from the always-cool chief executive in a while: real passion.  —  It was unmistakable …