Say What?  Democrat Compares Republicans to Nazis  —  ABC News Jonathan Karl reports:  —  The newfound civility didn't last long.  Political rhetoric in Congress doesn't get much nastier than the words of one House Democrat during the debate on repealing the health care law.

House repeals healthcare law, 245-189  —  The House voted on Wednesday to repeal the sweeping healthcare law enacted last year, as Republicans made good on a central campaign pledge and laid down the first major policy marker of their new majority.  —  The vote was 245-189.

Hawaii governor can't find Obama birth certificate  —  Suggests controversy could hurt president's re-election chances  —  Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie suggested in an interview published today that a long-form, hospital-generated birth certificate for Barack Obama may not exist within …

Gabrielle Giffords to be released from hospital Friday  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is expected to be released from a Tucson, Ariz., hospital Friday just less than two weeks after she suffered a gunshot wound to her head, her office said today.  —  She will be moved from the University Medical Center …

U.S. Rep. David Wu loses staffers, political team amid complaints of public behavior  —  Since the November election, U.S. Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., has lost at least six staffers plus the leadership of a veteran campaign team that guided him to a seventh term amid complaints about his public behavior.

McCain: Hopes Obama considers Lieberman for defense secretary  —  Washington (CNN) - Sen. John McCain, R-AZ, tells CNN he believes his good friend Joe Lieberman would make a good defense secretary for President Obama, calling him “one of the most informed members of the Senate on national security issues and homeland security issues.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY.... Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has been one of the most hysterical GOP lawmakers when it comes to repealing the Affordable Care Act, insisting that every possible provision in the law has to be scrubbed from existence — with no exceptions.  Even wildly popular measures …

Palin for President?  Forget It  —  The time has come to put any thoughts of Sarah Palin running for President to rest.  I say that not because I dislike her; on the contrary, I'm a fan.  I think she did an excellent job as a vice-presidential candidate in 2008 and has been an effective spokeswoman …

Guessing at who's behind ‘O’  —  Like a stripper at Scores, publisher Jonathan Karp tantalizingly unveiled pieces of Simon & Schuster's latest political novel, “O,” an anonymously written fictional account of President Obama's campaign for reelection in 2012 that hits stands Jan. 25.

Rep. John Lewis Says Declaration's ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ Language and 14th Amendment Authorize Congress to Force People to Buy Health Insurance  —  (CNSNews.com) -Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said on Tuesday that the government should require individuals to buy health insurance and cited the Preamble …

Our Second Annual TV News Trust Poll  —  PPP's annual look at the public's trust in various TV news outlets finds that Fox News' credibility is on the decline, that the traditional networks are seeing an up tick in their numbers, and that PBS is at the top of the heap.

Boehner, McConnell skipping state dinner with Chinese leader  —  Three top congressional leaders are skipping a state dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao in what may be perceived by China as a snub.  —  House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) …

DA: Pa. abortion doc killed 7 babies with scissors  —  PHILADELPHIA — A doctor who provided abortions for minorities, immigrants and poor women in a “house of horrors” clinic has been charged with eight counts of murder in the deaths of a patient and seven babies who were born alive …

WHY OBAMA IS SCARY SKINNY  —  The real reason behind PRESIDENT OBAMA's shocking weight loss - he's secretly battling stomach parasites, say sources.  —  The pencil-thin president caught the parasites on a trip last year to Hawaii, where he and his family also vacationed over Christmas, according to top political insiders.

In Wreckage of Lost Jobs, Lost Power  —  Alone among the world's economic powers, the United States is suffering through a deep jobs slump that can't be explained by the rest of the economy's performance.  —  The gross domestic product here — the total value of all goods and services …

BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL  —  Before banning ‘crosshairs,’ CNN used it to refer to Palin, Bachmann  —  CNN's John King is attracting a lot of notice — and some ridicule — in the blogosphere for his on-air apology after a guest used the word “crosshairs” during a report on Chicago politics Tuesday.

President's Ratings Climb  —  President Barack Obama is riding a surge of public support into next week's State of the Union address, with more Americans approving of his performance and more seeing him as a political moderate, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Santorum: It's “Common Sense” The We Should Not “Defy Nature” By Letting Gays Get Married or Adopt  —  Today, CNS News posted a nearly two hour long interview with Rick Santorum conducted by CNS News editor-in-chief Terry Jeffrey which covered a wide range of issues, including Santorum's opposition …

Democratic lawmaker: Repealing health reform is ‘killing Americans’  —  Repealing healthcare reform would result in “killing Americans,” one Democratic lawmaker suggested Tuesday night.  —  Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), in a speech on the House floor about the rhetoric surrounding Republicans' bill …

Gov. Bentley apologizes for ‘Christian Brother’ comments  —  MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - Before a crowd of reporters and Jewish leaders Wednesday afternoon, Governor Robert Bentley apologized for comments that many considered offensive towards non-Christians.  —  Bentley, just hours after taking office …

D.C. ANTI-WALMART PROTESTERS PLAN MARCH ON DEVELOPER'S HOME WITH ‘TARGET’ FLYER  —  A group of Washington, D.C. protesters upset about the possibility of a Walmart store coming to their area is hoping to send the potential developer of the proposed store a message.

Pickering, Hills, Sullivan, Beinart, Dobbins, More Ask Obama Administration to Support UN Resolution Condemning Illegal Israeli Settlements  —  A letter from an array of concerned policy commentators and practitioners, academics, and former government officials about the resolution pending …

Bad polling exaggerates support for repeal  —  Okay, I noted here yesterday that a clear pattern has emerged when it comes to polling on whether Americans support repealing the health reform law.  When pollsters offer respondents a straight choice between full repeal and leaving the law as is, more end up supporting repeal.

Study Points to Windfall for Goldman Partners  —  Goldman Sachs executives have long been among the most richly paid on Wall Street in the best of times.  They are now poised to reap a windfall that was sown in the dark days of the financial crisis in 2008.