Obama looking stronger  —  PPP's monthly look ahead to next year's Presidential race finds Barack Obama in his best position against the major Republican contenders since 2009.  —  The GOP hopefuls who would make it most competitive against Obama continue to be Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, each of whom he leads by 5 points.

Michelle Obama's ‘Get Moving’ Program Linked to Pedestrian Deaths  —  WASHINGTON — The Governors Highway Safety Association says pedestrian deaths increased in the first half of 2010 and the First Lady's program to get Americans to be more active could be partly responsible.

GOP Can Force a Senate Vote on Repeal  —  While the health care repeal that the House passed Wednesday has little chance of passage in the Senate, Republicans will probably succeed in eventually forcing a vote on the measure — albeit with at least a 60-vote threshold.

A number of the House GOP's leading conservative members on Thursday will announce legislation that would cut $2.5 trillion over 10 years, which will be by far the most ambitious and far-reaching proposal by the new majority to cut federal government spending.

NBC/WSJ poll: Obama bouncing back  —  The president's approval rating returns to the 50s, but challenges remain, according to the latest poll  —  Below:  —  Deputy political director  —  WASHINGTON — What a difference a few weeks can make.  —  Last month, Republicans were celebrating …

Palin Putting Out Presidential Feelers in Iowa  —  DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has tasked her aides with quietly gauging her level of support for a potential presidential campaign by making inquiries to a select pool of likely allies and grassroots activists in Iowa, RealClearPolitics has learned.

If Obama wants to be bold, he should be bold  —  Peter Baker has a lot of juicy tidbits about the frequent infighting and petty spats that split the White House economic team over the past two years, but the individual who comes off worst in the article is not Larry Summers or Christina Romer or Peter Orszag or Rahm Emanuel.

Rick Santorum plays race card on President Obama  —  In eye-brow raising comments, possible presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is questioning how President Barack Obama - as an African-American - can support abortion rights.  —  Santorum, a former Republican senator from Pennsylvania …

Obama to Close Political Office and Start 2012 Campaign  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will close the office of political affairs at the White House, aides said, restructuring his organization to prepare for his re-election campaign, which is to start building a fund-raising and grassroots operation based in Chicago by late March.

Goodbye to a Guy Named Joe  —  On Wednesday, Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut announced that he won't be a candidate for re-election in 2012.  Normally people look particularly appealing when they're promising to go away.  This time, not so much.  —  “I can't help but also think about …

FBI Rounding Up 100 Mobsters in Biggest Mafia Bust in New York History  —  Charges range from gambling to racketeering to murder  —  The FBI calls it the biggest mafia round-up in New York history.  More than 100 suspected mobsters are being arrested this morning in connection …

Parents of Giffords' doc supported Tea Partier Christine O'Donnell with Palm Beach cash  —  The name of Michael Lemole, the University of Arizona neurosurgeon who's been treating U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' brain injuries since the Jan. 8 shooting, may sound familiar to Palm Beachers.

Advocacy Group Says Justices May Have Conflict in Campaign Finance Cases  —  WASHINGTON — When the conservative financier Charles Koch sent out invitations for a political retreat in Palm Springs later this month, he highlighted past appearances at the gathering of “notable leaders” …

Palinoia, the Destroyer  —  What's behind the left's deranged hatred.  —  Why does their hatred of her burn so hot?  —  Ask them, and they'll most likely tell you: Because she's a moron.  But that is obviously false.  To be sure, her skills at extemporaneous speaking leave much to be desired.

The 50 Most Loathsome Americans of 2010  —  Charges: The A.Q. Khan of the culinary world, her secret recipes are demonstrably more dangerous to America than a nuclear armed North Korea.  When not delighting delusional hicks on “Huckabee,” she's cooking up coronary-clogging treats like the …

CNN Poll: JFK remains most popular past president  —  (CNN)-It's a golden anniversary Thursday for John F. Kennedy's inauguration.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner will mark the 50th anniversary with a tribute ceremony, that will include remarks by Vice President Joe Biden …

Hubris heading for a fall  —  It takes a worried man to sing a worried song, and in a recent speech that seemed like Larry Summers's swan song, the president's now-departed economic adviser warned that America is “at risk of a profound demoralization with respect to government.”

Republicans Introduce Bill to Ban Federal Funding for Abortion Procedures  —  Calling it a top priority of the Republican agenda, House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday gave a top designation to a bill introduced by New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith that would ban the use of any federal funds from being used for abortions.