Road to the Nut House  —  It was 1976 and I was interviewing Democratic presidential candidates as they came through Boston for the Massachusetts primary.  One of them was Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson, who came into our radio studios with a small entourage.  The Washington state Democrat talked about his issues, mostly national defense.

Gingrich Savors Another Turn in the Spotlight  —  WASHINGTON — Newt Gingrich still relishes stirring the pot of the culture wars.  —  There he was last month in Akron, Ohio, telling an audience of 300 people that President Obama was out of touch.  Why?  Because the president did not understand …

Colorado Mom Held in Terror Plot Case  —  A Second American Woman Is Arrested in Cartoonist Case  —  By VANESSA O'CONNELL in New York, STEPHANIE SIMON in Colorado and EVAN PEREZ in Washington  —  Last Easter, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old mom with a $30,000-a-year job as a medical assistant …

Pro-life group urges Congress to pass Senate health care bill  —  Twenty-five pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders yesterday sent letters to members of Congress urging them not to let misleading information about abortion provisions in the Senate health care bill block passage of sorely-needed reform.

Obama previews No Child Left Behind overhaul in address  —  President Barack Obama said it will be his administration's goal to have all high school students graduate “prepared for college and a career.”  —  Obama, in his weekly address, said the ambitious goal will be part of his proposed overhaul …

Marco Rubio's lavish rise to the top  —  Marco Rubio was barely solvent as a young lawmaker climbing his way to the top post in the Florida House, but special interest donations and political perks allowed him to spend big money with little scrutiny.  —  About $600,000 in contributions …

Rove's Pride.  —  So Karl Rove is “proud” of waterboarding, which means he's proud of the fact that his administration disgraced the United States with torture.  I'm not sure what else he was supposed to say — the only possible justification he has is that some good might have come out of his administration breaking the law.

Democrats soften pledge for three-day posting of health bill  —  Washington (CNN) - House Democrats appear to be softening their pledge to allow the public 72 hours to review the health care reform package online before a House vote.  “We will certainly give as much notice as possible …

Hardcover Nonfiction  —  BUY THESE BOOKS FROM:  —  This WeekLast WeekWeeks on List  —  NO APOLOGY, by Mitt Romney.  (St. Martin's, $25.99.)  The former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate calls for economic and civic­ ­revitalization.  (†) (†)

Clinton Rebukes Israel on Housing Announcement  —  WASHINGTON — In a tense, 43-minute phone call on Friday morning, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel's plan for new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem sent a “deeply negative signal” …

‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ for Thursday, March, 2010  —  RACHEL MADDOW, HOST: Good evening from Washington, D.C., where the political fight to reform health care at last appears to be in the homestretch.  —  Today, the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, granted me a one-on-one interview at the Capitol.