Romney keeps away from Tea Party  —  Possible presidential contender isn't courting activists  —  Tea Party activists in New Hampshire say the former Massachusetts governor has been largely inaccessible to them.  (Mary Schwalm/Associated Press)  —  WASHINGTON — New Hampshire Tea Party …

A rival SOTU response  —  The Tea Party Express emails supporters that Rep. Michelle Bachmann — passed over for a leadership spot, much less the response to the State of the Union — will deliver her own response:  —  Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has confirmed with us that she will broadcast …

I'm declaring February a Palin-free month.  Join me!  —  Though it is embarrassing to admit this in public, I can no longer hide the truth.  I have a Sarah Palin problem.  —  I have written about her in 42 columns since Sen. John McCain picked her as his presidential running mate in 2008.

DeMint joins CPAC boycott  —  South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint will skip this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, making him the most prominent conservative figure yet to express objections to what critics see as a pro-gay, libertarian tilt to the 38-year old event.

Rep. Broun: Mixed Seating At SOTU Is “A Trap” To “Silence Republicans” When “Barack Obama Spews Out All His Venom”  —  1 hour and 16 minutes ago — Matt Finkelstein  —  The tragic shootings in Tucson prompted calls for civility from politicians on both sides of the aisle, including Sen. Mark Udall's …

Everything starts with repeal  —  Suppose someone - say, the president of United States - proposed the following: We are drowning in debt.  More than $14 trillion right now.  I've got a great idea for deficit reduction.  It will yield a savings of $230 billion over the next 10 years …

Brad Friedman, Partner of Convicted Bomber, Is Very Concerned About Glenn Beck's Rhetoric  —  As I explained last night, Glenn Beck never told his supporters to shoot anyone in the head: … Now comes Brad Friedman doing his typical “am I lying or am I stupid?” game:

Sen. Murkowski questions approach to health repeal  —  Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Thursday cast doubt on the manner in which Republicans have attempted to repeal the healthcare law.  —  Murkowski (Alaska) said that she would vote to repeal the law if a vote was held in the Senate …

White House reboots on economic advice  —  Signaling a shift to a new phase of the administration's response to the nation's economic woes, President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Friday establishing a new Council on Jobs and Competitiveness that will be lead by General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt.

McChrystal denies claims of secret military crusade against Islam  —  WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal says he is not part of a religious order waging war on Islam despite recent assertions by acclaimed journalist Seymour Hersh.  —  Speaking in Qatar earlier this week …

165 House Republicans endorse defunding USAID  —  As the budget battle inside the Republican Party heats up, a large group of conservative House Republicans called Thursday for a drastic defunding of the U.S. Agency for International Development and a host of other programs.

Free Market Health Care  —  Rep Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) sings the praises of the healthcare status quo and explains the problems with a government takeover of the health care system: … Hensarling is 53 years old, so his mother is, of course, eligible for Medicare.

Newt Gingrich tells Georgia Republicans he'll be a candidate in '12  —  In the last 24 hours, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has touched base with several prominent Republicans in his former home state, telling them that he intends to make a run for president in 2012 using Georgia as his base …

A Path Is Sought for States to Escape Their Debt Burdens  —  Policy makers are working behind the scenes to come up with a way to let states declare bankruptcy and get out from under crushing debts, including the pensions they have promised to retired public workers.

Brother of Harry Potter star jailed for attacking her  —  The brother of a Harry Potter star has been jailed for six months for a “prolonged and nasty” attack in which she was beaten and branded a “slag” for dating a non-Muslim.  —  Afshan Azad, 21, who played Padma Patil …

‘Steampunk Palin’ Comic More Insane Than You Imagined  —  Picture in your mind the most insane possible story that could be contained in a book named Steampunk Palin.  Go ahead, take ten seconds or so to imagine it perfectly in your mind's eye.  Use this cover image for help.  —  Got it?  Good.

The Phantom 15 Million  —  Taming unemployment starts with solving the mystery of the jobs that were supposed to have been created in the past 10 years but weren't.  —  Anxious: Job seekers in Denver.  —  America's jobs crisis began a decade ago.  Long before the housing bubble burst …

Oakland 2nd Graders Reportedly Engage In Sex Acts, Teacher Suspended  —  OAKLAND (CBS 5) — A teacher at Oakland's Markham Elementary School has been suspended indefinitely after school officials said a pair of second-graders performed sex acts on each other in class - with the teacher present.

Santorum's Non-Gaffe  —  I disagree with Rick Santorum on almost everything, including abortion.  But this recent kerfuffle about the former Pennsylvania Senator's remarks about black people, including the President, and abortion is a classic example of political correctness run amok.

You Think Houses Are a Slow Sell?  Try a Yacht  —  What is tougher than having one sleek mega-yacht for sale in a glutted market?  The answer, for the moment at least, is having two mega-yachts on the market.  —  In boom times, yacht enthusiasts would order a new dream boat and keep …

(2 of 2)  —  “Just me, personally, I think the window is closing,” he said.  —  Thune agreed, saying “the clock is ticking.”  —  “I do know that candidates are getting out there, and people are starting to gravitate certain directions,” Thune said.  —  Thune said he has done much analysis and gathered many data points.

Roberts, Alito face tough choice on whether to attend State of the Union  —  Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito face a difficult choice on whether to attend President Obama's State of the Union address next week.  —  Alito and Roberts, who were both nominated …

Poll Finds Wariness About Cutting Entitlements  —  As President Obama and Congress brace to battle over how to reduce chronic annual budget deficits, Americans overwhelmingly say that in general they prefer cutting government spending to paying higher taxes, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.