The ‘tea party’ gears up for 2012  —  The playbook for winning the Republican presidential nomination begins with a set of inviolable rules: Start early, raise millions, build an organization, and trudge across the country seeking the blessing of mayors and money men.

O'Donnell In 2007: Scientists Have Created Mice With Human Brains!  —  Delaware Republican Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell has previously sounded the alarm against cloning and stem-cell research — and what she's described as the current terror of human-mouse hybrids.

Why Democrats Can't Win on Taxes  —  Many Democrats up for re-election do not want to vote for any tax increases, but Obama has drawn a line in the sand against tax cuts “for the rich.”  —  To listen to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats are fired up for a tax debate.

Murkowski continues to mull write-in effort  —  A ‘HIGH HURDLE’: The decision she's about to unveil wasn't easy to reach.  —  ebolstad@adn.com  —  WASHINGTON - Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday she was seriously considering a write-in campaign even as she acknowledged that success would have an “extraordinarily high hurdle.”